Book Reviews

A Thematic Commentary on the Qur’an
Muhammad al-Ghazali

Virginia: The International Institute of Islamic
Thought, 2000. 804 pages.

There has been an increasing interest in the Qur’an’s literary aspects with-
in the field of Qur’anic studies over the last few years. In the past, western
scholars have devoted a great deal of energy to tracing foreign influences
in the Qur’an or reconstructing the chronology of its verses and surahs.
However, the trend now is shifting toward textual studies, a development
indicated by the proliferation of articles, anthologies, and books on the
Qur’an as a composed literary ornament.

This shift is both refreshing and welcome, particularly for those who
are more interested in understanding the Qur’an in its present form, rather
than learning about its textual history or compilation. Classical Islamic
scholarship developed a body of exegetical material on the Qur’an’s mirac-
ulous nature (i‘jaz) from a literary perspective. This approach has taken a
primarily microscopic linguistic viewpoint (balaghah [eloquence]) of
studying the choice of words and how the verses are constructed.

Although it has always been accepted that the Qur’an’s surahs are dis-
tinct literary pieces with their own style and content, comprehensive attempts
to present entire surahs as thematically independent entities have been rare.
With increasing pressure from western scholars that the Qur’an is incoherent
and haphazardly arranged, a new genre of exegetical material is developing,
both in Muslim and western circles. This new genre focuses upon explaining
why the surah should be considered as a distinctly composed piece with its
own dynamic of sound and meaning. Muhammad al-Ghazali’s work falls
within this emerging category of Qur’anic exegesis.

A Thematic Commentary on the Qur’an is a translation from al-
Ghazali’s Al-Tafsir al-Mawdu‘i. The print is well typeset and easily legible,
not cramped together, with a glossy green cover commanding an elegance



worthy of the title. The work is arranged in 114 chapters, one for each
surah. Each surah is discussed within the context of life in the Arabian
peninsula as well as the particular circumstances confronting the Prophet.
The subject matter is expertly woven together, thereby highlighting a cen-
tral theme in relation to which the surah should be read and interpreted.

The author is careful to contextualize those verses related to war and
women, exemplifying his moderate and mature stance on critical and sen-
sitive issues. At times he supports his ideas from Prophetic traditions and
stories from the Companions’ lives, and often relates the Qur’anic verses to
contemporary situations to guide the troubled Muslim Ummah. His treat-
ment of subjects is often by cross-referencing other parts of the Qur’an in
order to reach a holistic understanding. A valuable index at the end contains
a list of all cross-referenced verses. Another index with a list of important
words and phrases adds to the value of the book as a reference work.

A number of things need to be considered while treating the surah as a
unity, such as rhythm and rhyme, structure, and meaning. Although al-
Ghazali makes rare reference to style (e.g., Surah Maryam, which has “a
unique and distinctive rhythm” or Surat al-Tur, which has “a gentle and
soothing effect on the human spirit”), he devotes almost exclusive attention
to meaning. This approach leaves someone who is already familiar with the
Qur’an wanting more.

Attempts to show coherence also have kept in mind the surahs’
arrangement by placing them in thematic clusters or showing links between
surahs that proximate each other. Shaykh al-Ghazali makes a stray refer-
ence to these groupings at times (e.g., Surat al-An‘am, which he identifies
as the first Makkan surah of the “initial seven long surahs,” or Surah
Ghafir, which is “the first of a group of seven surahs opening with the two
Arabic letters ha‘ and mim”), but does not elaborate much upon the rela-
tionships between them. 

Historical contextualization, which plays a major role in the book, is
done within the generalized grand narrative provided by Muslim historians,
often without reference to specific events, and almost never citing source
material. Such a style demands that the work be categorized as “polemical”
rather than “academic.” It is a work by a devout Muslim from within the
classical tradition seeking to make it relevant to life in the modern world.

Overall, the book is excellent reading for a wide-ranging audience
interested in the Qur’an, but also Islam in general. It is a good companion
for Muslims looking to make sense of the Qur’an through moderate and
mature streams of Qur’anic interpretation within their tradition. It is also a

122 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 20:1



fine means for the general public that has little or no knowledge of Islam to
approach the Qur’an.

Mahan Mirza
PhD student, Islamic Studies

Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

Book Reviews 123