Why Does The Qur'an Seem Incoherent?

"Many people must have bought a translation of the Qur'an in the hope of gaining a better understanding of Islam, only to abandon it in desperation after reading at most a few dozen pages. It is for them that this book has been written. It is in three parts. ... The third is about the structure and coherence of the Qur'an, showing how there is in fact structure to material which often seems random and arbitrary..." - Professor Neal Robinson, Author of Discovering The Qur'an, 1996

Qur'an is no ordinary book and therefore it does not conform to the style, format or the structure of any ordinary book. When people start reading The Qur'an (especially a translation) with the framework of an ordinary book in mind (which often has a sequential structure) they may be confused by this non-conformance and stop reading. This is the case with even Muslims although many would not admit it. That is one major reason why the vast majority of Muslims remain ignorant of the meanings of the Qur'an except for a few short surahs.

The Qur'an has its own divine arrangement - unique style, format and structure. The arrangement is not chronological in order. Sometimes latter surahs come before earlier surahs and even the ayahs within a surah are not chronological. Also the Qur'an seems to jump from one theme to another and one story to another within the same surah. This is very puzzling for many people.

Knowing the style, format and structure of the Qur'an is the key to understanding the Qur'an. There is no better way to study this than with The Opening (Al-Fatiha) itself. It is as if Surah Al-Fatiha has been placed in the beginning of The Qur'an for us to acquire the key skills necessary to understand the rest of the Qur'an. Perhaps it is another reason why Al-Fatiha is called Umm-al-Qur'an or The Mother of The Qur'an. But can these skills be acquired by reading a translation or referring to a particular Tafsir or reading any other book? Sadly not because this requires a competent teacher to explain the details in a way which books by themselves will not be able to do justice.

So this your unique opportunity to undertake this lifetime journey with a seminar on the detailed study of Al-Fatiha conducted by one of the most competent and respected teachers today - Shaykh Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi. The seminar will explore in detail the internal and external coherences of Al-Fatiha in addition to its meaning, message and implications. It will then explore the last ten surahs to identify the amazing relationships and patterns between surahs which often go unnoticed because of lack knowledge and training. You will come out of the seminar with a brilliant framework to study and understand the Qur'an in a way that may have seemed impossible before. So please don't miss this absolutely vital seminar that will shape your relationship with the Qur'an for the rest of your life. This is also your opportunity to connect to the Qur'an with a chain linking all the way back to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) then Jibreel (AS) to Allah (SWT) Himself.

You have only one day to register so do it now.

Exploring The Pearls of The Qur'an 

Detailed Study of Al-Fatiha & The Last Ten Surahs - Their Coherence, Meaning & Universal Message

Instructor: Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi (Oxford University)

Date: Saturday 25th June 2011      Time: 10:00AM - 6:00PM

Venue: Cambridge University - Lady Mitchell Hall - Sidgwick Site

Facilities & Features: crèche/childcare, free 2 nights accommodation for travellers, free parking

Special Offers: Buy One Get One Free, Group of 5 Discount, Scholarships, Free Non-Muslim Friend Pass

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

"Of all the scholars I have had the opportunity to study with, I have found Shaikh Akram Nadwi to be the closest, in knowledge, manners and teaching, to how I would imagine some of the great Hadith scholars of the past would have been. He has a vast knowledge of Qur'an, Hadith and Fiqh, a down-to-earth, humble, approachable style, and great teaching ability. His classes are not just beneficial from a learning perspective, but also to marvel at the awe-inspiring wealth of knowledge of our scholars masha Allah. His 40 volume work going through the biographies of some 8,000 women scholars of Hadith is a monumental endeavour. The mere fact of its existence can be a major talking point in discussion with Muslims and non-Muslims, and is almost a stand-alone proof of Islam's unparalleled wealth of female scholarship." - Dr Omar Mahroo, Cambridge/London

More Testimonials: http://courses.meoc.org.uk/p/testimonials.html

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Pearls of The Qur'an - Registrations Open