«Towards Understanding the Qur'an» is a fresh and highly readable English rendering of «Tafhim al-Qur'an», Sayyid Mawdudi's monumental and masterly Urdu translation and commentary. Here is a Tafsir with a difference, by a scholar of an entirely different sort. An immense wealth of profound understanding of the Qur'an is here, so is a vast treasure of knowledge and deep insights, illuminating historical accounts of philiological discussions, and a highly systematic exposition of social, political, economic and legal teachings. This Tafsir answers contemporary questions, and makes the Qur'an fully relevant to the concerns of our day, yet it loses nothing of its timelessness nor sacrifices any of the traditional understanding. It demonstrates the unity and coherence of the Qur'an by centreing everything in it on its message, like gems hung on a single string. Each Surah is prefaced by an account of its background and teachings. Maps and indexes add greatly to the understanding.