Summary: <br> Today's <br> podcast briefly discusses the transition of the Qur'an from an oral <br> message into a closed codex through political decisions of the community <br> leaders after Muhammad's death. The episode also quickly highlights the <br> difficulties that face modern historians who are trying to make sense <br> of the history of the formation of the Qur'an. <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Sources and Recommended Readings: <br> The Qur'an: a Beginner's Guide by Farid Esack <br> Major Themes of the Qur'an by Fazlur Rahman <br> The Koran: a Very Short Introduction by Michael Cook <br> The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'an by Jane McAuliffe (editor) <br> The Blackwell Companion to the Qur'an by Christopher Buck (editor) <br> The Qur'an: a New Translation by Tarif Khalidi <br> The Qur'an: an Introduction by Abdullah Saeed <br> The Qur'an in its Historical Setting by Gabriel Said Reynolds (editor) <br> Approaching the Qur'an: the Early Revelations by Michael Sells <br> La Pensée Arabe by Mohammed Arkoun <br> <br>
