Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47075 in Books
• Published on: 1998-06-18
• Original language: Arabic
• Binding: Paperback
• 688 pages

Customer Reviews

Among the best 2
Arberry is a skilled linguist and has an exceptionally intricate and majestic command of the English language which he uses to stunning effect in attempting to capture the hauntingly evocative nature of this mysterious book.

Take for instance, the following verse

81:15-18:

"No! I swear by the slinkers, the runners, the sinkers, by the night swarming, by the dawn sighing..."

Verse renderings such as this give a glimpse of the awesome litany of style and cadence found in the Arabic recitation of the Quran. You will not get such a high quality reflection of the original Arabic in any other translation. Moreover, the translation doesn't take liberties with the text - it doesn't attempt to overly merge the process of translation and interpretation - it always tries to strike at the heart of the verse without embellishing it with qualifications and other conceptual nuances. Thankfully, it also spares you of tedious footnotes with Shakesperean analogies as the Yusuf Ali translation so infuriatingly does.

It's slightly better than the other excellent translation, that of Marmaduke Pikthall. Buy the Pickthall version if you want a tamer rendering of the verses. However, i reckon this is the best by far.

In terms of the substance of this book - yes it's repetitive and at times, slightly boring. However, you must bear in mind that the bulk of the Quran is a collection of short-term solutions to appease, inspire and incite a bunch of local Arabs. This is the most plausible explanation for its slow and disjointed construction over two decades.

Muhammad capriciously plucked out revelations from the air to denounce opponents and arouse his followers into a frenzy, the lowly stamp of the Quran's origins can be witnessed in petty personal attacks on Mo's enemies such as Waleed Al-Mughira, Al Akhnas, Abu Lahab and Abu Jahl. Such nasty vitriol finds its way into the Quran and beggs the question, "would God stoop so low?"

The most compelling proof of Muhammad's whimsical versifying is a passage in the Quran devoted to chastising his bickering wives. Others include verses deeming it proper for him to marry his adopted son's ex-wife and making it O.K for his troops to have intercourse with enslaved women captured as booty.

We are told in surah Nisa (Women) that the marriges of heathen women become null and void upon capture by Jihadists, thereby making for a chilling free for all. This, of course in addition to the wide eyed, fair skinned virginal maidens offered to the martyr in heaven. The grotesque catering to the baser fantasies of the ancient warrior-male is horribly all-too evident.

Again, ask yourself....would God, in His majesty stoop so low so as to devote himself to inciting free-booting, slavery, rape and murder while resolving the polygamous wife-troubles of an Arab man?

By now it should be clear that the Quran is NOT the word of God, it is beneath the dignity of any God worth worshipping.

Another clue to the garbled and rambling nature of the Quran is that it is'nt a discursive text but is rather a liturgical and evocative recitation that serves as part of the devotional aspect of the Islamic discipline. The quran is often read by Muslims in a candle-lit corner of a room accompanied by burning incense and recited in a hymn-like prayerful way rather than a bookish academic manner.

When it comes to the ugly non-PC stuff this book, although often appaling, is actually quite tame in comparision with the Bible and doesn't openly espouse death and pillage as much as you might suspect. Also, unlike the Bible there are'nt many references to sex and 'whoredom'. O.K, it does mention hell a lot and makes constant references to bad, unbelieving people burning away. However when you view this in the broader context of the narrative, you'll see that Muhammad tries to portray Allah as a force of inspiration and mercy than of wrath. The main theme of the book's message to the reader is to guard against 'heedlessness' that'll blind you from your date with destiny and your meeting with God.


Who should buy this book?

If you've never read the Quran before and just want to skim through it quickly so that you can get an inkling as to what the fuss is all about, then don't buy this book. Get the Thomas Cleary translation instead.

If you're serious about reading the Quran in stylish detail and finding out more about it - then get this book.

A somewhat challenging 'Classical' translation
While a discussion of the various merits and demerits of the content of a religious text is highly inappropriate for an Amazon review, there is scope for commenting on the quality of the translation.
I bought this book unseen having flicked through the Penguin Classics version and was somewhat disappointed. The Penguin version is (for someone with no prior Koranic knowledge such as myself) an engaging and accessible translation which expresses the text in contemporary (but not colloquial) English.
By contrast, and despite assurances by the translator that he attempted to avoid the 'Biblical' style translations of many of his predecessors, this Oxford World's Classics version is translated into rather dry and laborious language which can confuse and seems bereft of the nuances that one expects were present in the original Arabic.
This is not altogether surprising in as much as the translation itself is some 50 years old, and so both the target audience and the approach to translation might well have been expected to have changed. Nevertheless, it does not make for as easy a read as one could have hoped (even for a religious text). I would recommend the Penguin Classic version over this one and will probably buy it myself as a replacement for this edition.

The Koran
In response to the last review (J M LILLEY) - If you (like many of us) are trying to disentangle the warped views of Islam you have been presented by western media you should also consider getting a modern text that deals specifically with that. Try "Islam (Teach Yourself World Faiths S.)". Then maybe you'll be able to approach The Koran with a clearer/more open mind. Worked for me.