The Koran (Penguin Classics) | 
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Product Description
A revised, updated translation of the Koran. The clear, fluent, authoritative English rendering of this holiest of Muslim texts preserves the characteristic flavor and rhythm of the original, following the sequence of the Koranic suras.
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Customer Reviews:
• One Of The Worst Translation Of The Qur'an Out There! 04 October, 2008
Do NOT buy this book, it is riddled with remarkably blatant changes to the Qur'anic text. One of the lighter changes is mutating the verse "...Oppression is worse than killing...", which is a verse in the Qur'an that signifies the need for man to be free physically and spiritually (man was born free by the will of G-d [Or "Allah"] and therefore it was his right to speak, live, think and express as he saw fit.) That verse is changed to "...Idolatry is worse than carnage."
This translation of the Qur'an is a fine example of demonazation of the religion.
If you truly wish to read the Qur'an I HIGHLY recommend "The Holy Qur'an", translated by: Yusef Ali. You can buy it on amazon in both paperback and hardback. You can also get it free from a mosque or freequran(dot)com.
There are wonderful sites that you can visit that can help you on a journey to understanding. The point is to build bridges between the interfaith community and middle-east/west.
understandingislam(dot)com
Islamicity(dot)com
islamonline(dot)net
May peace be upon all of you! :)
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2Z99XTRW9LSFH
• Is This A First-rate Translation? 12 July, 2008
The Penguin Classic translation of the Koran by Daewood differs considerably from other versions. In general, I would have to say that Daewood's version is (for American audiences, at least) somewhat harsher than most translations. Most notably, Daewood translates Sura 6 ("The Women") as recommending that a husband beat an "uppity" wife. Elsewhere, Mohammed seems to recommend extermination of Islam's enemies, including Jews. To be sure, there are other passages which ameliorate such injunctions, but for a non-Muslim, non-Arabic speaker, the issue is not so much whether Mohammed is right or wrong, but whether the Arabic original actually says what Daewood puts into English.
When I first looked into this book, I thought that Daewood was an English name, but apparently it is transliterated Arabic and Daewood is a Muslim. Hence, to the extent that the translation says thing which would make a modern non-Muslim cringe, one suspects that the translation is accurate. But of course "statement against interest" is a very weak reed upon which to base a conclusion about the accuracy of the translation. At least it is worth noting that Daewood's translation seems both more readable and more idiomatic than other versions of the Koran which I have browsed.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3KHEIT0FOMJZB
• Dawood Koran From Penguin Classics 13 February, 2008
OK, I have an Arabic speaking friend who criticizes all English translations of the Koran. Because Dawood wasn't available online, as are Pickthal, Shakir, and others, I bought a copy, and as far as translations go, it's probably as good as you're going to get in English. Yusuf Ali is *soft* in his rendering, and you're going to need supporting books like the Tafsirs, Hadiths, and Sira to get as much understanding of Mohammad as possible. Make no mistake, Islam is Mohammad and his belief system. Know the man behind the cloak of this religion, and you'll have a far better understanding of the images coming out of Islam on a daily basis. A Koran might be a gateway, but it will not bring you to understand Mohammad's character; that will be more clearly revealed by his Sunnah.
Good luck, and fasten your seatbelts; it's a very bumpy ride.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2A5Q98OEKR4NN
• A Readable Translation Of A Highly Significant Book 28 January, 2008
I am not an expert in Arabic, but I have read two different translations of the Koran, one by A. J. Arberry and the Penguin classic edition translated by N. J. Dawood. The Penguin edition is far superior in readability, although the basic teachings of the Koran can be recognized from either translation.
Most striking to me is how disjointed and random the teachings seem to be in comparison to the Bible (with which I am far more familiar). "Love your enemies" and "Turn the other cheek" from the Bible stand in contrast to the more militaristic tone of the Koran which encourages adherents to "Make war on them [the unbelievers] until idolatry shall cease and God's religion shall reign supreme" (The Spoils, 8:40; see also Prohibition, 66:9). Heaven is pictured as a place of sensuous delights designed especially for men, who "shall sit with bashful, dark-eyed virgins, as chaste as the sheltered eggs of ostriches" (The Ranks, 37:48). Although women have some protection and rights in the Koran, God has made men superior to women and given men permission to "beat them" (Women, 4:34 or 4:38 in other translations).
There are numerous allusions to people whose names appear also in the Bible, but always with a different slant. Abraham's significant son becomes Ishmael instead of Isaac, and Jesus is mentioned, but his relationship to God as the Son of God is denied (The Believers, 23:91). In stark contrast to the biblical emphasis on salvation by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9), the Koran teaches that salvation comes to those whose good deeds weigh heavy on the scales. Those whose deeds are light forfeit their souls and abide in Hell forever (The Believers, 23:104). In the Koran, the earth is created in two days instead of six. Revenge is acceptable. In divorce, he gets the children! Most disturbing, perhaps, are instructions on what to do with those who abandon Islam and have become disbelievers. "Do not befriend them," "Seize them and put them to death wherever you find them" (Women, 4:90). The Koran does, indeed, make for significant reading.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1WOYFEZE8LL1Y
• Out Of Order 11 June, 2008
The order of the chapters makes no sense...Sura 1 is burried in the middle...everything is upside-down and backwards. I wish I had bought a different version.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2IS1BTDQ6MGX
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