GOD AND MAN IN THE QUR’ĀN

Semantics of the Qur’ānic Weltanschauung

GOD AND MAN IN THE QUR’AN Semantics of the Qur’anic Weltanschauung Toshihiko Izutsu • God and Man in the Qur’an constitutes not only a welcome addition to the existing literature on Islam but introduces a new approach to the understanding of Islam— particularly by non-Muslims— the linguistic approach. This book, coming from the pen of the first serious Japanese scholar on Islam, discovers the substantive structure of the Queanic teachings in a fourfold relationship between God and man, viz., (i) God is the creator of man; (ii) He communicates His Will to man through Revelation; (iii) there subsists a Lord-servant relationship between God and man and (iv) the concept of God as the God of goodness and mercy (for those who are thankful to Him) and the God of wrath (for those who reject Him). Dr Izutsu’s description of the historical evolution of these concepts in pre-Islamic Arabia upto the appearance of Islam is quite rich and valuable.
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“Combining the tools and method of semantics and the insight and vision of true philosophy, Professor Izutsu has made a fascinating excursus into the Islamic world-view as enshrined in the Qur’an. Deploying a wide range of material, God and Man in the Qur’an presents us with an inspiring example of the thematic approach to Quednic exegesis.” — Mohamed El-Tahir El-Mesawi, Int. Islamic University, Malaysia