What the Qur’an Meant: And Why It Matters

Having translated the messages of the Christian Gospels and Paul’s epistles, Wills (Why Priests?) now attempts to explain the Qur’an in plain language. Wills situates his account within the context of the “global war on terror” and provides a generous reading of the Qur’an that resists oversimplification at each turn. However, it is somewhat audacious to say this is a book about “what the Qur’an meant” when the author admits he cannot read the Qur’an in Arabic and has little background in Islamic studies. Furthermore, Catholic Christianity, the Bible, and biblical interpretation loom large throughout the text. Thus, this is best viewed as a work of intimate and charitable interreligious dialogue in practice. Insights and explanations that will most benefit a general readership often come from sources that Wills has conveniently synthesized. Relying heavily on The Study Qur’an and several other secondary sources, the book bounces between what the Qur’an actually meant (and what specific Islamic sects believe) and what Wills thinks it means. Wills addresses issues that the Qur’an is concerned with (submission to Allah, the mercy and forgiveness of Allah, worship, civil relations, marriage), but he too often focuses on the topics that matter more to suspicious Westerners than to many everyday Muslims: war, women’s rights, and violence in general. Ironically, the book could exacerbate some of the decontextualized readings of the text that it seeks to contest. (Oct.)