"Michael Calabria's The Language of the Taj Mahal is n important, unique and thoroughly engaging study of one of the Seven Wonders of the World attracts millions of Muslims and tourists every year. As its subtitle: Islam, Prayer and the Religion of Shah Jahan , indicates, while The Taj Mahal addresses the historical context, art and architecture of the Taj Mahal, its new and primary focus on its religious significance. Calabria masterfully investigates and explains how the personal faith and piety of Shah Jahan influenced its design and construction and how the extensive use of Qur'anic inscriptions reflect basic and core belief and teachings of the Quran and Islam in seventeenth century South Asia." -- John L. Esposito, Professor of Islamic Studies, Georgetown University, USA "Michael Calabria's The Language of the Taj Mahal is an invaluable contribution to the field of Islamic studies and to religious studies broadly. It offers a unique lens for studying expressions of Muslim faith and spirituality drawing on, as it does, a variety of disciplinary perspectives including art and architecture, history, and theology. Calabria sees the Taj not just as a "work of architecture but as text " (xii) which allows him to "read" the monument, thus discovering and then, based on meticulous research, explaining the significance of the mausoleum as a whole, as well as of the specific Qur'anic verses inscribed throughout the building complex. An important feature of this work is how it makes the key figures associated with the Taj come alive and facilitate our understanding of the time and place in which they lived.

In effect, Calabria engages in dialogue with the Taj. Even as he illustrates some of its visible (architectural, historical.) treasures, its hidden (spiritual, cultural.) gems become manifest in the process (and vice-versa), revealing the importance of considering the wider humanities context in religious studies." -- Irfan A. Omar, Marquette University, USA.