Detailed Description
The Endless Banquet (Volume Two) is the second part of Shaykh Hamzah Abdul Malik’s reading guide to help the average person understand the broader meanings of the Qur’an. This book picks up where The Endless Banquet (Volume I) left off, and explains each Surah of the middle third of the Qur’an by grouping its ayat together according to shared themes, to help you study its fundamental meanings and their connections with one another. It is followed by The Endless Banquet (Volume III), which covers Juz 21-30. All three volumes are available together as The Endless Banquet Series (3-book bundle).
The Endless Banquet (Volume Two) will help you discover:
- Juz 11 to 20
- The benefits of the Qur’an’s repetition of certain phrases, & stories, albeit with different variations & details
- The wisdom of ayat shift from discussions of law to stories, to theological arguments, to descriptions of heaven and hell
- Connections between each Surah
- The wisdom & significance in the order of the Surahs
- How each Juz is divided upon overarching themes
- The context in which certain ayat were revealed & why these verses are still relevant today
The Endless Banquet is designed to help you develop a deeper appreciation for the Qur’an - especially the parts which most people don’t ordinarily read. This will increase your sense of wonder and awe at the Qur’an, so that you may seek to learn more, and be inspired to ask new questions about Allah’s final revelation. As you become more familiar with its subtleties, your personal relationship with the Qur’an will naturally grow stronger, if Allah wills.
Each chapter of The Endless Banquet covers one Juz. Written in easy-to-understand language, this book aims to inspire a new generation of readers of the Qur’an, among Muslims who are comfortable reading and speaking English.
The Endless Banquet was written in the hope that the Qur’an may open the hearts of all who read it, and to help you become inspired by its meanings, its relevance to the present day, and its connections to the human condition and to your own life. The Endless Banquet will help you to rekindle your love for the Qur’an, if Allah wills.
Editorial Reviews
Every feast - or banquet - has an appetizer. Our tradition of Qur'an interpretation begins to capture the boundless exegetical possibilities of the Sacred Scripture. In this regard, it can be considered a lasting banquet - there is always more to be enjoyed. In The Endless Banquet, Imam Hamzah Abdul-Malik provides an appetizer of sorts for the Qur'anic feast. By introducing the reader to the themes of the Qur'an, Imam Hamza prepares the reader for a deeper understanding of the intricacies of exegesis. His systematic listing of the subjects under discussion in each section of the Qur'an helps the reader properly contextualize not only the meaning of the material being discussed in that section, but also its relationship to what precedes it as well as what follows it...in addition to the valuable knowledge the Endless Banquet conveys, its beautiful artistic layout and lucid language combine to engage the reader in ways sometimes lacking in scholarly treatises. I highly recommend this concise appetizer to what is truly an endless banquet, the meanings and message of the Qur'an.
Co-Founder and Resident Scholar, Zaytuna College
Endless Banquet by Imam Hamzah Abdul-Malik is an easy to follow, well written, and well researched work on Allah's book that will help you reconnect with the Qur'an. I love the author's style of writing. I often felt as though he was speaking to me. This entire work is a thematic reflection to help you understand the concepts being recited from the Qur'an.
It's hard to put into words how incredible this book has been for me. I was blessed enough to get my hands on it during Ramadan! This book was my Tarawih companion. As we read through each juz of the Qur'an, it became part of my family's ritual to read the corresponding chapter from Endless Banquet every night. I can't stress how important this work is for both Arabic and non-Arabic speaking audiences. I have recommended it to all my friends and family! It's a must read for everyone.