The Koran (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Anonymous (Author), N. J. Dawood (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2000 | Series: Penguin Classics

Universally accepted by Muslims to be the infallible word of God as revealed to Mohammed by the Angel Gabriel nearly fourteen hundred years ago, the Koran still provides the rules of conduct fundamental to the Arab way of life.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Arabic

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. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics; 7th Revised edition (July 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140445587
• ISBN-13: 978-0140445589
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

186 of 199 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Important Read, July 14, 2003

By 

benjamin (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Koran (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

I had no real interest in Islam until 9/11, after which I picked up and read Islam: The Straigh Path by John Esposito. I then did an independent study of Sufism, which is what sparked my interest in Islam enough to read The Koran, its central text.

Although I cannot comment on the other reviewers' differing views on the accuracy of this translation, I can write that this translation does convey something of the thunderous power that Muhammad's earliest listeners must have heard and experienced when these suras (speeches - the Koran is a collection of 114 speeches given by Muhammad, which Muslims believe were revelations given to him by God) were first delivered.

There are a number of things that one could mention content-wise, as each sura deals with something slightly different. God, women, human relationships, one's relationship to the non-believing world, Judaism, Christianity, and Arabic paganism are all touched upon in the Koran (along with other topics). It reads much like the Bible at points, and many of the more familiar Biblical stories are here, along with extra-Biblical legends. The Koran really isn't a bizarre religious text, but very much belongs to the genealogy of monotheistic, prophetic writings.

One of the things that I really liked about this particular translation was the way that Dawood cross-referenced relevant Biblical texts from both the Tanak/Old Testament and the New Testament. The footnotes detailing Arabic pagan practice were also helpful, as were the footnotes giving basic historical information. One certainly gets a feel for where the Koran was coming from and who it was going to when it was first delivered.

In reading this, it is worth reflecting on how a passage can lend itself to multiple interpretations. There are very few passages in the Koran that make any mention of war, and far more passages that assert that one should leave judgment to God. Yet, in our own time, these passages on war seem to be used - in some circles, at least - far more often than the passages that counsel one to merely give warning and leave the rest to God.

I think that the Koran is worth reading, especially given the current socio-political climate and I found this particular translation to be helpful due to Dawood's many footnotes. Regardless of the translation you end up buying, at least check this one out as it will give you an important insight into the world of the early Muslims, which continues to shape our world today.

66 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A summary, not complete, August 18, 2006

By 

kelsie - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Koran (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

N.J. Dawood's translation has been held in high regard throughout the English speaking world (though not by English speaking MUSLIMS). It certainly achieves the translator's stated goal: to render the Koran in contemporary English. In comparison to Abdullah Y. Ali and especially Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, Dawood's translation flows easily and naturally, while retaining in some part the forcefulness of the original Arabic.

However, a key point missed by some who run across this book in the store is this: Dawood has heavily edited and OMITTED portions of the Koran that he felt were repetitious or unnecessarily lengthy. While that's fine for a general audience, completists and orthodox Muslims will be irked by the omission of parts of the text. In short, this is NOT a complete Koran.

That being said, the language and diction of this translation is certainly to be admired. Dawood's offering is clear and eminently readable. Although this book is inappropriate for any serious study of the Koran, it is more than adequate as a first Koran for the non-Muslim taking an interest in Islam.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Most Lucid and Accurate Available, June 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Koran (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Reviewers complaining of inaccuracies here are off base. For example, Dawood never translated 7:31 ("children of Adam") as "children of Allah." This is impossible, as one of Dawood's nice touches is that he has always translated Allah (correctly) as "God." (By the way, Yusuf Ali made this same wise choice in his translation, but the holier-than-thou revisers of his work who continue to publish it under his name have mucked up this & a whole lot else.)

Dawood's knowledge of Qur'anic Arabic is deep and subtle. As another reviewer has noted, a remarkable feature of his translation is how much it has improved over time (over the successive reeditions put out by Penguin). For this reason, definitely buy this book new. Usually, when translators go back and fiddle with their work, they make it worse. But Dawood's labor of love is evident in the gradual progress he has made towards the clearest and most accurate phrases and rhythms to capture the original.

Dawood does not put on a show by dressing his text with long, technical, or argumentative footnotes (as do many editions of the Qur'an). But his knowledge of traditional comment on the sacred text (and of philology) is the equal of any other translator's. Add to this, the fact that Dawood's English is graceful and limpid (moreso than the work of Arberry, Pickthall, et al.).

Why only four stars? I await the day that a philologically astute translation appears with proper annotations. Look at the study edition of the New Jerusalem Bible, or at the New Oxford Annotated Bible, and you will see what readers of the Qur'an (in English) are sorely lacking.