《古兰经》不仅在来源和纯正性上在今日的书籍中独一无二，在其呈现主题的方式上也同样独特。它并非通常意义上的那种书：先有引言，再阐释主题，最后是结论。它也不局限于历史事件的叙述、哲学问题、科学事实或社会法则的陈述，尽管这些内容都交织在其中，表面上看似没有任何关联与联系。

Not only is the Qur’aan unique among books today in its origin and purity, but it is also unique in the way it presents its subject matter. It is not a book in the usual sense of the word wherein there is an introduction, explanation of the subject, followed by a conclusion. Neither is it restricted to only a presentation of historical events, problems of philosophy, facts of science or social laws, though all may be found woven together in it without any apparent connection and links.

主题的引入缺乏背景说明，历史事件没有按照时间顺序呈现，新的话题有时无缘无故地突然出现在另一个话题之中，说话者与对话对象也毫无预兆地转换方向。

Subjects are introduced without background information, historical events are not presented in chronological order, new topics sometimes crop up in the middle of another for no apparent reason, and the speaker and those spoken to change direction without the slightest forewarning.

那些不了解《古兰经》独特之处的读者，往往会感到困惑，因为他们发现它与自己对一般书籍、尤其是对一部“宗教”典籍的理解大相径庭。因此，在他看来，《古兰经》似乎杂乱无章、缺乏条理。然而，对于那些理解其主题、宗旨和核心主旨的人来说，情况恰恰相反。《古兰经》的主题本质上是人：人与其主和造物主安拉的关系；人与自身的关系；以及人与其余受造物的关系。启示的宗旨和目的，是邀请人以正确的方式对待其主、对待自身以及对待受造万物。因此，贯穿整部《古兰经》的主要主旨是：唯独安拉配受崇拜，因而人应当在个人生活中以及在与万物的一般关系中服从安拉的律法。换言之，其主要主旨是号召人们信仰安拉，并行安拉所规定的善功。

The reader who is unaware of the Qur’aan’s uniqueness is often puzzled when he finds it contrary to his understanding of a book in general and a “religious” book in particular. Hence, the Qur’aan may seem disorganized and haphazard to him. However, to those who understand its subject matter, aim and its central theme, the Qur’aan is exactly the opposite. The subject matter of the Qur’aan is essentially man: man in relation to his Lord and Creator, Allaah; man in relation to himself; and man in relation to the rest of creation. The aim and object of the revelations is to invite man to the right way of dealing with his Lord, with himself, and with creation. Hence, the main theme that runs throughout the Qur’aan is that God alone deserves worship and, thus, man should submit to God’s laws in his personal life and in his relationships with creation in general. Or, in other words, the main theme is a call to the belief in Allaah and the doing of righteous deeds as defined by Allaah.

如果读者牢记这些基本事实，他就会发现，《古兰经》从头到尾的各个主题都与其主旨紧密相连，全书是围绕其主旨展开的、论证严密且前后一致的论述。无论是叙述人类与宇宙的创造，还是讲述人类历史中的事件，《古兰经》始终聚焦于同一个目标。由于《古兰经》的宗旨是引导人类，它只在与这一宗旨相关的范围内陈述或论述事物，省略了不必要和无关紧要的细节。它还在每一个新主题的阐述中，反复重申其主旨。

If the reader keeps these basic facts in mind, he will find that, from beginning to end, the Qur’aan’s topics are all closely connected to its main theme and that the whole book is a well-reasoned and cohesive argument for its theme. The Qur’aan keeps the same object in view, whether it is describing the creation of man and the universe or events from human history. Since the aim of the Qur’aan is to guide man, it states or discusses things only to the extent relevant to this aim and leaves out unnecessary and irrelevant details. It also repeats its main theme over and over again in the presentation of each new topic.

在阿瑟·约翰·阿伯里为《古兰经》所作的一部最优秀的东方学译本的序言中，译者写道：“整部《古兰经》中贯穿着一套熟悉的主题；每一章都对其中的一个或多个（往往是许多个）加以阐发或预示。借用音乐的语言来说，每一章都是由完整或片段的主导动机组成的狂想曲；这一类比又因其言辞中微妙变化的节奏韵律而得到加强。”39

In the preface of one of the best orientalist translations of the Qur’aan, the translator, Arthur John Arberry, writes: “There is a repertory of familiar themes running through the whole Koran; each Sura36 elaborates or adumbrates37 one or more—often many—of these. Using the language of music, each Sura is a rhapsody composed of whole or fragmentary leitmotivs; 38 the analogy is reinforced by the subtly varied rhythmical flow of the discourse.”39

以下四项原则是新读者在阅读《古兰经》时应当牢记的,以免产生不必要的困惑与迷失。

The following four principles should be kept in mind by the new reader of the Qur’aan if he or she is to avoid unnecessary confusion and disorientation:

这本书是世界上同类书籍中独一无二的一本。

1. The book is the only one of its type in the world.

2. 它的文学风格与其他所有书籍都大不相同。

2. Its literary style is quite different from all other books.

3. 它的主题是独一无二的。

3. Its theme is unique.

4. 对《古兰经》的成见，只会妨碍对它的理解。40

4.Preconceived notions of a book are only a hindrance to the understanding of the Qur’aan.40