The Earliest Commentary upon the Holy Quran - Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib

Written and compiled by Shia for a predominantly Sunni audience. 

*Disclaimer* This book although is written by a Shia Author, she was more tilted toward the liberal interpretations of Islam (and somewhat Sufi). However, this particualr book we found could be a useful addition to the Shia literature due to its unique approach not requiring much commentary from the author

Ali ibn Abi Talib has often been called the first Muslim intellectual and scholar. Yet Ali is more -than just a scholar and an intellectual. Unlike many prominent people in history who excelled in one field or another, Ali possessed contradictory qualities and skills that ordinarily are not found in one individual. He was a chivalrous man, an exceptionally brave soldier and fighter whose armor only covered his chest, as he never turned his back on his enemies in wars. Yet, he was also a commentator on the Quran, a metaphysician, a theologian, a gnostic, a linguist, a gram- marian, a poet, and a man of taste for beauty, an artist who loved calligraphy and was aware of the value of knowledge and learning.

The present book is a Quranic commentary based on the collection of his Sermons, Letters and Sayings, — Mohammad H. Faghfoory, Foreword

Laleh Bakhtiar, Ph.D. is a prolific author and translator. She is the first woman to present a critical translation of the Quran entitled The Sublime Quran. Her expertise includes Quranic Psychology, Sufism, Spiritual Chivalry and Islamic Law. She has over 200 titles listed on amazon author. The translator of The Sublime Quran and author of The Concordance of the Sublime Quran, Laleh Bakhtiar, is a fair and just researcher in the contemporary Islamic world. Enjoying both distinct cultures of the East and the West, as well as two great world religions of Christianity and Islam, she has analyzed and comprehended in a deep and profound way the concepts of The Nahj al-Balagha by removing the doubtful passages erroneously attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib concerning the rights and status of Muslim and non-Muslim women throughout the world. She has done so by referring to authentic sources and using her own insight

Her lived experiences are authentic documents of this fact because she has been bred in the school of spiritual chivalry (futuvwva), an archetype of human essence, a perfect and thorough method whose spiritual origin lies with the Blessed Prophet and Ali ibn Abi Talib who were archetypes of the human primordial nature (fitratAIIah). Today we know it as the Sufi Engram or Nine Points. It is a way to achieve a world full of justice and fairness for all people. God has invited all of humanity to it through the Quran.— Mahshid Razavi Rezvani, Ph.D. in Cultural Planning Management, representative of ITP (Chicago-based Institute of Traditional Psychology) in Iran, holder of a Professional License of IEA (International Engram Association) and CEO of Mahshid Kherad Institute of Art and Culture.

I was very impressed by the balagha of Ali's commentary. I found it beautiful and wise as well as eloquent. He speaks to the heart.—Abigail Tardiff