This Norton Critical Edition also includes: - Seven illustrations. - Fifty judiciously selected texts representing the full spectrum of Islamic religious thought that demonstrate the Qur'an's intellectual impact while those from related Near Eastern literatures, including biblical and extra-biblical sources, elucidate the comparative contexts of qur'anic themes and narratives. A concluding section presents the Qur'an as an American book, with a long history and significant influence in the United States. - A Selected Bibliography.