Product Description

The Koran is universally accepted by Muslims to be the infallible Word of God as first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel nearly fourteen hundred years ago. Its 114 chapters, or surahs, recount the narratives central to Muslim belief, and together they form one of the world's most influential prophetic works and a literary masterpiece in its own right. But above all, the Koran provides the rules of conduct that remain fundamental to the Muslim faith today: prayer, fasting, pilgrimage to Mecca and absolute faith in God.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #124815 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

About the Author
Born in Baghdad, N J Dawood came to England as an Iraq State Scholar and graduated from London University. His translation of the Tales from the Thousand and One Nights was first published as Penguin No.1001 in 1954 and has since been printed in eighteen various editions. He is best known for his translation of the Koran, the first in contemporary English idiom, which was published as a Penguin Classic in 1956.

Customer Reviews

The Most Easy to Read Translation
This book has changed by life. Although I had read the translation of the Holy Koran by various authors, but I have yet to come across a translation which is so easy to read and understand. We owe N.J. Dawood a great deal for translating the Holy Koran in such a magnificant form. This is so easy to read that even a child can understand the word of Allah. Islam is so simple and the Koran such a glorious book. This book has really enhanced my knowledge about Islam. The index is very detailed and one can easily look up any subject related with Islam. I would strongly recommend this translation to not only a Muslim but to anyone interested in knowing about Islam.

Simplified and unaldulterated
This is the most simple transalation of a very difficult book. The Quran is accepted as the revelations from God to Mohammed(PBUH) by all moslems. Without trying to tamper with the words, Mr Dawood has achieved something which is very hard to do. He has remained subjective in his task and God will reward him.

This is a misleading translation of the Qur'an
As a non Muslim studying the Koran I have been referring to several translations of the Koran and found this version to be a rather poor and misleading translation with no helpful commentary. Much better translations and commentaries are provided by Yusuf Ali and Muhammed Asad. The latter is a convert to Islam and therefore sensitive to the questions which might be posed by non muslims and those not familiar with the Muslim faith. I would not recommend this translation.