Publisher's Synopsis
The book, although short, distills many volumes into its pages and is like the synopsis of a major commentary. It brings out the significance of the Qur'an for the life of Muslims, the features of the sacred Text which seems enigmatic, the inner and outer levels of meaning of the Text and the sciences of the Qur'anic exegesis. It also treats in a clear and direct manner the Shi'ite understanding of the Qur'an and the role of the Imams in its interpretation. It is a veritable prolegomenon to the study of the Sacred Book, and it is perhaps the most accessible introduction available in English to the study of the Qur'an as traditionally understood by the mainstream of Shi'ite thought, in fact Islamic exegetical thought in general.
