Customer Reviews

The Essential Koran: The Heart of Islam

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am a Muslim who has read several different English translations of the Qur'an; I find this one unmatched in articulation, beauty, and accessibility.

Cleary departs from the standard of English translations written in some funky Olde English style, and attempts to capture the rythms and eloquent poetic descriptions found only in the original Arabic.

The Qur'an is an extraordinary literary masterpiece; I have never seen an English translation even attempt to hint at revealing that essential appealing style.

The introduction to the book is thorough and a pleasure to read.

If you are tired of incomprehensible translations, I highly recommend this one.

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.

Perhaps a good book for those remotely interested in the Koran, but no use for classwork. And to those who have a yen for completion, it will be frustratingly incomplete. Its 202pp is a significant truncation, cf., Dawood's Penguin translation at 437pp. And these are a short 202pp, being written in a verse format leaving vast amounts of white on the right margin. So it's probably only 100pp or less of actual text. For an introduction, it may not be bad, but you can buy a 'real' complete Koran for less money -- which you will probably want to buy after reading Cleary in any event. I'd save myself the trouble and money (and perhaps some intellectual shame: imagine getting caught with 'Selected sections of the Bible') and purchase a complete translation. The Koran is important enough to read cover to cover, although, I must admit, this is a bit of a chore.

The most successful English translation of the Quran I have read so far. While any translation inevitably weakens the powerful imagery of an original language, Cleary's deep understanding of the Quran's language has allowed him to retain much more of the original Quran's meaning. I wish he'd translate the entire book!

I was so distressed by this translation of the Koran that I went to a scholarly Muslim friend--for I read no Arabic. He assured me I was right: "It's a terrible translation." The tone is inconsistent, the annotation hardly helpful, and the insistance on using "God's" instead of "His" annoying and clumsy. The device seems to be borrowed from PC Christians. I am sorry I am required to use it with my students.

At a little over two hundred ages this isn't meant to be a whole translation of the Quran. Selected surahs are translated and Cleary provides notes on them in the back of the book. As he also translates eastern religious texts many times he will provides parables from Buddhism within the notes. He has a very poetic and simple way of translating the surahs.

Thomas Cleary's "Essential Koran" is a great introduction to those who are vaguely familiar with the Quran. Cleary attempts to give the translation a poetic quality which is the essence of the original Arabic. Undoubtedly, the correct way to understand the essence of Quran is to learn Quranic Arabic.
Every translation has its shortcomings. However, Cleary's effort to simplify the translation of the Quran for the lay non-Muslim or lay Muslim is appreciated.

I've never read a version of the whole Qur'an so I wouldn't know how to compare it, but this version seems to be appropriate. It is helpful if someone wants to get a general idea of what is in the Qur'an. There is also an introduction explaining the Book's significance in light of current culture and events in the world.

If you want to look behind today's headlines, read this powerful translation of the Qur'an by a sensitive, spiritually-musical, artistic translator. His commentaries are especially helpful (he provides linguistic insights and compares passages with similar themes in other scriptures), which is why this book is helpful despite the fact that he now has a translation of the complete Qur'an available.

The chapters and verses in this volume of extracts from the Qur'an have been selected to introduce the non-Muslim reader to the essential wisdom, beauty and majesty of this sacred book. Thomas Cleary is the pre-eminent translator of Buddhist and Taoist texts, including The Essential Tao and The Essential Confucius. Cleary's Introduction here is absolutely the best introduction to Islam's holy book that you will anywhere! Worth it for the Introduction alone.

Teachers/Librarians: suitable for readers from the 7th grade - adult, social studies/humanities.