He is also the editor of the origins of the koran, what the koran really says, leaving islam, the quest for the historical muhammad, and which koran. I posted this same thing about a year ago, but i thought id post it again, since this sub has many new subscribers. Classic essays on islams holy book, edited by ibn warraq. A critique of edward saids orientalism and daniel martin variscos reading orientalism. A critique of edward saids orientalism, and which koran. It comprises the unaltered and direct words of god,revealed through the angel gibrael,to the final. Ibn warraq is an independent scholar and former visiting fellow at the center for law and counterterrorism, a project of the foundation for defense of democracies. Since then, talal has been studying the quran, researching it, and teaching it to others. Ibn warraq was born into a muslim family and grew up in a country that now describes itself as an islamic republic. Given the stupefying enormity of the acts of barbarism of 11 september, moral outrage is appropriate and justified, as are demands for punishment. Ibn warraq is on much stronger ground, in my view, when he attacks apologists for islam, including many who are or were prominent in the field of islamic studies. This is likely to make the future progress of sound historical scholarship on islams origins harder, rather than easier. His earliest memories are of his circumcision and first day at quran school, and his family still consider themselves muslims. Essential readings for the nonbeliever, and why i am not a muslim, and more on.
Is islam compatible with democracy and human rights. The original sources of the quran white horse media. Immediately after 911, many journalists in the united states and europe came out with several glib generalisations that i found, and still find, irritating, and furthermore, i am very skeptical of the claims contained in them. Since 1998, ibn warraq has edited several books of koranic criticism and on the origins of islam, including leaving islam. This was done by zaid ibn thabit, one of muhammads friend and amanuenses, at the command of abu bakr.
Montgomery watt, who romanticize islam, and are apparently. This book, edited by the rather nebulous personage of ibn warraq neither his full name nor his institutional affiliation, if any, are anywhere given, consists of thirteen previously published essays on the history and nature of the quranic text, twelve of them dating from the halfcentury between 1890 and 1940 and only the thirteenth dating from as recently as 1985. Classic essays on islams holy book by warraq, ibn isbn. Ele e o fundador do institute for the secularisation of islamic society isis e foi um pesquisador senior no center for inquiry 1 2 3 com foco na critica do alcorao. The arab conquests and the position of nonmuslim subjects 214 vii. Classic essays on islams holy book, is a 1998 book edited by ibn warraq. The original sources of the quran 4 about a year after muhammads death, as we learn from bukhari, the quran was first put together in a collected whole. Why i am not a muslim does have a mocking quality, to be sure, but it is a serious and thoughtprovoking book. The quest for the historical muhammad 2000, edited by ibn warraq, is an anthology of 15 studies examining the origins of islam and the quran. Muslim intellectual tariq ramadan, among others, spoke against the motion. The quran free pdf ebook english translation of the quran. Soon we had the codices of several scholars such as ibn masud, uba ibn kab, ali, abu bakr, alaswad, and others jeffery, chapter 6, has listed fifteen primary codices, and a large number of secondary ones. They can quote the most important sources in islam, the quran and the sunnah, on all these standpoints.
Classic essays on islams holy book edited by ibn warraq. Ibn warraq books list of books by author ibn warraq. While many will find jaya gopals work onesided, others, a far greater number will be grateful for a robust expose, uninhibited by political correctness of the totalitarian nature of islam a far more. Statement by ibn warraq on the world trade center atrocity ibn warraq is the author of why i am not a muslim. The quran is the holy book which muslims recite and turn to for guidance in all aspects of their life. Books by ibn warraq author of why i am not a muslim. Talal itani first read the quran 1992, in order to discredit it. Ibn warraq, an indianborn pakistani educated in scotland, penned why i am not a muslim to add his voice to the causes of secularism and free thought, selfconsciously modeling his treatise on bertrand russells famous essay why i am not a christian. Ibn warraq is a pakistanienglish scholar who has written extensively on the history, literature, theology, culture and politics of islam, and on many other topics. The origins of the koran by ibn warraq quran muhammad. Ibn warraq is one of the most intelligent and important critics of islam living today.
It contains essays on the different aspects of the holy book of the muslims, namely. A personal look at some aspects of the history of koranic criticism, 19th and 20th centuries 1 ibn warraq i. The original sources of the qur an 4 about a year after muhammads death, as we learn from bukhari, the qur an was first put together in a collected whole. Ibn warraq exposes islam on abn with robert spencer youtube. Ibn warraq is the pen name of an author most famous for his criticism of islam. Interesting to see different points of view regarding the origins of the quran. As warraqs title indicates, his book rests on the premise that orientalism, and the. Thus, after a short introduction in which he notes that islam has been largely spared.
The original sources of the quran its origin in pagan legends and mythology by w. It would be satanically ironic if the most vile, most violent, cult this planet has seen is based on a fictitious invention of the arabs. Ibn warraq, theodor noldeke, leone caetani, alphonse mingana, arthur jeffery, david samuel margoliouth, abraham geiger, william st. The ultimate ibn warraq collection common sense atheism. Ibn warraqs most popular book is the portable atheist. Talal decided to translate the quran when he gave up all hope of finding an english translation that is at the same time highly accurate, and very easy to read. The unequal treatment of women, the oppression of nonmuslims, the mingling of religious and state power, the disdain for freedom of opinion. It contains a collection of critical studies of the qur an written over the past two centuries by historians and scholars of the middle east. They can quote the most important sources in islam, the qur an and the sunnah, on all these standpoints.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The contributors argue that traditional islamic accounts of its history and the origins of the quran are fictitious and based on historical revisionism aimed at forging a religious arab identity. I have collected everything significant i could find of his online, and put it all in one big zip file for you to download. Ibn warraq, the celebrated apostate, author of why i am not a muslim and of scholarly works on the koran, muhammad, and early islam, as well as polemical works in defense of the west, has now written the islam in islamic terrorism, showing, in the words of the islamic fundamentalists or, more exactly, revivalists themselves. The reason for this step was that umar bnul khattab, perceiving that many of the. Classic essays on islams holy book, edited by ibn warraq prometheus books. It comprises the unaltered and direct words of god,revealed through the angel gibrael,to the final prophet, muhammad pbuh1 some 1400 years ago. The quran has been preserved for over 1400 years through parallel memorization and writings. The quest for the historical muhammad by ibn warraq. In one of his early works the traditionalist writer frithjof schuon makes an acute observation about the mentality of muslims.
Here is a new translation of the quran by talal itani, who kindly offered to post it as an ebook. Ibn warraq has provided a valuable collection of some of the most important critical studies of the koran over the past century. The origins of the koran by ibn warraq free download as pdf file. It is the last testament in a series of divine revelations from god. See all books authored by ibn warraq, including the portable atheist. Applying this approach to determine if early traditions about muhammad and the birth of islam are historically accurate, warraq predictably finds that the faith. Why i am not a muslim by ibn warraq the origins of islam the most important stages in islams history were characterised by the assimilation of. Jan knappert quoted from goel, sita ram editor 1998. Warraq, author of why i am not a muslim, here offers a quest for the historical muhammad using the same methodology established by scholars attempting to uncover the historical jesus. I am a fellow at the westminster institute, fairfax, virginia, usa, a senior fellow at the london center for policy research, and a contributing editor to the new english.
Mar 01, 1998 the book is a collection of essays on the quran. Another and equally important result of such comparison is. Ibn warraq is the pen name of an anonymous author critical of islam. Ibn warraq has 14 books on goodreads with 562 ratings. Warraq has written historiographies of the early centuries of the islamic timeline and has. Uthman ibn said aldani 2, which deals with the seven ways of reading qiraat the quran, and is regarded as one of the most accurate and authentic books written about the science of reading the quran. He is the founder of the institute for the secularisation of islamic society and used to be a senior research fellow at the center for inquiry, focusing on quranic criticism. Ibn warraq is the highly acclaimed author of why i am not a muslim and defending the west. The most recent additions to this literature are ibn warraqs defending the west.
L ast october, i participated in a debate in london, hosted by intelligence squared, to consider the motion, we should not be reluctant to assert the superiority of western values. The stereotypic image of the muslim holy warrior with a sword in one hand and the koran in the other would only be plausible if he was left handed, since no devout muslim should or would touch a koran with his left hand which is reserved for dirty chores. Prometheus books, 1998 summarised by sharon morad, leeds part one. By associating these articles with ibn warraqs polemical agenda, the quest for the historical muhammad will raise suspicions among some muslims that all revisionist scholarship is motivated by such intolerance. Ibn warraq, theodor noldeke, leone caetani, alphonse mingana. Apostates speak out by ibn warraq, prometheus books, 2003, 471 pp. He is the author of why i am not a muslim, what the koran really says, and virgins. Warraq is the vicepresident of the world encounter institute. Textual variations different codices by different companions, missing verses and chapters from the now orthodox quran etc. As islam spread, we eventually had what became known as the metropolitan codices in the centers of mecca, medina, damascus, kufa, and basra.
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