The Quran with Cross-References provides for nearly every verse in the Quran a selection of other verses which shed light upon, clarify, or explain the verse you are reading. The Quran in its printed edition has not yet been cross-referenced, despite the fact thatQuran commentators realized quite early on the central importance oftafsr al-Qurn bil-Qurn(interpreting the Quran through the Quran itself). Even some modern Muslim exegetes claim to follow this method. However, the cross-references they provided are very limited.
Perhaps, the most extensive treatment and pioneered work ontafsr al-Qurn bil-Qurnis that composed by Rudi Paret entitledDer Koran: Kommentar und Konkordanz.Parets work is certainly very rich, which includes in addition to possible cross-references interpretations of and alternate renderings for a given verse or passage. Furthermore, as the term "Konkordanz" may indicate, hisDer Koranprovides all identical or similar phraseology and usage in different places of the Quran, a model that will not be followed in this Quran cross-references project.
Instead, The Quran with Cross-References is based on connection between words, phrases, themes, concepts, events, and characters. One word may occur several times in the Quran, but the cross references will be made only where there is connection in meaning between two or more verses or passages. In preparing this cross-references project, several models and methods used for the cross-references of the Bible are consulted. As is well-known, Bible cross-references have been a long-established tradition, while the Quran, at least in its printed edition, has not been cross-referenced.
The Quran with Cross-References is the first of its kind. The field has needed something like this, because in the existing Quran there is nothing to indicate that certain passages can shed light upon, clarify, or explain other passages.