Many non-Muslims approach the Qur’an expecting a work similar to the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament only to find that the Qur’an is structured very differently from other scriptural traditions. This episode will provide a brief overview of how internal Muslim tradition presents Muhammad’s biography and how this relates to the unique structure of the Qur’an. Finally, this episode will focus on the earliest parts of the Qur’an and discuss the central message of these sections.
Presented by Ariela Marcus-Sells, Religious Studies.
About the Perspectives on Islam series:
Recent polls indicate that most Americans have very limited information about Islam and that most do not personally know a Muslim. This series aims to provide information about Islam from a scholarly perspective as well as present the perspectives and voices of Muslims from Elon’s own community. The goals of this series are: 1) to increase public knowledge about issues relating to Islam; and 2) to encourage people to think more deeply about issues common to all religious traditions and societies. Each episode answers some common questions and concerned and then raises other questions that are left unanswered. We hope that instructors will use these open questions to encourage debate, dialogue, and questioning.
