The Essential Koran: The Heart of Islam - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062501968 ISBN 13: 9780062501967

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1993

Synopsis

After Heraclius, Caesar of the Byzantine Empire, had captured Constantinople from the Persians in 628 C.E., he went to Jerusalem to thank God for his victory. In the ancient holy city, he received a most extraordinary letter from a land further to the East:
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. From Muhammad, slave and messenger of God, to Heraclius, ruler of Byzantium. Peace upon all who follow Guidance: I call you with the call to submission to God. Surrender to God, and you will be safe. Surrender to God, and God will give you a double reward. If you turn away, then the misdeeds of the peasants will be your fault. People of the Book, come to a Word common to both of us, that we worship only God.
Heraclius summoned a noble Arab to inquire about the author of this letter. Afterwards he declared, "I asked what he enjoins upon you, and you stated that he enjoins you to worship God, and not to associate anything with God, and not to worship the fetishes of your ancestors. And he enjoins you to pray, to give charity, to be chaste, to keep promises, and to fulfill trusts. This is the description of a Prophet. l knew he would appear, but I did not know he would be from among you."
Heraclius could not have known the profound impact this Prophet was to have. From an early community of Koran reciters surrounding Muhammad, Islam was soon to spread over vast distances, becoming one of the world's major religions.
For too long the realities of Islam and the Koran have been a mystery to the Christian West. In this brilliant rendition, Thomas Cleary distills the essence of the Koran, presenting primary teachings from the sacred Book in an accessible and illuminating manner. Cleary's notes on the spiritual language and psychology of the Koran reveal an astounding richness, subtlety, and depth in this extraordinary Book.

About this title

Review:

This collection of readings from the Quran is designed to help non-Muslim Westerners approach this sacred book and savor something of its amazing power through a selection of chapters and verses encapsulating some of its central ideas and essential beauties. A "rosary of readings and recitations," the excerpts chosen represent the "six aims" of the Quran (which range from knowledge of God to refutations of unbelievers' arguments), all of which point to the need for intelligent, considered faith in order for humans to come to a true knowledge of God. The selections, from hymns of praise to calls for compassion toward the most needy, reveal the majesty and poetry of this extraordinary text while illuminating its spiritual lessons. Cleary's graceful translation makes the ancient verses clear and accessible to the modern reader:

Worship nothing but God;
be good to your parents and relatives,
and to the orphan and the poor.
Speak nicely to people,
be constant in prayer,
and give charity.

The excellent linguistic notes, which Cleary calls an intrinsic part of the translation itself, amplify the meanings of untranslatable words through reference to their Arabic roots and related derivatives. The book is a first-rate introduction for non-Muslims both to the beauty of the Quran and to the core teachings of Islam, which have too often been misrepresented or misunderstood in the West. --Uma Kukathas

From the Back Cover:

The Essential Koran will be essential reading for all who seek the core of Islamic spirituality.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0062501968
• ISBN 13: 9780062501967
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 203
• Editor: Cleary Thomas F.