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William S. Burroughs vs. The Qur'an Paperback – April 17, 2012

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 21 ratings
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When Michael Muhammad Knight sets out to write the definitive biography of his “Anarcho-Sufi” hero and mentor, writer Peter Lamborn Wilson (aka Hakim Bey), he makes a startling discovery that changes everything. At the same time that he grows disillusioned with his idol, Knight finds that his own books have led to American Muslim youths making a countercultural idol of him, placing him on the same pedestal that he had given Wilson.

In an attempt to forge his own path, Knight pledges himself to an Iranian Sufi order that Wilson had almost joined, attempts to write the Great American Queer Islamo-Futurist Novel, and even creates his own mosque in the wilderness of West Virginia. He also employs the “cut-up” writing method of Bey’s friend, the late William S. Burroughs, to the Qur’an, subjecting Islam’s holiest scripture to literary experimentation.

William S. Burroughs vs. the Qur’an is the struggle of a hero-worshiper without heroes and the meeting of religious and artistic paths, the quest of a writer as spiritual seeker.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Catapult
  4. Publication date
    April 17, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.72 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1593764154
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1593764159
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Muhammad Knight is a novelist, essayist, journalist, and scholar. He converted to Islam at sixteen and traveled to Islamabad at seventeen to study at a madrasa. His books include The Taqwacores, Blue-Eyed Devil, Tripping with Allah: Islam, Drugs, and Writing, and Why I Am a Salafi. He is an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Catapult; Original edition (April 17, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1593764154
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1593764159
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.72 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 21 ratings

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
21 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Muslimhumanist
5.0 out of 5 stars A view beneath the curtain
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2012
Verified Purchase
Let me begin by saying that I am a huge fan of Mr. Knight's work. I have read his entire body of work and in my role as a college professor have taught several of his books. I just finished the first half of WSB vs. the Qur'an and couldn't put it down. It pulls back the curtain on a secret artistic and intellectual tradition linking American Islam, the "beats," and the counterculture in America and beyond with skill, passion and a deep emotional intelligence. And it is the most eloquent and poignant rumination on inter-generational relations between teachers and students, fathers and sons, masters and disciples I have ever read. I am leaving the computer now to read the second half. I'll send in a review of the whole book when I finish it. But I was so moved by "Book One" I felt the need to share this and quickly recommend it to others. Congratulations Mike on another fine book. Ya Ali and Ya Haqq!
5 people found this helpful
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C Jackson
3.0 out of 5 stars 3/5
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2017
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The book has some Great information on Hakim Bey/PLW and the Moorish Orthodox Church but where I find it lacks is the part about the young queer Muslim. That's an interesting story and I can get why he inserted it into the book but it feels a bit forced and awkward.
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Rachel Carter
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2012
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Michael Knight never fails to astound. Honest, real, and impressive scholarship. As a white, male Muslim convert who thinks for himself and supports living in the 21st, not the 7th century, Michael's work speaks tonme in a deep and meaningful way. Alhamdulilah and blessings upon you Michael, and congrats on another excellent work!
4 people found this helpful
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Willemina
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2016
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As a Jew that regularly practices Islam, this book has repeatedly challenged pre conceived notions I have about this beautiful religion, the contemporary community, and the authour himself.
One person found this helpful
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ed kirby
1.0 out of 5 stars should have been titled: "Mike Muhammad Knight vs. Peter Lamborn Wilson vs. Coherence"
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2013
Verified Purchase
Mike's disillusionment with one of his (living) heroes is understandable--and sad. But following the denouement, the remainder of the book is a slapdash consisting of an aborted novel, the author coming to grips with his father's legacy, and his still-unfullfilled obsession with the enigmatic W. D. Fard. The author's heart is pure: this book, however, is ratty, unprofessional, and, in the final run,--a let-down.
9 people found this helpful
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Tor SR. Thidesen
5.0 out of 5 stars A book neither about Burroughs nor the Qur'an, but a book about so much more.
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2013
William S. Burroughs v. The Qur'an isn't really about William Burroughs. Or the Qur'an.
The book is about Michael Muhammad Knight and Peter Lamborn Wilson. The former being unknown to me, the latter being a personal hero.
Wilson was also a hero to Knight at the beginning of this book, the project intended to be a biography of the anarchist-sufi thinker. The book contains some early editions of this would-be biography.
However, as Knight got closer to Wilson he realized the age old phrase, 'it's better not to meet your heroes'.
Aside from being a Sufi and brilliant anarchist thinker (the writer of the much praised T.A.Z manifesto and Pirate Utopias), Wilson is also a poet and fiction writer. He is also an active member of NAMBLA and has written several poems for NAMBLAs newsletter regarding an old mans love for young boys.
That Wilson is a pederast at best and a pedophile at worst is old news.
He seems to make to secret of this.
Knight knew this going in, but chose to ignore it, believing it to be rumors.
As Knight advances the rumors are confirmed and Knight metaphorically kills his father-figure - he abandons Wilson for good.

The true heart of this project is Knight and his own relationship to Islam and his father. The father who abandoned him early in life.

The book is written as a sublime contemporary piece of journalistic investigation, meaning we not only get the facts, but how Knight learned these facts. The latter being vital in contemporary journalism - making it easier for us to believe the facts but also for the writer to share the burden of any mistakes - and makes it a fascinating read.
Knight travels around, visits Wilson, Sufi-leaders, members of the 5 percenters and family members.
William Burroughs is only briefly mentioned, almost as a replacement for Wilson (thought Burroughs was also a admitted pederast himself).
I know I'm supposed to hate Wilson after reading this book, but I don't - he still is an important force in contemporary anarchism - but I also started to love Knight.
Knight's prose is flawless. Amidst self-hatred and insecurity and some hipster-posing there is a brilliant man. He is extremely intelligent and incredibly likable - as his search for meaning and God is proof of.

The last chapter is by far the greatest. Visiting his father's now abandoned cabin, sifting through his fathers notes. What he learns is almost a Hollywood story. But I wont spoil it.
He reminisces about lost time, understands that his father was just a man after all, and starts to see his quest for Allah and true meaning for what it really is, something to cover the void.

I was moved, touched and educated by this book. I learned a lot about Wilson despite Knight making Wilson persona non grata. I learned a lot about Sufism and Islam.
This book is a must for any Islam, Sufi, religion or Wilson-follower.
Knight threads a fine line between following an ancient religion and respecting it, while being a renegade and iconoclast.
The personal touch is sublime and touching when he wants it to be, and the history lessons and speculations are a brilliant example of making history come alive.
2 people found this helpful
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Rashid
3.0 out of 5 stars Not nearly as good as the rest
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2017
Verified Purchase
Huge fan of Michael Muhammad Knight, so this was fun. If you aren't a fan, don't pick it up. If you are, know that this is more about Knight than Islam
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Indigenous History
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2012
Michael Muhammad Knight succeeds in doing exactly what he wants: providing his readership with a wonderful piece of blending his personal experiences with his attempts at writing two separate works. It fits nicely with his other nonfiction work from "Impossible Man" to "Blue-Eyed Devil" to "Journey to the End of Islam" - he writes extremely readable prose and commentary and weaves complex theological as well as social questions in his attempt to find his place within (or without) the fold of Islam. "WSB vs. The Qur'an" continues his discussions of The Five Percenters, The Moorish Science Temple of America, and Sufi Saints like Ibn Arabi. I would recommend it to anyone, period.
3 people found this helpful
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