The Qur'an: A New Translation [Paperback]

Thomas Cleary (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

This is a new and complete translation of the Qur'an -- the Muslim scripture -- by one of the premier translators of religious texts in the world. The meanings of this sacred text are rendered into the English language with subtle touches of poetry, allowing for the opportunity to fully understand the spirit and soul of the Qur'an. This direct and timely rendition is an essential source for the modern seeker.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas Cleary holds a PhD in East Asian languages and civilisations from Harvard University. He is the translator of many works including The Art of War, Awakening to the Tao, The Book of Five Rings, and The Wisdom of the Prophet: The Sayings of Muhammad. He lives in Oakland, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 310 pages
• Publisher: Starlatch, Llc (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 192969444X
• ISBN-13: 978-1929694440
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #334,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thomas Cleary is the preeminent translator of classic Eastern texts, including The Essential Tao, The Essential Confucius, The Secret of the Golden Flower, and the bestselling The Art of War.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, poetic translation, October 17, 2004

By 

Kamran Pasha (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Qur'an: A New Translation (Paperback)

Thomas Cleary has done a remarkable job of translating the Qur'an and retaining its lyrical sense. Although no translation can compare to the power and poetry of the original in Arabic, Cleary's effort is one of those that comes close. The one major flaw in this edition is the lack of commentary to place the verses in context. The Qur'an is not linear and jumps back and forth in time and space, which can be confusing to readers unfamiliar with its references. But still a commendable job and a fine translation!

The reviewer from Morocco below who writes a massive diatribe against the Qur'an, and faith in God in general, is clearly a frustrated pseudo-intellectual who thinks he can explain away the wonder and power of faith through a rambling dissertation on cognitive psychology. Considering he has posted EXACTLY the same review, word for word, about every edition of the Qur'an available on Amazon, it is apparent that he is not interested in reviewing individual works, just spewing emotional bile disguised as scholarship.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hits and Misses, October 28, 2005

By 

Michelle (U.S.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Qur'an: A New Translation (Paperback)

Contrary to the publishers and other reviewers, I don't feel that this translation -- though often beautiful -- captures the beauty and richness of the language of the original in any significantly unusual way; rather, it works hard at communicating its meaning in contemporary terms. The result, for me, is a highly readable text which occasionally appears a little too casual. As far as translations go, however, given a choice between this clarity and the difficult and stylized majestic speech reminiscent of many other english religious translations, I'd recommend this. The complete lack of commentary, however, is a tremendous deficit -- while this may not be important to someone familiar with the Qur'an, its structure, and in particular the context of its more controversial verses, for those who are seeking to introduce themselves to the text or to learn about Islam an annotated translation would be more appropriate (those of Ahmed Ali, M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, etc). Or, alternately, this could be read with a companion book such as "Understanding the Qur'an: Themes and Styles" or "Approaching the Qur'an."

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No commentary, March 13, 2006

By 

Jeffrey D. Joseph (Leesburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Qur'an: A New Translation (Paperback)

I would just like to add something to the other comments, that is, when they say no annotations, or commentary, they mean NONE. It is the Qu'ran translated into English. No index, footnotes, table of contents, nothing. Not complaining, mind you, and not commenting on the quality of the translation. But be prepared to find additional sources for explanations and commentary.