The Qur’an, Surahs 1–2

A detailed commentary with a new translation that integrates intertextual, theological, literary, and historical perspectives

This historical and literary commentary on the Qur’an’s first two surahs provides a structural analysis of the two texts, advances a novel theory of Surah 2’s intricate redactional history, contextualizes the Qur’an among writings from the Biblical tradition, and considers a variety of other textual, linguistic, and theological issues. It offers the first comprehensive historical and literary commentary in English on Surah 2, the longest and most complex Qur’anic text. Both surahs have been newly translated by the author.

Surahs 1 (Sūrat al-Fātiḥah, “The Opening”) and 2 (Sūrat al-Baqarah, “The Cow”) discuss such important theological notions as divine testing and divine foreknowledge; offer narratives about Adam, Abraham, Saul, and other figures; include polemics against Jews and Christians; and issue legislative commandments, with an emphasis on those relating to marriage and divorce. Building on his previous work, Key Terms of the Qur’an, Nicolai Sinai begins each surah commentary with an introductory overview, and then proceeds to a verse-by-verse exegesis. He pays particular attention to inner-Qur’anic parallels and doublets and to the resulting questions of textual chronology. Sinai’s commentaries make selective use of interpretive resources found in premodern Islamic Qur’an scholarship. Short summaries follow the detailed exegetical treatment of each surah.

The Qur’an, like the Bible, is a sophisticated work of literature that employs artful compositional techniques. This volume offers an original exploration of what the Qur’an might have meant to its first readers and how the Qur’an draws on, engages with, and diverges from ideas, narratives, and literary forms that may have informed it. The book will be an indispensable resource for scholars of Islam and Qur’anic studies.