Why I Write About the Qur’an
This is a brief note on the purpose and perspective of this section.
On this page, I share a series of essays on the Qur’an—focused readings of specific verses, passages, and narratives that I believe reward careful and sustained attention.
Given the vast amount of material already written about the Qur’an, a reasonable question arises: why add one more voice? My reasons are straightforward.
Why Another Set of Essays
First, I have come to believe that the Qur’an is the most unique, profound, and beautiful book ever sent to humanity. This is, of course, a strong claim, and it deserves to stand or fall on evidence rather than assertion. Yet much of the traditional argumentation offered in support of this view either relies on medieval intellectual frameworks unfamiliar to modern readers, or requires specialized training—such as deep immersion in ancient Arabic poetry—simply to evaluate the argument.
If the Qur’an is truly timeless, however, its distinctive qualities should not depend on historical distance or scholarly gatekeeping. Its coherence, literary precision, conceptual depth, and internal consistency should remain visible to attentive readers in any age—including those shaped by modern analytical and scientific ways of thinking. One aim of these essays is to explore whether, and in what ways, this is true.
On Misreading the Qur’an
Second, the Qur’an is frequently misunderstood, not only by its critics but sometimes by its readers as well. This is not accidental. Precisely because the Qur’an is such a unique book—unlike any other in its structure, mode of argument, and way of conveying meaning—it is often approached with expectations that simply do not apply to it. Readers bring assumptions shaped by linear narratives, systematic theology, or philosophical treatises, and when the Qur’an does not conform to these frameworks, premature and often mistaken conclusions follow. Many of the issues addressed in these essays arise from this mismatch rather than from a careful engagement with the text on its own terms.
A Note on Perspective
Third, and more personally, I find the Qur’an to be an extraordinarily beautiful work—though not in a way that reveals itself quickly. Its beauty emerges through slow reading: attention to word choice, sensitivity to structure, and patience with how meaning unfolds across verses and chapters. This way of reading reflects a long engagement with the Qur’an that began in my teenage years and continued alongside a modern academic education and research career spanning several decades, primarily in the natural sciences, economics, and the social sciences.
As often happens over a long intellectual journey, many views I once held with confidence gradually changed, while others I had previously dismissed came to appear in a very different light. Through all of these shifts, however, my assessment of the Qur’an moved steadily in one direction: toward the conclusion stated at the outset—that it is a uniquely profound and enduring book.
The articles that follow are an attempt to show why.