The Complete Infidel's Guide to the Koran

By: Robert Spencer

Narrated by: Lloyd James

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Koran: It may be the most controversial book in the world. Some see it as a paean to peace, others call it a violent mandate for worldwide Islamic supremacy. How can one book lead to such dramatically different conclusions? New York Times best-selling author Robert Spencer reveals the truth in The Complete Infidel's Guide to the Koran: not many Westerners know what's in the Koran because few have actually read it---even among the legions of politicians, diplomats, analysts, and editorial writers who vehemently insist that the Koran preaches tolerance. Now Spencer unveils the mysteries lying behind this powerful book, guiding listeners through the controversies surrounding the Koran's origins and its most contentious passages. Stripping out the obsolete debates, Spencer focuses on the Koran's decrees toward Jews, Christians, and other infidels, explaining how they were viewed in Muhammad's time, what they've supposedly done wrong, and, most important, what the Koran has in store for them.

©2009 Robert Spencer (P)2009 Tantor

Every Non-Muslim Should Read This Book

This is a very honest and balanced look at the reality that is Islam. And Islam is what it is because of the Koran. While the Koran is what it is because of the life, teachings and example of Mohammad, the founder and dictator of the Koran (he was illiterate and could not read or write).

The author, Robert Spence, is not quite as conservative as I am, but his research, explanations, opinions and conclusions are quite sound. He is very gracious toward the "moderate" Muslim while not yielding to Political Correctness or white-washing the very real problem of Jihadist Islam. He makes a clear case to prove that Jihad cannot be legitimately understood apart from Mohammad's war on the infidel and his call for his followers to follow suit, which explains the constant war (including that which has existed among the differing Islamic sects since the "wars of apostasy" after Mohammad's death) and bloodshed throughout the 1,400 year history of Islam.

The narrator, Lloyd James, is one of the best in the business. A very well-read, clear narration on his part put the icing on the cake for a 5 star rating of this audio book.

19 of 26 people found this review helpful

A Must Read

Refreshing in its complete absence of political correctness, this book illuminates the most pressing issue in contemporary times. I'm giving it as gifts to friends and politicians.

14 of 19 people found this review helpful

Not exactly what I was looking for

Choosing this book, I thought I was going to get insight into how Islam works for Muslims in helping them connect to God, with an in-depth look at the Koran in a manner that explains Koranic concepts to non-Mulsims. That was not exactly the case.

While this book is very much in-depth and meticulously written and soundly argued, there is very little about the spiritual or mystical aspects of Islam. It is very clear in its forward or preface that this is a cautionary book about the entrenched violence, disdain for the infidel and outright deception that is sactioned in the Koran. How Koranic verses are very clear and often repeated in their hatred of the infidel and how Muslims are compelled by the Koran to subdue all to Islam by sword or subjugation, not matter what.

I did appreciate learning about the Koran, its compilation, Muhammad and the 7th century environment in which Islam was first proselytized. Spencer hits on all the high points of concern for Christians and Jews, women and of course terrorism. He gives Koranic references constantly, including the commentary of the Hadith as well as many Muslim scholars and theologian's points of view on the Koranic verses. As well, there are interesting biographical elements to Muhammad's story here too.

So the book is extremely rich in knowledge. And for that I am thankful and enjoyed learning about Islam. But it was painful to wade through the basic tenant of the book, that infidels are in grave danger. What Spencer never squares is the fact that hundreds of millions of Muslims (22% of world population according to Wikipedia) live in peace throughout the world, with no intention of Jihad.

The final nail in the coffin is that in his conclusion, Spencer talks about the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who has alarmist views on Islam and has been often liked to a Nazi in his views on how to deal with Islam. If you are thinking of reading this book, just take a look at the titles of Spencer's other 12 books on Islam (I wish I did). You'll get the idea. If that's what you're looking for, then this book is for you. If you are looking for insight into the spiritual of Islam, best keep looking.

45 of 64 people found this review helpful

An 'Infidel' is the Muslim term for "Unbeliever"

If you are interested in learning more about Islam, albeit in a critical way, this book is worth a listen.

The "Infidel's Guide" points out a number of inconsistencies within the religion -- and-- its founder, as well as states the major tenets of the religion of Islam, and some common misperceptions. It gives a brief history of Islam, and states what Muslims consider holy about the book and its prophet, while the narrator states what he considers false about this religion from a Biblical perspective.

If you are a Christian wondering about the impact of Islam, and would like to learn more about this religion, and why it is a false religion, this book is also recommended.

As an aside, the tone of this book (as the title may suggest) is not one of respect for Islam or its founders, but seems to me to convey a transparency and frankness about the disparity between the two religions. The tone, seems to me, conveys one that is similar to how Muslims feel about Jews and Christians (many verses from the Koran are mentioned about this).

24 of 34 people found this review helpful

Indisputable facts

There are those who would shrink from the message in this book - that the Koran is not a religion of peace, that a major theme of Islam is to subjugate all those of a different religion. This book, mostly in tedious way, goes through the Koran in detail. It analyzes the many positions on the Koran, e.g. that sections of it (regarding killing infidels, for example) are read "out of context." It looks at the sections that are contradictory, or that are used to validate the claim that the Koran is just a book of wisdom. The Infide's Guide is somewhat dry and somewhat tedious, as it analyzes the positions and then cites the verses in the book that support or refute these claims.

No one can say that this book is a rant against Islam. That is what makes it so compelling. It is a scholarly, dry, and altogether horrifying look at what the Koran really says. You can't deny it, because the citations are there, and there are many.

This is a must-read for those who want to cut through the rhetoric and conflicting emotional appeals and learn the basic content of the Koran. While the author takes a clear editorial position, the only conclusion that this reader can make is that the editorial bent is driven by a criticial reading of the Koran.

The narration is adequate for the task.

31 of 45 people found this review helpful

A Must Read

All Christians should read this book. Americans will see how our government is lying to us.

8 of 12 people found this review helpful

Educational objective evaluation

If you could sum up The Complete Infidel's Guide to the Koran in three words, what would they be?

This book gave me the tools and information I needed to make an educated decision as to the nature and goals of Islam via its

9 of 14 people found this review helpful

We get it, you can stop.

The author droned on about the reason to hate this religion. Offering evidence from the Koran itself, I think a critical account like this can be said of most religious books.

5 of 8 people found this review helpful

Very interesting!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book was not quite what I expected but I was satisfied with the read. I would recommend it to any Infidel looking for more information on the Koran. Since reading this book I have read the Koran, and several other books about the Koran and the life of Mohamed. From these other reads I can say that author was unbiased and presented true information in the material covered. I think that in light of current world affairs this book would be good for every one to read.

9 of 15 people found this review helpful

Perpetuating Fear

This book is written by a known Islamophobe who can’t be bothered to analyze a historical text outside the lens of his own biases. The same arguments, that violence perpetrated in the name of religious doctrine, can be applied to other sacred texts, but that would only serve to contradict Spencer’s point.

8 of 14 people found this review helpful

Most insightful and honest book I own

this book helped answer so many questions rust i may never have found the honest answer to. So insightful and refreshingly truthful.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Well researched but no overall cohesion

This book has been we researched but it seems to jump around a lot. It doesn't give you a sense of the Quran as well as Bill Warner's books do. For instance text wise the Quran only makes up 14% of the overall body of Islamic texts. The rest is mostly the Hadiths and Sira. This book does not even mention that. watch Bill Warner's free videos on YouTube to get a better sense of the Quran.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Essential reading for non-Muslims and Muslims too.

Here you will find a lot of facts about the Quraan and Hadiths from someone who has studied the topic carefully. Even many nominal Muslims will not know some of the things in there which this audiobook demonstrates, but it clearly shows how the current wave of terrorists take their authority from these texts while those who say that what they do is not representative of Islam have a hard time proving so textually or use abrogated texts.

We need to know what we are really up against, especially our politicians whose cocktail of executive power in matters of immigration and funding combined with almost total ignorance of what the Quraan actually says are causing a real threat to the people paying their salaries, and their heirs for generations.

Drop your inverted prejudice and have the courage to find out the hard facts. I know it is not comfortable. Especially if Islam is your identity. But your duty to yourself is to address these things with an open mind.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Very insightful book

Really worth listening to and provides much insight into how counter productive extreme political correctness is in the face of radical Islam and how the western world refuses to tackle an obvious problem by hiding it's head in the sand.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Misconceptions about Islam dispelled.

We live in interesting times. It is essential to inform ourselves about the ideas that motivate those who wage war in the name of Islam. What ever your political views or your faith, I think you will gain a valuable insight from reading this book. A Muslim reader would particularly benefit from exploring the ideas put forward by the author.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Thorough coverage of the koran

Spencers trot through the Koran is highly informative although focused on Medina Muslim concepts. A worthwhile read for anyone interested in the theological underpinning of Jihad and misogyny

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Beat your wives gently.

What made the experience of listening to The Complete Infidel's Guide to the Koran the most enjoyable?

Interesting book well narrated.

What other book might you compare The Complete Infidel's Guide to the Koran to, and why?

The Complete Infidel's Guide to ISIS, by the same author. Reading both books is a good idea, as they compliment each other very well.

Have you listened to any of Lloyd James’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Don't think so no. He did an alright job.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This book never gets boring.

Any additional comments?

Obama and Tony Blair should read this.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

A Religion of Peace? No at all.

A well narrated piece, burrowing into the Koran and its unpleasant message for non believers...which is 'we hate you.'

Easily shown as a justification for Jihad

Would you consider the audio edition of The Complete Infidel's Guide to the Koran to be better than the print version?

Yes. I think I would not have stuck with it had this been in print. The Koran is very dissjointed and that makes this kind of subject hard to follow. Listening to it allowed me to stay the course...

What did you like best about this story?

The simple explanations of how the book is constructed and what is really behind the different sections of the Koran.

What about Lloyd James’s performance did you like?

Very smooth delivery of a difficult subject.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Koran - down with the infidels!..

Any additional comments?

Having now listened to this exlanation, it is clear that there are verses that preach hate to anyone non-muslim. However, it is nearly always young impressionable muslims that carry out these terrible attrocities, so the muslim community really need to deal with this problem.

Incitement to religious hatred

I write as a critic of Islam but can safely say that this book adds nothing but vitriol and demonisation to a complex and sensitive debate. Spencer advocates dis barring any Muslim person from entering the US on the grounds of faith. His is the binary Manicheasim of the moral absolutist, and, in his own way is a threat to peace.

12 of 33 people found this review helpful