This book makes parallels and and points out differences between the Christian scriptures and the writings of the Quran. Very interesting to read.

A fascinating look at the parallels and differences between the Christian scriptures and the subsequent writing of the Quran. The researcher takes a unique approach by beginning with the Quran texts and comparing those to the texts of biblical scriptures.

The emergence of Muslim traditions is examined in light of Muslim readings over the centuries. For example, the author postulates that the choice of Mecca may be because it matches descriptions in the Quran, rather than being established from the beginning. The overlap of vocabulary from various versions of the Bible may have determined the choice of Quranic words, which influenced how Muslim exegetes interpret the Quran (since some of the terms used do not have Arabic roots).

Read this and enjoy the similarities and contrasts presented between the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic holy books. Well worth considering for scholars and also for those interested in understanding the migration of Muslims and how they adapt their religion to their surrounding cultures.

I found this an interesting read but i did not like how it was laid out. I found in places I was loosing focus I feel it could have been written in a more straight forward way but that might just be me. If you want to learn more about the similarities between the faiths it’s a good read.

As I am interested in learning about other faiths, cultures, and religions, when I saw this on NetGalley I decided to read it. I must admit, I did find it a little overwhelming and feel that knowledge of the Bible and Qur'an are required to get the best out of this comparative study. As I am not religious, I don't have vast knowledge of these Holy books, so I plan to read the Bible and Qur'an then come back to this. That said, I did understand everything and enjoyed reading how similar the two books and their ideas actually are.

You can tell that the author, Gabriel Reynolds, has researched meticulously for this publication. It is very thorough, and I did find the comparisons interesting. Having read this all the way through it is clear that this would have taken a lot of time and effort to compose. I guess knowledge of these two texts isn't essential as the relevant parts are included here, but I think it will help to understand everything in context.

I feel this book would interest people of both of these religions, or none. An extensive and far-reaching study that highlights the commonalities between Islam and Christianity, and shows that although they are two separate religions, their ideas overlap.

I would like to thank Gabriel Said Reynolds, Yale University Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Since we live in a diverse world, I like to learn about and try to understand what I can about the beliefs and traditions of the people around me and throughout the world. I know a great deal about the Bible and Christianity as I was raised to be a Christian. I understand how the Jewish Torah relates to the Bible as they share some of the same books. However, I was a little stymied in understanding how the Qur’an is similar and different to the Bible. I talked to a Muslim friend about it and she just told me “it’s kind of like it but then it isn’t” and to just read the Qur’an. So when I was given the opportunity to review this book that gives the full text of the Qur’an with annotations about connections to the Bible, I knew I had to take it. Thank you to Yale University Press and Netgalley. The front matter includes a guide to the main Biblical and Post-Biblical Characters in the Qur’an, a guide to abbreviations used in the Annotations, and a very helpful introduction. In the introduction, I learned how early Islam had the choice to consider the Bible authoritative scripture the same way early Christians had to choose whether the Hebrew books (the Old Testament) should be considered authoritative scripture for Christians. Early Muslims chose not to consider the Bible authoritative but nevertheless, the Qur’an does depend heavily on knowledge of the Bible and Biblical traditions and ideas. The Bible is not directly cited in the Qur’an as there wasn’t a direct translation available but it played a role in shaping some of the ideas of Islam. Gabriel Reynolds, the leading Qur’anic scholar who authored this comparative study. chose to present the text in order of the Qur’an instead of the order by the Bible so I believe it would be more useful for adherents of Islam to learn about Biblical references than for someone like me with more knowledge of Christian theology. I will use this book as more of a reference book as I am not interested in reading any of the major religious texts from cover to cover at this time. Religious scholars would able to critique this book at a more sophisticated level but I appreciate it as a bridge to understanding of commonalities between these religions..