Today's
podcast briefly discusses the transition of the Qur'an from an oral
message into a closed codex through political decisions of the community
leaders after Muhammad's death. The episode also quickly highlights the
difficulties that face modern historians who are trying to make sense
of the history of the formation of the Qur'an. 


Sources and Recommended Readings:
The Qur'an: a Beginner's Guide   by Farid Esack
Major Themes of the Qur'an   by Fazlur Rahman
The Koran: a Very Short Introduction    by Michael Cook
The Cambridge Companion to the Qur'an    by Jane McAuliffe (editor)
The Blackwell Companion to the Qur'an    by Christopher Buck (editor)
The Qur'an: a New Translation   by Tarif Khalidi
The Qur'an: an Introduction   by Abdullah Saeed
The Qur'an in its Historical Setting    by Gabriel Said Reynolds (editor)
Approaching the Qur'an: the Early Revelations   by Michael Sells
La Pensée Arabe        by Mohammed Arkoun