Canadian author’s book titled "Qur'an Bible Study Commentary"

An electrical engineer isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when people think of a religious scholar, but Norman Law is a rare combination of both.

Hawzah News Agency- Norman Law retired a year and a half ago, but even before then, he started writing a book on religion. The book is titled Qur’an Bible Study Commentary, and is an in-depth look at the Qur’an, comparing the stories and teachings in it to the Bible.

The idea for the book started 15 years ago, when Law was attending Heritage Days in Edmonton, Canada. While there, he received a Qur’an, and decided to read it. As he did, he began noticing many similarities to the Bible.

“Most people, when they write books about the Qur’an, or the Bible, they are very topical – they just want to address topics,” he says. “I don’t think they do justice.”

So, instead of focusing on specific topics, he decided to take on the Qur’an in its entirety. His book contains the complete Qur’an, and point outs resemblances to the Bible.

Law’s goal in writing the book, he says, is to build a basis of comparison between the two holy books, and to bridge the gap between Christianity and Islam.

“In Canada, we’ve got many Muslims coming into the country, and politicians and media have their suppositions on what a Muslim is,” he says. “But they don’t really know.”

“The intent is for you to read yourself, and come to your own conclusions,” Law says. “Whatever it may be, I respect that.”

This is also the reasoning behind the layout of Law’s book. The hefty 1,137-page tome is arranged with three columns on each page. The first column is the full writings of the Qur’an. The second column is select sections of the bible that relate to the specific Qur’an Surahs (or chapters). And the third is pieces of commentary comparing and contrasting the sections, as well as additional information.

The layout makes it easy to read a certain passage in the Qur’an and see the main similarities and differences between it and the Bible. The commentary also helps explain the details, and offers questions for the reader to ponder over and make up her own mind about.

Qur’an Bible Study Commentary took Law two-and-a-half years to write, and another year to edit and publish it. The book is self-published by TellWell Talents, and cost Law $9,000 of his own money.