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"Appropriately epic and consistently erudite, yet accessible for lay readers." -- Kirkus (Starred review) . Based on extensive scholarship, an innovative biography of the central text of Islam. Over a billion copies of the Qur`an exist - yet it remains an enigma. Its classical Arabic language resists simple translation, and its non-linear style of abstract musings defies categorization. Moreover, those who champion its sanctity and compete to claim its mantle offer widely diverging interpretations of its core message - at times with explosive results.. Building on his intimate portrait of the Qur`an's prophet in Muhammad the World-Changer, Mohamad Jebara returns with a vivid profile of the book itself. While viewed in retrospect as the grand scripture of triumphant empires, Jebara reveals how the Qur`an unfolded over 22 years amidst intense persecution, suffering, and loneliness.