Customer Reviews

The Glorious Qur'an

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

 

 

Pickthall's translation is clear and easy to read, eschewing the flowery language common to translations of the Koran. Furthermore, it's fairly accurate, following the Koran line by line and balancing the need to make things make sense in English with the need to hold to the actual text. Reading other translations (Arberry comes to mind), I've had the impression that the author had decided to rewrite what many consider a holy book. As a practicing Muslim, Pickthall knew better and so produced the only translation I would recommend.

If you're looking for a translation that will help you understand the Qur'an, this is not the one for you. It's cheap and widely available, but can leave you with false impressions of what is basically a very difficult text for people who have not read the original Arabic. When I bought the Pickthall translation, I had no idea that which translation you got made any difference. It was my first introduction to Islam and I was surprised and disappointed by it. It was a perplexing book without much explanation and I couldn't see what the big deal was all about. Since then, I have spent years reading different translations, (including Arberry, which at least came closer than Pickthall to preserving the poetry of the Qur'an) until I finally found the Muhammad Asad translation and got the guidance I needed to understand this valuable treasure. If you're sincerely after an understanding of the Qur'an, either learn Arabic and read it (translations are not technically "The Qur'an"), or buy "The Message of the Qur'an, translated and explained by Muhammad Asad". I still have the Pickthall translation, mainly because I don't want to confuse anyone by giving it to them. But having gained a much deeper understanding of the Qur'an through the light of the Asad translation, I have to say that Pickthall's is miles from helpful for anyone who hasn't already developed an understanding of his subject. If you're going take the time to read a translation of the Qur'an, take care to get the best one.

The book arrived new as advertised, however, it arrived with the top front corners bent back. People stuffing the books into the envelopes should take care to insert them spine edge first.

The only reason Pickthall is still popular is due to its mass circulation in nations such as India, Pakistan, Indonesia and parts of Africa. Firstly he uses archaic language which does not make it easy for individuals to understand the themes and meaning of the Quran in a coherent fashion.

People "claim" that he is very much true to the Arabic of the Quran; that his is a very literal translation but lost in context. Well that is the point how can it be a "literal" translation when it is infact out of context in most places.

There is also an issue of a history with this translation, it has been edited more times than most other translations and not by the original translator (Pickthall) but other individuals.

Most Quranic translations have this humble claim that they are doing their best and they ask for forgiveness if there is indeed any error. That is the problem, most readers who rely on the English (first hand) may not even know if there are errors.

Not only is this translation subjective, nor has it been supported by historical explanations of the Quran and lastly most people consider it to be out of context where the translation is NOT substantiated for with explanatory material or evidence of why the translater chose to render certain controversial passages as he; (or now in the case of so many revisions, as "they") did.

This is actually not a bad translation of the Qur'an, but I really must recommend the version by Abdullah Yusuf Ali instead of this one. (Especially if you know Arabic; it makes a lot more sense and is much more poetic.) The truth is, Islam IS a religion of peace, but, like Christianity, it has been subjected to perversion and twisting for a wide array of very un-Islamic purposes. Also, there are a million different "flavors" of Islam... Sunni and Shi'a are just the beginning, and only the most militant sects preach the hate and rabid condemnation of gays, extramarital sex, and the basest human impulses (I would add, however, that the Bible and Torah do the exact same thing.) If there is any doubt in your mind that Islam is, at its base, a religion of peace and acceptance, read Rumi or Ibn 'Arabi. They're two Sufis with an incredibly loving message! Many of the things people condemn Islam for are not even Islamic traditions AT ALL (the wearing of the veil, FGM, honor killings, hijackings...) Those things were all adopted 200 years or more after the Prophet died, taken from Persian or Turkish or Mongolian or deep-dark-Africa tribes.

As a side note, just reading the Qur'an will NOT give you the whole picture of Islam. You must supplement that with Hadith (Sunna), Sira (the Prophet's biography), Tafsir (interpretations of the Qur'an), and real, unbiased history of the development of Islam.

(FYI, I'm not a Muslim, but I lived in the Middle East for almost 8 years and know a ton of really great Muslim Arabs.)

To the reader below, may I suggest that you have misunderstood the Qu'ran? Indeed, within it's pages are things you could learn from. For example, how about this:

"Those who were guided to gentle speech, indeed they were guided onto the path of the Glorious One."

-Qur'an, Al-Hajj, Surah 22:24

Alright...where do I begin?
Ah! --- THIS IS AMAZON.COM!!! This is where you buy things and then you may review the items that you bought NOT a religion the item may be related to...

I personally have not had the chance to read it yet, but I think the 'haters' out there have a really closed mind...sheesh, be more open, look at it in a different light, read an interpretation of it. Maybe try keeping in mind that the original text was revealed around 1400 years ago and in an Arabic that is out of date now. Plus, as close as this translation may be to the literal, we as people living 1400 years after this cannot relate to the way people spoke back then. They were less learned, however the Arabs, specifically the Muslims of the time were more learned than the rest of the world. Because of this, there are people who study a lot to be able to understand what it actually means. Before you degrade it, try getting in touch with someone who has more knowledge than you on the subject.

Honestly, I don't know what people are thinking now-a-days...they think they are licensced to critisize everything, whether they know anything or not...

Sorry to everyone else for this horrid review, which is not at all a review. Amazon should not be trashed this way.
The book is very cute and small. Listen to the people who have read it, though.

I promise I will write better reviews from now on (this is my first).

Before condemning the entire Arab world, try reading an interpretation of the Qur'an first. That might help you understand this religion a bit better. In addition, try reading something on the history of Islam and the three religions that sprang from the Middle East. I pity your ignorance, but fortunately, Amazon is here to help!

Seven years ago, I converted to Islam from being a Southern Baptist. I've seen people use every religion for peace and I've seen people use every religion for violence. (not the same people, obviously.) You should know that there is no true quran, except in its Arabic version. Anything else is approximation, but Pickthall does a good job in translating.

For those of you who cannot see the wonderful message in the quran, I refer you to verses 2:6-7:

"As for the disbelievers, whether thou warn them or thou warn them not it is one for them; they believe not.

Allah hath sealed their hearing and their hearts, and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be an awful doom."

Perhaps you have a covering over your eyes. If you can't understand it, it's because you've closed your heart to belief in the ONE God.