Forget all those evening news sound bites or diplomatically correct half-truths about the Koran and the religion of Islam. If you want to know what the Koran is really about, you have to know what it really says. Don Richardson gives you a nitty-gritty inside look at the Koran, helping to separate fact from fiction. These hard-hitting observations are not the author's opinion based on what he thinks the Koran seems to imply. Muslim boys are indoctrinated in military camps. Madrasa schools force memorization and repetition of the Koran, particularly those verses that promise heavenly rewards for martyrdom. It took courage to write this serious, documented, and well-sourced book. But the price of truth is courage, regardless of one's religion.

Secrets of the Quran is a profound and illuminating book that seeks to unravel the fascinating secrets and timeless verses that have captivated scholars, poets, and lyricists for over a millennium. This book invites you to step into the mysteries of the Quran, shedding light on secrets that are waiting to be discovered. You will realize how every sentence, word, and letter in the Quran is placed in perfect order. As you read, you will bear witness to a mesmerizing collection of secrets, deep mysteries, and beautiful subtleties that exceed the scope of human possibility, all proving that the Quran is the sublime, miraculous Speech of Allah. Each page will imbue you with a newfound appreciation for the Quran and a renewed sense of faith you never knew you needed. Perfect for devout Muslims, newcomers to the faith, and anybody who wishes to uncover more about the divine nature of the Quran, Secrets of the Quran stands as an enduring testament to this Holy Book, inviting you to discover the ocean of wonders that fills every verse.

This book is an exploration of the countless secrets of the universe that God has revealed in Holy Quran more than 1400 years ago. It seeks in a very modest and humble manner to draw you into a journey to uncover some of the awe and splendor of this divine miraculous Scripture. Step in line with the author and walk through the many sacred revelations that have amazingly been encased within the scientific facts, which were yet to be discovered far later in the modern era.

The first book-length study of ta'wil, a form of allegorical scriptural interpretation propagated by Ismaili-Shiite missionaries Ismailism, one of the three major branches of Shiism, is best known for ta'wil, an esoteric, allegorizing scriptural exegesis. Beyond the Qur'?n: Early Ismaili ta'wil and the Secrets of the Prophets is the first book-length study of this interpretive genre. Analyzing sources composed by tenth-century Ismaili missionaries in light of social-science theories of cognition and sectarianism, David Hollenberg argues that the missionaries used ta'wil to instill in acolytes a set of symbolic patterns, forms, and "logics." This shared symbolic world bound the community together as it created a gulf between community members and those outside the movement. Hollenberg thus situates ta'wil socially, as an interpretive practice that sustained a community of believers. An important aspect of ta'wil is its unconventional objects of interpretation. Ismaili missionaries mixed Qur'?nic exegesis with interpretation of Torah, Gospels, Greek philosophy, and symbols such as the Christian Cross and Eucharist, as well as Jewish festivals. Previously scholars have speculated that this extra- Qur'?nic ta'wil was intended to convert Jews and Christians to Ismailism. Hollenberg, departing from this view, argues that such interpretations were, like Ismaili interpretations of the Qur'?n, intended for an Ismaili audience, many of whom converted to the movement from other branches of Shiism. Hollenberg argues that through exegesis of these unconventional sources, the missionaries demonstrated that their imam alone could strip the external husk from all manner of sources and show the initiates reality in its pure, unmediated form, an imaginal world to which they alone had access. They also fulfilled the promise that their imam would teach them the secrets behind all religions, a sign that the initial stage of the end of days had commenced. Beyond the Qur'?n contributes to our understanding of early Ismaili doctrine, Fatimid rhetoric, and, more broadly, the use of esoteric literatures in the history of religion.