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foreword by dale f. eickelmanxilike myself, saw early on the originality of Shahrur’s work and hisapproach to linking faith to reason. This translation is so clear andeffective that it is at times easy to think that it was written originallyin English rather than translated from Arabic. Christmann’s introduction,like his annotated explanations of Shahrur’s narrative, addsvalue by giving readers an intimate sense of the intricacies ofShahrur’s approach to critical inquiry, the context for the interpretiveissues that Shahrur addresses, and a window into the criticaldebates now underway in the Arabic-speaking world.Shahrur’s approach goes to the heart of current debates abouthow to interpret Islam in the modern world. In many respects I findhis approach to thinking about religion and reason the Arabic counterpartto Wilfred Cantwell Smith’s highly influential The Meaningand End of Religion (1962). Shahrur vigorously offers an innovativeapproach to interpreting Islam and its relation to other faiths, prophetictradition, the controversial ‘limits’ (Èudåd) of Islamic law,women, and political Islam—including a head-on confrontation withadvocates of tyranny and terrorism.In The Qur"an, Morality, and Critical Reason Shahrur boldly confrontscontroversial issues and at the same time links the fundamentals offaith—and not just Islamic faith—to critical reason. He offers astrong argument for a civil society that encompasses both Muslimsand non-Muslims alike. This book is a portal to his thought for theEnglish-speaking world, and Andreas Christmann’s superb introductionand annotated translation makes it an exciting and accessiblepoint of departure for Shahrur to engage a wide audience in theEnglish-speaking world.