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The Critical Qur'an: Explained from Key Islamic Commentaries and Contemporary Historical Research Hardcover – May 3, 2022
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As Islamic terrorism becomes a distressingly common feature of life in North America and Europe, it has become increasingly important for non-Muslims to be aware of the ideology that animates and motivates jihad violence and Sharia oppression of women and others—an ideology that’s rooted in Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an.
English-speaking people, however, have found attempts to understand the Qur’an and Islam impeded by unclear, densely worded translations and explanatory notes written by Islamic apologists attempting to conceal, rather than reveal, how Islamic jihadis use the texts and teachings of the Qur’an to justify violence and supremacism, and to make recruits of peaceful Muslims.
The Critical Qur’an, in contrast, makes clear the passages that are used to incite violence. Historian and Islamic scholar Robert Spencer elucidates the Qur’anic text with extensive references to the principal tafsir, or commentaries, that mainstream Muslims use today to understand the Qur’an, showing how interpretations that sanction violence are unfortunately not outliers, but central in Islamic theology.
The Critical Qur’an is the Islamic counterpart to numerous critical and skeptical editions of the Bible that have appeared over the last century and more. It is the one edition of Islam’s book that doesn’t shy away from elucidating why the holy book of Islam is so frequently quoted and referred to with reverence by people who commit and/or justify acts of violence. It is a basic resource for everyone who wishes to understand the persistent phenomenon of Islamic terrorism, and the peculiar provenance of this most provocative book.
- Print length560 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBombardier Books
- Publication dateMay 3, 2022
- Dimensions7 x 0.7 x 9.25 inches
- ISBN-101642939498
- ISBN-13978-1642939491
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About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Bombardier Books (May 3, 2022)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 560 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1642939498
- ISBN-13 : 978-1642939491
- Item Weight : 1.62 pounds
- Dimensions : 7 x 0.7 x 9.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #37,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11 in Quran
- #14 in History of Islam
- #145 in Political Commentary & Opinion
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![Robert Spencer](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/S/amzn-author-media-prod/5j77vpq8jnbd5rsn1psiek8at4._SY600_.jpg)
ROBERT SPENCER is the director of Jihad Watch and a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He is the author of twenty-eight books, including the New York Times bestsellers "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)" (Regnery Publishing) and "The Truth About Muhammad" (Regnery Publishing) and the bestsellers "The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS" (Bombardier Books) and "The Critical Qur’an: Explained from Key Islamic Commentaries and Contemporary Historical Research" (Bombardier Books). His forthcoming book is "Muhammad: A Critical Biography" (Bombardier Books).
Spencer has led seminars on Islam and jihad for the FBI, the United States Central Command, United States Army Command and General Staff College, the U.S. Army’s Asymmetric Warfare Group, the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), the Justice Department’s Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council and the U.S. intelligence community. He has discussed jihad, Islam, and terrorism at a workshop sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the German Foreign Ministry. He is a senior fellow with the Center for Security Policy.
Spencer is a regular columnist for PJ Media and FrontPage Magazine, and has written many hundreds of articles about jihad and Islamic terrorism. His articles on Islam and other topics have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Examiner, the New York Post, the Washington Times, the Dallas Morning News, Fox News Opinion, National Review, The Federalist, Human Events, American Greatness, The Hill, the Detroit New, Real Clear Religion, the Daily Caller, the New Criterion, the Journal of International Security Affairs, the UK’s Guardian, Canada’s National Post, Middle East Quarterly, WorldNet Daily, First Things, Insight in the News, World Israel News, Aleteia, and many other journals. He has also served as a contributing writer to the Investigative Project on Terrorism and as an Adjunct Fellow with the Free Congress Foundation.
Spencer has appeared on the BBC, ABC News, CNN, OANN, Newsmax, Steve Bannon’s War Room, FoxNews’s Tucker Carlson Show, the Sean Hannity Show, the Ingraham Angle, the O’Reilly Factor, Megyn Kelly’s The Kelly File, Geraldo Rivera Reports, the Glenn Beck Show, Fox and Friends, America’s News HQ and many other Fox programs, PBS, MSNBC, CNBC, C-Span, CTV News, Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News, France24, Voice of Russia and Croatia National Television (HTV), as well as on numerous radio programs including The Sean Hannity Show, Bill O’Reilly’s Radio Factor, The Mark Levin Show, The Laura Ingraham Show, The Herman Cain Show, The Joe Piscopo Show, The Howie Carr Show, The Curt Schilling Show, Bill Bennett’s Morning in America, Michael Savage’s Savage Nation, The Alan Colmes Show, The G. Gordon Liddy Show, The Neal Boortz Show, The Michael Medved Show, The Michael Reagan Show, The Larry Elder Show, The Peter Boyles Show, Vatican Radio, and many others.
Robert Spencer has been a featured speaker at the University of California-Irvine, Temple University, Dartmouth College, Penn State University, the University of California-Los Angeles, Stanford University, New York University, Brown University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Virginia, State University of New York-Binghamton, State University of New York-Stony Brook, Florida State University, DePaul University, the College of William and Mary, Washington University of St. Louis, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, Boise State University, Cal Poly, Portland State University, and many other colleges and universities. He has also addressed the Heritage Foundation, Westminster Institute, the Gatestone Institute, the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance in New York City, the Hudson Institute, the Temple of the Arts in Los Angeles, the San Diego Jewish Book Fair, the Christian Rights and Freedom Institute, the Young Presidents’ Organization, Calvary Chapel Pacific Coast, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), FreedomFest, Young America’s Foundation, Hershey’s Sweet Retreat, the John W. Pope Civitas Institute, the Conservative Forum of Silicon Valley, Train the Trainer, and many other audiences.
A complete listing of Robert Spencer’s books:
1. Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About the World’s Fastest Growing Faith (Encounter Books, 2002)
2. Onward Muslim Soldiers: How Jihad Still Threatens America and the West (Regnery Publishing, 2003)
3. Inside Islam (with Daniel Ali) (Ascension Press, 2003)
4. The Myth of Islamic Tolerance: How Islamic Law Treats Non-Muslims (Prometheus Books, 2004)
5. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) (Regnery Publishing, 2005)
6. The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World’s Most Intolerant Religion (Regnery Publishing, 2006)
7. Religion of Peace? Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn’t (Regnery Publishing, 2007)
8. Stealth Jihad: How Radical Islam is Subverting America without Guns or Bombs (Regnery Publishing, 2008)
9. The Complete Infidel’s Guide to the Koran (Regnery Publishing, 2009)
10. The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration’s War On America (with Pamela Geller) (Threshold Editions/Simon & Schuster, 2010)
11. Did Muhammad Exist? An Inquiry Into Islam’s Obscure Origins (ISI Books, 2011)
12. Not Peace But A Sword: The Great Chasm Between Christianity and Islam (CA Press, 2013)
13. Arab Winter Comes to America: The Truth About the War We’re In (Regnery Publishing, 2014)
14. The Complete Infidel’s Guide to ISIS (Regnery Publishing, 2015)
15. The Complete Infidel’s Guide to Iran (Regnery Publishing, 2016)
16. The Complete Infidel’s Guide to Free Speech (and Its Enemies) (Regnery Publishing, 2017)
17. Confessions of an Islamophobe (Bombardier Books, 2017)
18. The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS (Bombardier Books, 2018)
19. The Palestinian Delusion: The Catastrophic History of the Middle East Peace Process (Bombardier Books, 2019)
20. Rating America’s Presidents: An America-First Look at Who Is Best, Who Is Overrated, and Who Was An Absolute Disaster (Bombardier Books, 2020)
21. Mass Migration in Europe: A Model for the U.S.? (Center for Security Policy Press, 2020)
22. Islamophobia and the Threat to Free Speech (Center for Security Policy Press, 2021)
–. Did Muhammad Exist? An Inquiry Into Islam’s Obscure Origins — Revised and Expanded Edition (Bombardier Books, 2021)
23. The Critical Qur’an: Explained from Key Islamic Commentaries and Contemporary Historical Research (Bombardier Books, 2022)
24. The Church and the Pope (Uncut Mountain Press, 2022)
25. Who Lost Afghanistan? (Center for Security Policy Press, 2022)
26. The Sumter Gambit: How the Left Is Trying to Foment a Civil War (Bombardier Books, 2023)
27. Empire of God: How the Byzantines Saved Civilization (Bombardier Books, 2023)
28. Muhammad: A Critical Biography (Bombardier Books, 2024)
Spencer’s books have been translated into many languages, including Spanish, Italian, German, Finnish, Korean, Polish, Portuguese and Bahasa Indonesia.
Spencer (MA, Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) has been studying Islamic theology, law, and history in depth since 1980.
What They’re Saying About Robert Spencer
“My comrade-in-arms, my pal, my buddy.” — Oriana Fallaci
“A hero of our times and one of the bravest defenders of liberty that I have ever met.” — Geert Wilders
“No one has upset the Islamophobia cabal more than Robert Spencer. First, he knows more about Islamic doctrine than they do. Next, he has outed all the tricks they use in their taqiyyah bag to disinform the public. Finally, and most importantly, Robert will not be cowed.” — Ayaan Hirsi Ali
“One of the top two or three experts in the world on this great war…against fundamental Islam. One of the top two or three experts in this nation about trying to suppress speech. People should know that Robert Spencer has been the tip of the spear in warning America, in fighting against radical Islamic jihad, not just here in this country – where you’ve done an amazing job – but throughout the world. Robert, you’re one of the true patriots in this country, and you’ve risked so much, including your life, your fortune, and your sacred honor, and your pursuit of happiness. You’re a great patriot to this country.” — Stephen K. Bannon, former Trump Administration Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor
“One of the most important writers living today…his books should be required reading.” — Dennis Prager
“A brave crusader against the dopier multiculti illusions.” — Mark Steyn
“I highly recommend that you listen to this guy.” — Glenn Beck
“A very savvy and knowledgeable critic.” – Dinesh D’Souza
“One of the most acclaimed counter-jihad scholars.” — Asian Tribune
“J’apprécie beaucoup ce que vous écrivez sur l’Islam.” — Fr. Samir Khalil Samir, S.J., internationally renowned Islamic scholar
“Robert Spencer incarnates intellectual courage when, all over the world, governments, intellectuals, churches, universities and media crawl under a hegemonic Universal Caliphate’s New Order. His achievement in the battle for the survival of free speech and dignity of man will remain as a fundamental monument to the love of, and the self-sacrifice for, liberty.” — Bat Ye’or
“A leader in this war for over a decade, documenting not just what is happening but explaining why.” — PJ Media
“A leading figure of the conservative movement in the US.” — Limerick Leader (Ireland)
“Distinguished scholar.” — Akbar Ahmed, Ibn-e-Khaldoon chair of Islamic Studies, American University, Washington, D.C.
“One of the most insightful and learned scholars of Islam.” — Catholic Insight
“Robert Spencer is indefatigable. He is keeping up the good fight long after many have already given up. I do not know what we would do without him. I appreciate all the intelligence and courage it takes to keep going despite the appeasement of the West.” — Ibn Warraq
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book an excellent study version with excellent commentary on facts relating to each. They also say it sheds light on the historical context and theological perspectives. Readers also praise the translation quality as perfect, understandable, and magnificent. They appreciate the footnotes and cross references.
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Customers find the content excellent, with excellent commentary on facts and a wealth of critical, scholarly information. They also appreciate the author's explanatory notes and annotations throughout, explaining the meaning of unfamiliar words. Readers say the book is great for beginners and sheds light on the historical context and theological perspectives.
"...He makes explanatory notes and annotations throughout, explaining the meaning of unfamiliar words, the origins of traditions, and other key points...." Read more
"...What sets this book apart is its ability to shed light on the historical context and theological perspectives that have contributed to the..." Read more
"Excellent study version with excellent commentary on facts relating to each passage...." Read more
"...If you truly want to understand the Quran this is a great resource. It cites all Islamic sources." Read more
Customers find the translation quality of the book perfect, accurate, and true to the original texts. They also appreciate the amplifying footnotes and discussion of many textual variants. Readers also mention that the book brings lots of notes together in one place.
"...makes explanatory notes and annotations throughout, explaining the meaning of unfamiliar words, the origins of traditions, and other key points...." Read more
"...The translation is clear and leans to the literalist...." Read more
"...Rober Spencer's explanatory footnotes are comprehensive and very helpful in understanding the content...." Read more
"...The book itself is easy to read and check the cross references...." Read more
Customers like the overall content of the book. They also say that Robert has done a great job with the book
"...Kudos for this magnificent work!" Read more
"Fantastic. Robert does good work." Read more
"Robert has done a great job with this book...." Read more
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![Worth every penny - truly a masterpiece](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/transparent-pixel._V192234675_.gif)
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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What sets this book apart is its ability to shed light on the historical context and theological perspectives that have contributed to the relationship between Muslims and Jews. Spencer delves into the reasons behind misunderstandings, addressing the difficult question of why some Muslims harbor negative sentiments towards Jews. Through his insights, I've gained a deeper understanding of the nuances that shape interfaith dynamics.
Moreover, the book offers a thought-provoking analysis of events, such as those on the 7th of October 2023, contributing to a more nuanced comprehension of the motivations behind such actions. While opinions may differ, "The Critical Qur'an" encourages readers to engage in thoughtful dialogue and fosters an atmosphere of mutual understanding.
At the time it was removed from this category by Amazon, it was #1.
I expected the Critical Quran to be critical of Islam, since the author is very familiar with the problems of Islam: its founder, his and his companions' deeds and sayings, and its history.
However, the annotations seem to be taken primarily from Islamic scholars, and the comments I have encountered thus far are extremely fair.
[UPDATE: unfortunately, while the commentary is a great improvement over existing translations, it still repeats some false renderings of the text from preceding dishonest translations. Example: 2.27 where it says, “… he has brought it (Quran) down…, confirming what came before it (Torah and the Gospels)” actually says, “…confirming what *is in his hands* (Torah and the Gospels)”, as it proves that the author of the Quran accepted the authenticity of the Torah and the Gospels at the time of the assumed revelation to Muhammad. This destroys the assertion of Muslims that the books of the Jews and Christians have been corrupted, we have manuscripts dating before the 7th century A.D. Note that this false translation and others similar to it are carried forward even into dictionaries. You will find the truth only by getting dictionary translations of individual words and idioms���pasting Quran text into a translator will usually reproduce the false translations (to avoid the embarrassing truth)].
If any English translation of the Qur'an having annotations should be included in the category "Quran", this one should be, as well.
That said, if you do not like annotations in the text, you will not be happy with this translation.
If you want to understand the Quran as Islamic scholars understand it, yet with a perspective of those having knowledge of the actual contents of the Old and New Testaments and the history of the Abrahamic faiths, you will benefit more from this translation than any other.
If I change my opinion after reading more, I will update this entry.
Top reviews from other countries
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Straight up, hardcore, no Taqiyya.
Great intro to each chapter.
Plus+ Study version; tying in Islamic Trilogy for important verses and sometimes provides historical use to important verses.
I own many different Qur’an and this one is my favourite: I am PROUD EX-muslim, now Christian
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Reviewed in Canada on April 25, 2024
Straight up, hardcore, no Taqiyya.
Great intro to each chapter.
Plus+ Study version; tying in Islamic Trilogy for important verses and sometimes provides historical use to important verses.
I own many different Qur’an and this one is my favourite: I am PROUD EX-muslim, now Christian
![Customer image](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71S7Bko8DaL._SY88.jpg)
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Also, a big factor I need to mention is that you can check all evidence yourself on the endnotes… also proving that this is a rather scientific than islamophobic work…
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Reviewed in Germany on April 28, 2023
Also, a big factor I need to mention is that you can check all evidence yourself on the endnotes… also proving that this is a rather scientific than islamophobic work…
![Customer image](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81TWKycmYSL._SY88.jpg)
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