Review of The Alim published in Choice Magazine

Choice Magazine

ISL Software Corporation, 2037 Featherwood Street, Silver Spring, MD 20904, 1996, $169.00. 1 disc; 2 disks; user's manual, sytem requirements, MS-DOS; Windows 3.1 or higher; sound card necessary for spoken parts.

This CD is a marvelous reference and teaching program. It provides an Arabic Quran text with a beautiful recitation, a transliteration, two translations popular among English-speaking Muslims, and Maududi's introductions to each sura. It has - in translation only - Hadith text from Al- Bukhari, Malik, and selection from Muslim, a chronology, biographies of Muhammed's Companions, material on prayers, weddings, food and more. After a few minutes, users can maneuver back and forth from each feature to explore points of Islamic law and practice, pronouncements on ethical, ritual, and spiritual issues form Qur'an and Hadith, and Islamic history. Ease of access will make this a delight both for Muslims and for non-Muslim students of Islam. The Qur'an recitation can be set to continue regardless of whatever else is running, although it might be useful for some to be able to hear the recitation and display Arabic text, transliteration, and translation simultaneously. Searches are easy, and results can be printed or copied into a word processor. Scholars and professionals may want to check references in the original Arabic, not provided except for the Qur'an. This program can be profitably used by beginning and advanced students. General; undergraduate through professional.