<b>Reading the Qur´an in the Twenty-first Century: A Contextualist Approach, by Abdullah Saeed</b>

Reading the Qur´an in the Twenty-first Century: A Contextualist Approach, by Abdullah Saeed (London & New York: Routledge, 2013), vi+196 pp., ISBN: 978-0-415-67750-9, £85.00 (hb) (First paragraph) The “contextual„ approach is among the most significant elements to consider when trying to comprehend verses (āyah) in Qurʾānic studies. Indeed, the address of the Qurʾān presents the text´s first, original, and historical meaning in its context. The descent of the Qurʾān began in 610 AD in Mecca; therefore, we need to consider what the addressees, who witnessed the process of revelation, understood from the Qurʾān if we are to discover its original and historical meaning.