The Qur’an Essential Teachings by Abdur Raheem Kidwai (Leicester, UK: The Islamic Foundation, 2005. 192 pages.)

Abstract

Given that each teaching of the Qur’an is essential, it is neither possible nor
desirable to divide its teachings into “essential,” “less-essential,” or “nonessential.”
Since this book seeks to serve “the needs of those new to the study
of the Qur’an,” The Qur’an: Some Essential Teachings would have been a
more accurate title and would have forewarned the reader that the author
presents only select teachings. That aside, A. R. Kidwai, a rising Islamic
scholar, felt compelled to write this book to meet the needs of the common
reader, because he believes that the available material mainly addresses the
specialized reader. This brilliant work is designed to equip readers with the
necessary tools to “grasp better advanced works on the Qur’an” (p. vi). The
book mainly deals with the concepts of God, messengership, and the
Hereafter and throws some light on modes of worship, as well as on social
and family relations, in a very lucid, fluent, and persuasive manner. This book opens by analyzing the Qur’anic concept of God. The third
chapter, which deals with the Prophet, is full of remarkable observations
about his life and his role as a perfect role model for humanity. Some important
aspects of his personality, however, have been left out, such as his leadership,
emphasis on acquiring `ilm (knowledge), and the use of reason ...