Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations - Softcover

Sells, MIchael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1883991692 ISBN 13: 9781883991692

Publisher: White Cloud Press, 2007

Synopsis

Approaching the Qur’án is a major event in religious publishing. Professor Michael Sells has captured the complexity, power, and poetry of the early suras of the Qur’án, the sacred scripture of Islam. In this second edition, Sells introduces important new translations of suras and a new preface that addresses the ongoing controversy over teaching about Islam and the Qur’an in American universities. Approaching the Qur’án presents brilliant translations of the short, hymnic suras associated with the first revelations to the Prophet Muhammad. Most of these early revelations appear at the end of text and are commonly reached only by the most resolute reader of existing English translations. These suras contain some of the most powerful, prophetic and revelatory passages in religious history. They offer the vision of a meaningful and just life that anchors the religion of one-fifth of the world’s inhabitants. Approaching the Qur'án is enriched by inclusion of free downloadable audio recordings of Quranic reciters, allowing readers an opportunity to hear the Qur'án in its original form. The book includes Sells’ Introduction to the Qur’án, commentaries of the suras, a glossary of technical terms, and chapters discussing the sound nature and gender aspects of the Arabic text.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Sells PhD, is the John Henry Barrows Professor of Islamic History and Literature in the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. He is the author of seven books and over sixty articles. Most recently Sells co-edited and contributed to The New Crusades: Constructing the Muslim Enemy. He is also the founder and president of the Community of Bosnia Foundation, dedicated to supporting a multi-religious Bosnia-Herzegovinia.

From Library Journal

Despite the rapid growth of Islam in this country, its precepts and scripture remain inaccessible to many readers. It is difficult, too, that many of its believers assert that the Qur'an cannot be translated. This groundbreaking work by Haverford College professor Sells goes a very long way to bridging the gap that separates the non-Islamic reader from the Qur'an; he translates and extensively annotates a careful selection of the earliest "suras" (revelations), setting them in their cultural context. Further chapters discuss sound and gender in the meaning of the Qur'an, and the book includes an hour-long CD of extraordinary field recordings of male and female Qur'anic reciters. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: White Cloud Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1883991692
• ISBN 13: 9781883991692
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 236