Perhaps, the most extensive treatment and pioneered work on tafsir al-Qur´an bi´l-Qur´an is that composed by Rudi Paret entitled Der Koran: Kommentar und Konkordanz. Paret´s 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, his Der Koran provides all identical or similar phraseology and usage in different places of the Qur´an, a model that will not be followed in this Qur´an cross-references project.

Instead, The Qur´an with Cross-References is based on connection between words, phrases, themes, concepts, events, and characters. One word may occur several times in the Qur´an, 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 Qur´an, at least in its printed edition, has not been cross-referenced.

The Qur´an with Cross-References is the first of its kind. The field has needed something like this, because in the existing Qur´an there is nothing to indicate that certain passages can shed light upon, clarify, or explain other passages.