Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 224 pages
- Published by: HarperOne March 11, 1994
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0062501984
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0062501981
-
Book Dimensions:
8.1 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
- Weighs: 7 ounces
Product Review
This collection of readings from the Quran is designed to help non-Muslim Westerners approach this sacred book and savor something of its amazing power through a selection of chapters and verses encapsulating some of its central ideas and essential beauties. A "rosary of readings and recitations," the excerpts chosen represent the "six aims" of the Quran (which range from knowledge of God to refutations of unbelievers' arguments), all of which point to the need for intelligent, considered faith in order for humans to come to a true knowledge of God. The selections, from hymns of praise to calls for compassion toward the most needy, reveal the majesty and poetry of this extraordinary text while illuminating its spiritual lessons. Cleary's graceful translation makes the ancient verses clear and accessible to the modern reader:
Worship nothing but God;
be good to your parents and relatives,
and to the orphan and the poor.
Speak nicely to people,
be constant in prayer,
and give charity.
The great linguistic notes, which Cleary calls an intrinsic part of the translation itself, amplify the meanings of untranslatable words through reference to their Arabic roots and related derivatives. The book is a first-rate introduction for non-Muslims both to the beauty of the Quran and to the core teachings of Islam, which have too often been misrepresented or misunderstood in the West.
--Uma Kukathas
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
A guide to freeing ourselves from the inappropriate and crippling behaviors that sabotage our success.
Reader Reviews
This review is from: The Essential Koran (Hardcover)
In this continuation of the Essentials series, Thomas Cleary presents a basic introduction to the Koran. Koran (Qur'an, in some transliterations) literally means 'reading' or 'recitation'. According to Islamic tradition, the Koran is a spiritually revealed book, in the way Torah was revealed to Moses or the Gospel message was revealed to Jesus. Connecting to these earlier voices of the same God, the Koran also serves as a clarifier, a standard. The prophet Muhammad, born about year 570, orphaned early, led a fairly unremarkable life until about age 40, when he had a revelation, which his wife was perhaps first to recognise. This is a work in English; it is an article of faith among Muslims that the Koran cannot be truly translated into any language apart from the classical Arabic in which it was revealed. There is a fundamental difference between Arabic (or, more precisely, semitic) language and western languages. While all of the Koran is sacred for Muslims, there are portions which are more understandable and accessible to the Western reader; Cleary has assembled these together here. `Arabic, most precise and primitive of the Semitic languages, shows signs of being originally a constructed language. It is built up upon mathematical principles--a phenomenon not paralleled by any other language.' Given this view of the language, there are extensive notes throughout Cleary's translation to try to clarify some of the linguistic elements that are lost in translation. `In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful All praise belongs to God, Lord of all worlds, the Compassionate, the Merciful, Ruler of Judgment Day. It is You that we worship, and to You we appeal for help. Show us the straight way, the way of those You have graced, not of those on whom is Your wrath, nor of those who wander astray.' This is the opening of the Koran. The Koran and Islamic tradition holds that there have been 128,000 prophets, who have in their turn revealed 104 Books. The Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel and the Koran are the four most important books according to the Muslim point of view. Theologically, Islam is not exclusionist, and recognises the validity of revelation that has come before (even if not recognising that current practice retains the authority of that validity). As a priest, I recall the lines `People of the Book, do not go to excess in your religion, and do not say of God anything but truth.' The prophet Muhammad would get irritated if a prayer leader would stretch things out to the discomfort of the attenders. `The Messiah does not disdain to be a servant of God, and neither do the intimate angels. As for those who disdain the worship of God and who aggrandize themselves, God will gather all of them up.' In the search for pure truth, the Koran gives insight. `Say, "It is God, Unique, God the Ultimate. God does not reproduce and is not reproduced. And there is nothing at all equivalent to God."' Philosophy, history, sometimes confusing but mystically-deepening insights are all presented here. Cleary mostly allows the text of the Koran to stand for itself, without analysis, to allow the spirit to speak directly to the reader. More commentary and historical grounding for the non-Muslim reader would be nice Various parts of the Koran were revealed in different places, and Cleary takes account of this in his organisation. Also, headings allow one to follow lines of thought, but it sometimes takes some real study and meditation to figure out the connexions. Spend some time with these writings, and approach it with an open mind and heart, holding fast to your own beliefs, to see what new light might be shed upon them.
Search for books at
