The last decade has seen widespread Islamic religious revitalization in Southeast Asia, a region with a Muslim population almost as large as that of the entire Arabic-speaking Middle East. One such movement in 1990s Indonesia promoted engagement with the Quran through memorization, reading, skilled performance, and popular competitions in recitation. This movement drew on longstanding structures of Islamic education and piety, social interests, Southeast Asian patterns of performance and aesthetics, and unique features of the Quran itself. Based on fieldwork in South Sulawesi and elsewhere in...

Muslims consider the Qur an to be the final revelation of God. Moral code for millions of believers worldwide, it is seen as the principal miracle of the prophet Muhammad. In this stimulating study, Anna M. Gade provides a comprehensive primer to the sacred work, exploring the many ways in which Muslims approach this multifaceted text. Broaching the language and concepts of Qur anic exegesis, the Qur an s unique literary structure, and its alleged "inimitability," Gade highlights how it seamlessly weaves together law, narrative, description and parable. With extensive extracts, illustrations,...

Muslims consider the Qur an to be the final revelation of God. Moral code for millions of believers worldwide, it is seen as the principal miracle of the prophet Muhammad. In this stimulating study, Anna M. Gade provides a comprehensive primer to the sacred work, exploring the many ways in which Muslims approach this multifaceted text. Broaching the language and concepts of Qur anic exegesis, the Qur an s unique literary structure, and its alleged "inimitability," Gade highlights how it seamlessly weaves together law, narrative, description and parable. With extensive extracts, illustrations,...