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Farid Esack, The Qur'an: A User's Guide, Oneworld Publications, Oxford, 2005.Farid Esack - a Muslim committed both to his religion, and to critical thinking about all aspects of it - explores how the Qur'an came into being and examines its structure as a unique literary work. He outlines its key themes, explains its historical and cultural context, and looks at the controversies that have surrounded it over the centuries. Blending faith, fact and an innovative approach, this is a concise guide to a major religious text, and an invaluable insight into its role in the everyday lives of Muslims.Farid Esack is a South African Muslim liberation theologian, Professor  and Head of the Department of Religion Studies at the University of Johannesburg.  He studied  is the author of Qur’an, Liberation and Pluralism, On Being a Muslim, An Introduction to the Qur’an, and with Sarah Chiddy, the co-editor of “Islam, HIV &#38; AIDS –Between Scorn Pity &#38; Justice (all by Oxford: Oneworld) He has published on Islam, Gender, Liberation Theology, Interfaith Relations, and Qur'anic Hermeneutics and currently works on the Qur’an and socio-economic justice and in developing a niche at the University of Johannesburg for the Study of Islam, Decolonization and Liberation.