Book Review - Cracking the Qur'an Code - by Lowell Gallin

בס''ד

This book review is of Lowell (Aryeh) Gallin's groundbreaking work, Cracking the Qur’an Code: God’s Land, Torah and People Covenants with Israel in the Qur’an and Islamic Tradition. The review was written by Fazal ur-Rehman Afridi, a Muslim journalist in Paris active in human rights in his native Pakistan. I contributed to this book and helped edit it, so I do not get to do book reviews on it.

Review of Cracking the Qur'an Code by Fazal ur Rehman Afridi

Cracking the Qur’an Code: God’s Land, Torah and People Covenants with Israel in the Qur’an and Islamic Tradition, by Lowell Gallin, is a fascinating spiritual journey through good and evil, with all the real actors, places, and situations depicted in such a manner as if a reader is a part of that journey starting from Noah, through Ibrahim to Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus and ending with Muhammad.

When one finishes the book, he finds himself in present day world with Sheikh Abdul Hadi Palazzi, Dr. Asher Eder, Reuven Kossover and Lowell Gallin, preaching peace and understanding between the Children of Ismail and Jacob. I would like to extend my thanks to Lowell Gallin for providing us with this great opportunity of traveling on a fascinating spiritual and historical journey through the objective prism of Qur’anic teachings.

The story is written in such a very simple, sincere and mind-attracting manner that one cannot stop reading it. A history starts unfolding in front of one’s eyes. When you finish reading it, it has already captured your soul. It is a masterpiece pioneering work, which will go a long way in bringing the two religions and civilizations together or at least helping them to understand each other; to know about our roots, our common destiny, our common ideology, common history, common struggles and common values. It teaches us a very important lesson, focusing on the question, “Why not come closer to each other on shared commonalities rather than fighting over our differences?”

In Cracking the Qur’an Code, Mr. Gallin has done a tremendous job by collecting precious pearls from different seas of knowledge, with great wisdom and a sense of purpose. I believe that without divine guidance this task would not have been accomplished.

This painstaking work of Mr. Gallin really deserves admiration and applause, as it seems as if he has sifted through every page, every phrase and every word of the Holy Qu'ran, Torah and Tanach. He searched thoroughly the contemporary literature to provide us with examples from the recent history of the hate and love relationship between Arabs and Jews. Mr. Gallin has presented truth and it is through truth and objectivity and the spreading of unbiased information that we can bring harmony and peace between different peoples, cultures, civilizations and religions, paving the way to create a better world for our future generations.

Mr. Gallin gave full space to the views and grand works of his teachers, Dr. Asher Eder of Jerusalem, Israel and Sheikh Abdul Hadi Palazzi of Rome, Italy, even at the cost of repetition. He did not forget to mention the sacrifices of his friends such as Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, rendered for the support of the cause of Israel. This shows Mr. Gallin's respect for his teachers and love for his friends.

Ironically, most non-Arab Muslims do not know about true Qur’anic teachings as the Qu'ran is in Arabic and they have never read its translations into their mother tongues. Thus, it is difficult to comprehend its translation in other foreign languages, until it is explained by religious scholars. It is here that some misguided Wahhabi scholars teach hate to Muslims, particularly those nations whose language is not Arabic, such as us Pashtuns, for example.

Pashtuns do not know about original and un-tempered Islamic, Jewish and Christian history. They are taught by these fanatic Wahhabis that Christians and Jews are infidels who deserve to be hated, tortured and murdered. The situation is further complicated when the translations of Qur’an and the teachings of Islam are manipulated by these Wahhabi pseudo-intellectuals and power mongers for political purposes.

We have been taught or have found in whatever Islamic books we read, broadcast or published by the Wahhabi dominated print and electronic media, that Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Benjamin have been Muslim Prophets and that they have nothing to do with Jews. Even the term Bani-Israel is used in an ambiguous manner to hide the truth from not only ordinary ignorant people but from the educated class as well. The Wahhabi mission is to deliberately hide the truth and highlight only differences and spread hatred.

Cracking the Qur’an Code is an excellent corrective to the distortions, ambiguities, and untruths perpetrated by the Wahhabi Islamic media. This book can un-distort, make un-ambiguous and honestly explain both the differences and commonalities of three great religions and civilizations, Jewish, Christian and Muslim.

Note: The book is on sale:

Cracking the Qur'an Code: God's Land, Torah and People Covenants with Israel in the Qur'an and Islamic Tradition
(Jerusalem: Root and Branch Association, Ltd., Print and E-Book Editions. Copyright Lowell Gallin. 2010).
Bulk order discounts. Worldwide shipping. On sale now at http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=3743146