The Koran Interpreted: A Translation [Paperback]

A. J. Arberry (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 11, 1996

No other book ever written, with the possible exception of the Bible, has so dramatically influenced the course of civilization as the Koran. Yet this important text remains little understood in the West. Since its first publication in 1955, Professor A.J. Arberry's translation has been the finest one available, its magnificently written verse making the Koran accessible to a Western audience. Professor Arberry has rendered the Koran into clear and lyrical English while carefully preserving the incomparable artistry of the Arabic original. "The Koran Interpreted" is universally recognized as not only the most authoritative translation but also the most beautiful one in the English language.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arthur John Arberry, as Head of the Department of Classics at Cairo University, acquired a firsthand knowledge of literary and social conditions in the Islamic Middle East. Between 1947 and 1969 he served as Sir Thomas Adams Professor of Arabic at Cambridge University. He published some twenty books in Islamic studies during his lifetime, many dealing with mysticism and poetry. Professor Arberry died in England in 1969.

Product Details

• Paperback: 708 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; 1 edition (December 11, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684825074
• ISBN-13: 978-0684825076
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Quran
  • #75 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Islam

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Worthy of Reading in English, February 4, 2006

By 

Plotinus - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Koran Interpreted: A Translation (Paperback)

If someone wants to read a version of the Koran in English, s/he ought to read one that has some literary qualities, and reads like a book ought to, rather than some kind of reference text full of odd punctuation, awkward and unusual expressions, brackets etc. To be sure, no one can give us a translation into English that will capture every nuance or connotation of the original Arabic, and no amount of bracketed dictionary entries inserted next to words will really help. These kinds of things detract more from the reading than add to it. I am very dismayed by the awkwardness of many of the other translations available for us, including that of Yusuf Ali, whose popular work, while praised for it accuracy, leaves a lot to be desired in the realm of style, enjoyment and ease of understanding.
Arberry's work, however, is simple, direct, formal and hits a mid-point between poetry and prose; in other words, tries as much as possible to present the Koran for English speakers the way the Koran would have functioned for listeners of Arabic.
To enhance the clarity of the translation, Arberry distinguishes between the second person plural and second person singular by making use of the word 'thou' and its accompanying grammar for the singular. This distinction is critical for determining when God is speaking about others and when He is speaking to the Prophet directly. This is surely the only sensible way to render the distinction, in a translation that wishes itself to be readable. Arberry does not use any other archaic words, such as 'ye' or archaic grammar such as 'he hath', but uses fully modern English throughout.
It should be noted that people who are bilingual and have actually taken the time to read through Arberry's translation have found it to be very accurate.
The fact that Arberry has no religious axe to grind makes the translation more reliable than the many sectarian translations put out more for the sake of publicizing particular beliefs than for the sake of producing accurate, well-written texts.
The educational value of this book is far greater than that of the awkward translations, since it presents a style worthy of emulation rather than one unnatural or strange.
Reading a good translation such as this one can help us not only gain wisdom, but also articulate this wisdom for others. The Koran is a work of divine rhetoric, and the more we can apply its lessons into our own lives and language, the more useful it will be for us.
I encourage you to read this translation above all others, if English is your native tongue.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the best and most faithful, August 28, 2006

By 

kelsie - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Koran Interpreted: A Translation (Paperback)

A.J. Arberry's translation of the Koran has taken pre-eminence among religious and world literature scholars. Although Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation of the Koran has pride of place in many English-speaking Islamic households, Arberry's work above all others renders the Koranic language in suitably appropriate, easily-comprehended, English.

Unlike any other translation before or since, Arberry's work adheres closely to the original Arabic syntax, meaning that this translation can easily be used in tandem with a recitation in Arabic of the Koran. Arberry's language is striking and beautiful, comparable to more recent offerings from N.J. Dawood and Thomas Cleary. Note, for example, the striking immediacy and rhythmic flow of this passage:

"He is God;
the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper.
To Him belong the Names Most Beautiful.
All that is in the heavens and the earth magnifies Him;
He is the All-mighty, the All-wise."
(Surah 59 'Hashr' v. 24)

Arberry eschews the Elizabethan intricacies of Abdullah Y. Ali and the reader will not find themselves fighting a river of parenthetical entries, as are found in Muhammad Asad and the infamous "Wahhabi Koran" of Muhammad Muhsin Khan.

All that being said, there are problems with the presentation of the translation. The verses are not numbered individually, although the paragraphing on each page helps in determining where verse divisions are. Arberry opts to adjust the layout of the text in accordance with the action or commands in the words themselves. This is a unique approach, but does tend to make difficulties for the reader hunting down a particular verse. Also, especially in the longer chapters ('Baqara' and 'Imran'), the numbering of the verses is off by about four.

The introductions to the two sections of the volume are fine discourses from the translator on the actual act of translating this book, but don't offer the first-time reader any introduction to the Koran itself--what it is, the purpose it serves, etc. There are also no footnotes at all in the text.

Overall, Arberry's work is a magnificent achievement, but one that is more suitable to the scholar than the casual reader. He is especially useful as a second Koran (with Oxford's Abdel Haleem offering being the first) or as a reference in English for one studying either the original text itself or the recitation of the Koran. For sure, Arberry's work belongs on the bookshelf of all who are interested in digging deeper into Islam, the Koran, or the great works of world literature.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Poetic, but not Explanatory, January 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Koran Interpreted: A Translation (Paperback)

If you want to pick up a copy of the Qur'an to learn about Islam, this is not the book to get. It is the only interpretation (Muslims do not accept that the Qur'an can be translated) that tries to keep the poetic, grand, glittering, rhythmical and rhetorical flavor of the Qur'an, but the text is not terribly accessible and there are no footnotes to explain anything.

If you want to just get a flavor for what the Qur'an reads like, this is good, and the preface is enlightening. ...For sheer poetry, Arberry's text gets five stars, but I gave it four because of the total lack of explanation.