Ali Akbar examines the works of four noted scholars of Fazlur Rahman (Pakistan), Abdolkarim Soroush (Iran), Muhammad Mujtahed Shabestari (Iran) and Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd (Egypt). His study shows that the consequences of taking a humanistic approach to understanding revelation are not confined to the realm of speculation about the relationship between God and humans, but also to interpreting Qur'anic socio-political precepts. The four scholars emerge as a distinctive group of Muslim thinkers who open up a new horizon in contemporary Islamic discourse.