Best Book Review: The Eternal Present Tense by Dr. Ziauddin Sardar

Book Review: The best and the worst at a glance:
The Worst:
I stumbled on a blog that presents awards if you have "The Worst Review Ever." And, today by surfing the Web, read one of the best reviews, by Dr. Ziauddin Sardar. [information courtesy: NewAgeIslam.Com]

To qualify what makes a 'worst review ever,' I have no choice to determine nor options to rate. Read the qualifications: 'BE A WORSTIE!' @ The Worst Review Ever. In addition, there are many blogs / sites that present: Best review EVER or Best * Worst book reviews or here. More on " best book review" is here

The Best:
And, to judge the best, one can look for best practices drawn by experts. A review is best if it has: (a) balanced perspective (visualizes strength, weakness, and commends), (b) presents a glimpse of what the book has as compared to the competitors in the market (with internal citation and external comparison), and (c) the reviewer knows the subject in-and-out (not just a superficial knowledge). All of this and much more is [in The Guardian, dated Saturday 21 June 2008)] Dr. Ziauddin Sardar's review of The Qur'an: A New Translation, by Tarif Khalidi, 'The eternal present tense':

"We look for two things in any new translation of the Qur'an. How close does it get to communicating the meaning of the original, that inimitable oral text, the very sounds of which move men and women to tears and ecstasy? And does it offer something more: a new perspective, perhaps; or an innovative rendering?
Tarif Khalidi, a professor of Islamic studies at the American University of Beirut, scores high on both these criteria. He manages to capture the allusiveness of the text, as well as something of its tone and texture. While being faithful to the original, he succeeds in conveying linguistic shifts, from narrative to mnemonic, sermons to parables. And there is an innovative component: it is the first translation that tries to capture both the rhythms and the structure of the Qur'an.
The best way to demonstrate its newness, and how close it is to the original text, is to compare it with an old translation...

Khalidi wants the reader to enjoy the experience of reading the Qur'an. Of course, he wants to communicate the majesty of its language, the beauty of its style, and the "eternal present tense" of its grammar. But he also wants the reader to appreciate the Qur'an's unique structure, how the language changes with the subject matter, how it swirls around and makes rhythmic connections. He wishes to show how each of the seven tropes of the Qur'an (command, prohibition, glad tidings, warnings, sermons, parables and narratives) registers a change in the style of its language. A lofty ambition, but one he pulls off with some success....
Continue reading The Eternal Present Tense

On the same shelf books by Dr. Ziauddin Sardar:

Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy

This is not a review, it is just an aggregation of some content.

Dante.Inferno.Canto I:

• Dante.Inferno.C anto II
• Dante.Inferno.C anto III
• Watch all @ 14 Videos Youtube
  

Info courtesy: Dante Explorer:

Dante Explorer is a journey through the afterlife of Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise with the poet Dante in his work, The Divine Comedy.

Why would I want to read Dante today? Here are 10 reasons to read Dante

New to Dante? A Beginners guide to Dante

Ready to start the journey? Begin the Journey - Inferno

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Being Muslim (Groundwork Guide Series)

This book is not an idiot or a dummy series. It is, hence, different altogether in content, context, and communication that helps understand the people, minds, concepts, and percepts. Being Muslim, in short, is interesting, thought provoking and educating. See a few extracts, reviews, etc.:

Quotes I like from this book:
>> "He who wrongs a Jew or a Christian will have me as his accuser on the Day of Judgment." Prophet Muhammad, -- a.k.a., Hadith (page 27)
>> "Donot consider me better than Moses" Prophet Muhammad, -- a.k.a., Hadith (p. 34)
>> "I am closest of all people to Jesus, son of Mary." Prophet Muhammad, -- a.k.a., Hadith (p. 34)
>> "Extremists are also being reminded that the wrath of God constitutes a minuscule part of the Qur'an" (author, p. 147)
>> "Nowadays, jihad is often used without any religious connotation, more or less equivalent to the English word, cusade -- a crusade against drugs..." (Rudolph Peters, p. 127)
>> "The most used word in the Qu'ran, after Allah, is ilm (knowledge)" (author, p. 147).
>> "Not all the Saudi restrictions are Islamic. The taboo against women drivers, for example, is not haram (forbidden), but it is not permitted, in deference to tradition." (author, p. 99).

From the Publisher:
Since 9/11, the world has been confronted with the most volatile facets of Islam with little explanation of how or why these controversial elements developed. Written by one of North America's most honored journalists, Being Muslim presents an up-front and clear explanation of this complex and emotion-laden subject.

From School Library Journal:
The author's tone is conversational and engaging, and frequent breaks in the text make this small book very readable.—Sondra VanderPloeg, Tracy Memorial Library, New London, NH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Without preaching or political jargon and drawing on his travels and interviews in Muslim countries, he shows that the extremists are being challenged by a new generation of Muslims, and welcomes the current internal reformation.

By Deva Kautilya "Too Many Books Too Little Time!" (Cleveland, OH)
I heard the interview of the author on NPR while driving to the airport from a client site! I could not wait to get this book from the library.

By Naazish YarKhan
A must read.

By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) -
If it's an easy overview of key issues, topics and social and political concerns you need to serve as an introduction to Muslim concerns, you can't go wrong with BEING MUSLIM, based on travels in Muslim lands and interviews with experts there and in the West.