A Ray of the Qurn: Selected Essays of Sayyed Mahmoud Taleghani, Volume I: Srah Al-Ftiah/1 and Srah Al-Baqarah/2: 1-143

The study and explanation of Srah Al-Ftihah and verses 1-143 of Srah Al-Baqara make up Volume I of A Ray of the Qurn. Sayyed Mahmoud Taleghani follows the traditional ordinal presentation of these two chapters of the Qurn. Appropriately, he begins his commentary with the first Srah: The Opening. He considers this Srah to be an invitation to people to recognize their creator and sustainer by knowing Allahs attribute of mercy and as the giver of guidance to the straight path. Likewise, Taleghani invites people through another name given to this Srah, Al Hamd/The Praise, to praise their Lord exclusively.

Taleghanis approach to the Qurn is holistic. This is evident in his reading of the initial five verses of Srah Al-Baqara as containing the foundational, pivotal notions that inform the grand ideas and the details of not only the rest of the Srah, but indeed the entire Qurn. The word taqw, used in Srah Al-Baqara and throughout the Qurn, is sometimes translated as piety or fear of God but the full breadth of the term, as Taleghani shows, is better expressed in the phrase to safeguard oneself with full awareness of divine laws. Those who show taqw are made aware of the prophetic mission, and are assured of the hereafter if they accept and follow it in their thoughts and deeds. Thus, the reader is introduced in Srah Al-Baqara to Taleghanis vision of the Qurn, whereby, a ray from this book is said to touch the minds and hearts of those with taqwa and to launch them on their search for the truth. This is one way Taleghani distinguishes the Holy Qurn from other books.