A critique of edward saids orientalism and daniel martin variscos reading orientalism. He defines, describes, and defends western values, strengths and freedoms far too often taken for granted. Ibn warraq is the highly acclaimed author of why i am not a muslim. A muslim apostates defense of liberal democracy encounter books. He was a student of ibn alsarraj and ibn duraid and mentor and friend of scholar ibn alrawandi in. Ibn warraq was born into a muslim family and grew up in a country that now describes itself as an islamic republic. Classic essays on islams holy book, is a 1998 book edited by ibn warraq. Prometheus books, 1998 summarised by sharon morad, leeds part one.
He has contributed to the wall street journal and the guardian, and he lives in new york city. Editortranslator ibn warraq a pen name wrote in the preface to this 2000 book, i have written the introduction to this present anthology, first, with a view to helping nonspecialists familiarize themselves with not only the names of historians but also as many of the technical and semitechnical terms that they were likely to encounter on reading this volume. Ibn warraqs most popular book is the portable atheist. It contains a collection of critical studies of the quran written over the past two centuries by historians and scholars of the middle east. Warraq examines all aspects of islam from origins to present day in painstaking detail. The reader is introduced to the origins of islam, with. It is the last testament in a series of divine revelations. This was done by zaid ibn thabit, one of muhammads friend and amanuenses, at the command of abu bakr. I could find of his online, and put it all in one big zip file for you to download. Jan knappert quoted from goel, sita ram editor 1998. See all books authored by ibn warraq, including the portable atheist. I now ibn warraq has his detractors mainly because he associates with geller, spencer, and the rest of the harpies but he has single handedly assembled a wide selection of obscure scholarly texts on islam and that is commendable. I have bought which koran, why im not a muslim and what the koran really says in hard back.
What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link. In one of his early works the traditionalist writer frithjof schuon makes an acute observation about the mentality of muslims. A muslim apostates defense of liberal democracy encounter books, december 2011 carries on the defense of the west started in defending the west. Ibn warraq is the pen name of an anonymous author critical of islam. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. First, the koran itself, the muslim sacred scripture and the foundation of islamic culture, is called into question as the. Ibn warraq has provided a valuable collection of some of the most important critical studies of the koran over the past century. Arthur jeffrey papers, 19201959 columbia university. Dutton, lecturer in the department of islamic studies, university of edinburgh, taken from the journal of islamic studies, may 2000 edition. My fields of study are christian theology and new testament and christian origins, though i have taught world religions for many years. Classic essays on islams holy book edited by ibn warraq. As long as we are lucky to have brave authors like jaya gopal, there is still hope that islam will not succeed in destroying the achievements of humanism, writes ibn warraq in the foreword of the german edition.
The original sources of the quran 4 about a year after muhammads death, as we learn from bukhari, the quran was first put together in a collected whole. Ibn warraq is an independent scholar and former visiting fellow at the center for law and counterterrorism, a project of the foundation for defense of democracies. He is the founder of the institute for the secularisation of islamic society and used to be a senior research fellow at the center for inquiry, focusing on quranic criticism. Ibn warraq is a pakistanienglish scholar who has written extensively on the history, literature, theology, culture and politics of islam, and on many other topics. David margoliouth warned us not to be too credulous about the authenticity of socalled preislamic poetry. I have collected everything significant i could find of his online, and put it all in one big zip file for you to download. Ibn warraq is one of the most intelligent and important critics of islam living today. The koran is held to be of eternal origin, recorded in heaven, lying as it does there upon the preserved table suras 85. The pagan origins of islamic hajj veterans today military.
His experience revealed to him that the muslims of india had been cheated in the name of islam and its projected principles of equality, free will and. His earliest memories are of his circumcision and first day at quran school, and his family still consider themselves muslims. Essential readings for the nonbeliever, and why i am not a muslim, and more on. Why i am not a muslim is the most detailed dissection of the scourge that is the killer cult.
This collection of manuscripts, typescripts, manuscript notes and typescript notes with some related correspondence reflects jefferys research and writing on the vocabulary and history of the. Jan 12, 2002 this naturally leads to the most fascinating book ever written on the language of the koran, and if proved to be correct in its main thesis, probably the most important book ever written on the koran. Classic essays on islams holy book, edited by ibn warraq prometheus books. Not even his family knows that he wrote the 1994 bestseller why i am not a muslim. He is the founder of the institute for the secularisation of islamic society isis and is formerly a senior research fellow at the center for inquiry, focusing on quranic criticism. Sep 20, 2016 islam, the quran, and the five pillars all without a flamewar. This book, edited by the rather nebulous personage of ibn warraq neither his full name nor his institutional affiliation, if any, are anywhere given, consists of thirteen previously published essays on the history and nature of the quranic text, twelve of them dating from the halfcentury between 1890 and 1940 and only the thirteenth dating from as recently as 1985. Ibn warraq is the highly acclaimed author of why i am not a muslim, virgins. The original sources of the quran white horse media. The traditional accounts of the life of muhammad and the story of the origin and rise of islam, including the compilation of the koran, are based exclusively on muslim sources, particularly the muslim biographies of muhammad, and the hadith, that is the muslim traditions. Editor translator ibn warraq a pen name wrote in the introduction to this 1998 book, for us in studying the koran it is necessary to distinguish the historical from the theological attitude. As warraqs title indicates, his book rests on the premise that orientalism, and the. When it comes to the study of islam and the koran, i confess i am but an interested bystander.
In his selection and in an introductory essay, warraq makes it clear that some very serious scholarly controversies lie at the heart of islam. He was brought up in pakistan, which was supposed to be an islamic republic. A salutary shock from robert spencer, by ibn warraq, townhall, july 11, 2018. A personal look at some aspects of the history of koranic criticism, 19th and 20th centuries 1 ibn warraq i. A critique of edward saids orientalism came out in august 2007 prometheus books, amherst, new york. It is undoubtedly true that in many passages of the koran the islamic varnish only thinly covers a heathen substratum,112 as for example in sura 1.
I am a fellow at the westminster institute, fairfax, virginia, usa, a senior fellow at the london center for policy research, and a contributing editor to the new english. The origins of the koran, classic essays on islams holy book ed. My fields of study are christian theology and new testament and christian origins, though i have taught. He is the author of why i am not a muslim, what the koran really says, and virgins. This volume rejects the notion that islams sacred text is. Quran and the traditions, taken together, form the foundation of islam. He publishes under the name of ibn warraq, a pseudonym traditionally used by critical thinkers in islam. Mar 01, 1998 ibn warraq is the pen name of an author most famous for his criticism of islam. Pdf ibn warraq why i am not a muslim bazil suciu academia.
Classic essays on islams holy book by ibn warraq editor 3. Buy a cheap copy of why i am not a muslim book by ibn warraq. The quran is the holy book which muslims recite and turn to for guidance in all aspects of their life. Ibn warraq, theodor noldeke, leone caetani, alphonse mingana, arthur jeffery, david samuel margoliouth, abraham geiger, william st. Classic essays on islams holy book by warraq, ibn isbn. Classic essays on islam s holy book, is a 1998 book edited by ibn warraq. Those who practice the muslim faith have resisted examinations of their religion. It is the most comprehensive book on the subject of islam and the fate of the modern world that i have read. Bangladeshi writer taslima nasreen provides us with a brief overview of the preislamic pagan origins of the hajj the kaaba in mecca was a center of idolworship. Classic essays on islams holy book, ibn warraq includes some of theodor noldekes studies. Ibn warraq books list of books by author ibn warraq. They are extremely guarded about their religion, and what they consider. His third essay, some aspects of the history of koran criticism, 700 ce to 2005 ce, could almost. Apostates speak out by ibn warraq, prometheus books, 2003, 471 pp.
Ibn warraq is the highly acclaimed author of why i am not a muslim and defending the west. Ibn warraq continued writing with several works examining the historiography of the quran and muhammad. Neutral testimony, archaeological data, datable documents, and evidence. Classic essays on islams holy book, edited by ibn warraq. Origins of the quran pdf print get a pdf version of this webpage pdf.
The most recent additions to this literature are ibn warraqs defending the west. He has been involved in the efforts of secular humanists in the west and elsewhere to bring secular values to the world. The origins of the koran, classic essays on islams holy book editor ibn warraq prometheus books pendahuluan gambaran umum jihadis dgn pedang di satu tangan dan quran di tangan lainnya agak sulit dalam realita karena muslim dilarang memegang quran pd tangan kiri. Ophelia benson growing up in pakistan, ibn warraq learned to read the koran in arabic without understanding a word of it a common experience for thousands of muslim children. As a scholar of islam myself, i find ibn warraqs attitude to be very refreshing, and his scholarship for the most part to be accurate and devastating in pinpointing weaknesses in muslim orthodoxy. Abu isa alwarraq, full name abu isa muhammad ibn harun alwarraq arabic. Two of his principal arguments were the probity, or rather the lack of probity, of the earliest compilers and editors of preislamic poetry, and the fact that many putative preislamic poems contained words, phrases, and. Ibn warraq, the celebrated apostate, author of why i am not a muslim and of scholarly works on the koran, muhammad, and early islam, as well as polemical works in defense of the west, has now written the islam in islamic terrorism, showing, in the words of the islamic fundamentalists or, more exactly, revivalists themselves. Why i am not a muslim by ibn warraq the origins of islam the most important stages in islams history were characterised by the assimilation of. The ultimate ibn warraq collection common sense atheism.
Other books treated the topic of secular humanist values among muslims. He is also the editor of the origins of the koran, what the koran really says, leaving islam, the quest for the historical muhammad, and which koran. Here we are only concerned with those truths that are yielded by a process of rational enquiry, by scientific examination. Ibn warraq is the penname of the author whose parents emigrated from india to pakistan as a result of the partition. Why the west is best an interview with ibn warraq by.