Allah: God in the Qur’an by Gabriel Said Reynolds

available on April 14th in the UK,

A concise and illuminating portrait of Allah from one of the world's leading Qur'anic scholars The central figure of the Qur'an is not Muhammad but Allah. The Qur'an, Islam's sacred scripture, is marked above all by its call to worship Allah, and Allah alone. Yet who is the God of the Qur'an? What distinguishes the qur'anic presentation of God from that of the Bible? In this illuminating study, Gabriel Said Reynolds depicts a god of both mercy and vengeance, one who transcends simple classification. He is personal and mysterious; no limits can be placed on his mercy. Remarkably, the Qur'an is open to God's salvation of both sinners and unbelievers. At the same time, Allah can lead humans astray, so all are called to a disposition of piety and fear. Allah, in other words, is a dynamic and personal God. This eye-opening book provides a unique portrait of the God of the Qur'an.

In this book Reynolds, Professor of Islamic studies at Notre Dame, tackles the character of God as detailed in the Qur’an, revealing a forceful but highly merciful entity in this astute analysis. Starting with comparisons between the biblical God and the Qur’anic God—going so far as to call the Qur’an a “homily”—Reynolds expounds deeply upon the nature of Allah. Reynolds is chiefly concerned with examining the tensions between justice and mercy; Allah’s interventions with mankind, whether blessing the righteous or leading unbelievers astray; and the purpose of heaven and hell within Islam. To illustrate his points, Reynolds quotes extensively from the Qur’an, but also bolsters his arguments with extra-scriptural commentary from the Muslim tradition, and acknowledges notable debates where original texts are ambiguous. With lucid prose and impressive erudition, Reynolds provides a distinctive approach for reading scripture, organized around a literary investigation of a central question, such as is the character of the God in the Bible the same as the God of the Qur’an? This capable, fresh work of history and theology will be of interest to scholars of the Qur’an or scriptural interpretation more generally.