The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary
by Seyyed Hossein Nasr
16 popular highlights from this book
Key Insights & Memorable Quotes
Below are the most popular and impactful highlights and quotes from The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary:
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth; and the variation of the night and the day; and the ships that run upon the sea with what benefits mankind; and the water God sends down from the sky whereby He revives the earth after its death, scattering all manner of beast therein; and the shifting of the winds; and the clouds subdued between the sky and the earth are surely signs for a people who understand.
The fact that the descent of the Quran led not only to the foundation of one of the world’s great civilizations, but also to the creation of one of the major scientific, philosophical, and artistic traditions in global history was not accidental. Without the advent of the Quran, there would have been no Islamic sciences as we know them, sciences that were brought later to the West and we therefore would not have words such as “algebra,” “algorithm,” and many other scientific terms of Arabic origin in English. Nor would there be the Summas of St. Thomas Aquinas, at least in their existing form, since these Summas contain so many ideas drawn from Islamic sources.
And what ails you that you fight not in the way of God, and for the weak and oppressed—men, women, and children—who cry out, “Our Lord! Bring us forth from this town whose people are oppressors, and appoint for us from Thee a protector, and appoint for us from Thee a helper.
Truly those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabeans—whosoever believes in God and the Last Day and works righteousness shall have their reward with their Lord. No fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.
If you seek Me, you will find Me. If you find Me, you have found everything.
One should be kind and gentle with the poor, and if their asking causes one trouble or discomfort, one should forgive them for it (R).
Secret charity is a test of sincerity, since one gives but garners no prestige in the eyes of others for one’s generosity.
Truly affliction has befallen me! And Thou art the most Merciful of the merciful.
There is no god but Thee! Glory be to Thee! Truly I have been among the wrongdoers.
My Lord! Leave me not childless, though Thou art the best of inheritors.
For some Shiites, the niche symbolizes Fāṭimah, the Prophet’s daughter, while the lamp represents Ḥasan and Ḥusayn, and light upon light refers to the succession of Imams who were her progeny (Qm).
The Quran is like an ocean into which Muslims plunge, but whose depth can never be fully reached. If we remember the original meaning of the Latin verb comprehendere, which is “to encompass,” then it can be said that it is the Quran that encompasses or “comprehends” the reader, while the reader can never fully encompass the Quran. The Quran is like a net cast into the world of multiplicity in order to bring us back to the world of Unity, which is infinite. As finite beings, we cannot encompass the Infinite, but we can and should be drawn to and ultimately immersed in It.
envy is the root of all evils,
The Prophet sent ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib to obtain the string and whisper over it these eleven verses, which would undo the eleven-knot spell
Commentators usually categorize patience into three kinds: being resolute in avoiding sins, constant in meritorious actions, and content in the face of affliction
And she said to his sister, “Follow him.” So she watched him from afar; yet they were unaware.
