Yahiya Emerick’s book A Journey through the Holy Qur’an well deserves its space on the bookshelf of anyone interested in learning more about Islam, its history, and the Qur’an.*

The book provides a translation, an introductory background on each surah (chapter), and a background on selected verses. The material is presented in a clear fashion with bold, helpful headings. It is one of the books on my shelf that I cannot wait to read.

The best way to understand Yahiya Emerick’s invaluable contribution is an excerpt. Below is an excerpt from Surah Az-Zumar (The Crowds: Chapter 39). Immediately under the title, it states “Middle Meccan Period” and then provides a short introduction to the chapter:

“The majority of the verses in this chapter were revealed before the immigration to Abyssinia (in the year 615) of a large company of Muslim refugees fleeing persecution in Mecca. The clue is in verse ten where the believers are told that ‘God’s earth is wide.’ Verses 52-54, however, were revealed in the early Median period. The main subject matter revolves around issues of the next life and how God will classify and sort people according to their faith and deeds. A’ishah reported that the Prophet would recite this chapter (along with chapter 17) every night. (Ahmad, Nisa’i)”

A few pages later, the reader finds the following heading and information:

“Don’t Despair of God’s Mercy upon Sinners

Background on verses 53-59: There were some Meccans who wanted to accept Islam, but they had indulged in very wicked behavior in their lives before, having murdered people, committed adultery, theft and other crimes. They felt that their sins were too enormous for God to forgive merely by their accepting Islam. ‘How can we become Muslims when we did all that?’ one of them even asked. Just after the Muslims migrated to Medina, the concerns of such sympathetic but despairing Meccans were discussed by many. These verses were revealed, and ‘Umar ibn al Kattab, who knew how to write, wrote them on a paper and sent it secretly back to Mecca. The first person who read it was a man named Hisham who said in later days, ‘I took it and went to (a place named) Thitawa, and I asked God to make me understand it. When I realized it was for us, I returned to where my mount was tethered and resolved to follow the Prophet.’ Many others also joined Islam and made their way to Medina.

(Muhammad,) tell (people that I, Myself, have said), ‘All My servants who have acted excessively against their own souls! Don’t lose hope of God’s mercy, for God can forgive all sins. He truly is the Forgiving and the Merciful! Turn towards your Lord and surrender to Him before the punishment overwhelms you, for then you’ll have no one to help you.’ [53-54]…”

There are 7 informative Appendices, including Appendix II On Polygamy, Appendix V On the Trinity and Appendix VII On the Punishment for Adultery.

In the Preface, Yahiya Emerick states in part:

“The Qur’an is more of a book of persuasion – it is a book that speaks to you like a friend. Stories of famous people are given only as a way to prove a point. Laws are few and are connected with trying to make you a better person. Poetic phrases become beautiful ways to remember sound advice and good teachings. You can open the book at any page, start reading and learn something useful.

In short, the Qur’an is a personal letter from God to you, asking you to become something more than you thought you could be: someone whom God loves and someone who loves His world so much that he or she will do everything in their power to take good care of it.”

*Stay tuned for review of Yahiya Emerick's 2010 book The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an in Today's English, which is described as "This is a translation of the Qur'an into modern English with a complete suite of commentary, introductory materials, biographies and a multitude of other resources. The commentary is designed to bring the understanding of Islam into the modern era."