The Essential Koran

If you want to look behind today's headlines, read this powerful translation of the Qur'an by a sensitive, spiritually-musical, artistic translator. His commentaries are especially helpful (he provides linguistic insights and compares passages with similar themes in other scriptures), which is why this book is helpful despite the fact that he now has a translation of the complete Qur'an available.

At a little over two hundred ages this isn't meant to be a whole translation of the Quran. Selected surahs are translated and Cleary provides notes on them in the back of the book. As he also translates eastern religious texts many times he will provides parables from Buddhism within the notes. He has a very poetic and simple way of translating the surahs.

Thomas Cleary's "Essential Koran" is a great introduction to those who are vaguely familiar with the Quran. Cleary attempts to give the translation a poetic quality which is the essence of the original Arabic. Undoubtedly, the correct way to understand the essence of Quran is to learn Quranic Arabic.Every translation has its shortcomings. However, Cleary's effort to simplify the translation of the Quran for the lay non-Muslim or lay Muslim is appreciated.

I am a Muslim who has read several different English translations of the Qur'an; I find this one unmatched in articulation, beauty, and accessibility.Cleary departs from the standard of English translations written in some funky Olde English style, and attempts to capture the rythms and eloquent poetic descriptions found only in the original Arabic. The Qur'an is an extraordinary literary masterpiece; I have never seen an English translation even attempt to hint at revealing that essential appealing style.The introduction to the book is thorough and a pleasure to read. If you are tired of incomprehensible translations, I highly recommend this one.

The most successful English translation of the Quran I have read so far. While any translation inevitably weakens the powerful imagery of an original language, Cleary's deep understanding of the Quran's language has allowed him to retain much more of the original Quran's meaning. I wish he'd translate the entire book!