When The Stars Prostrated: Meditations On Surat Yusuf

An introduction to the Sciences of the Qur’aan presents a detailed and thorough explanation of the sciences related to the history, understanding and implementation of the Qur’aan. The book provides the English reader with a detailed analysis of classic Muslim scholarship regarding: the process on Inspiration (Wahy); the various means of classifying verses of the Qur’aan; the history of the compilation of the Qur’aan; the meaning of the seven ahruf and the ten qira’aat of the Qur’aan; the miraculous nature of the Qur’aan; the concept of abrogation in the Qur’aan; the procedure and methodology of tafseer; and many other topics. The work has a number of sections dedicated to explaining the traditional Muslim refutations of certain belief of the Ash’arees with regards to the Qur’aan.

This book also includes detailed discussions on modern Western scholarship of the Qur’aan. After presenting a history of the English translation of the Qur’aan, along with a critical review of some translations, the author discusses and refutes common Orientalist polemic literature on the Qur’aan.

The work is unique in that it presents classical material in a simple and modern style, while maintaning a hight academic level. It is the most advanced work of its kind in the English language, and a necessary reference for all serious students of Islamic knowledge.

This study illustrates why the language of the Qur’an is miraculous, unique, and evidence of divine authority. The author compares the language of the Qur’an with the language of pre-Islamic poetry, the Prophet’s words (hadith), and the language of the Arabs both past and present, to demonstrate that although the Qur’an was revealed in Arabic it was at the same time an Arabic which was entirely new. Original and early Muslim audiences viewed this as miraculous and responded to the Qur’an’s words, sounds, rhythms, etc. in a manner consistent with a deeper appreciation of its beauty and majesty which modern ears, trained by familiarity, and despite being surrounded by all manner of dictionaries and studies, are at a loss to capture. The author attempts to remove this veil and present the Qur’an to readers as if hearing it for the first time, to bring to life some of this wonder. In doing so he guides readers to appreciate the beauty of the Qur’an, to become more immersed in it, and to have a clearer understanding of its structure and flow. Devoting special attention to Surah Al Muddaththir, to underpin his analysis, Saeh thus brings the Revelation to life, to demonstrate that each surah has distinct features and characteristics that make it stand out uniquely within the design and sweep of the whole.