The Koran: With Parallel Arabic Text (Penguin Classics)

N. J. Dawood’s masterful translation in a fully revised edition, with a parallel Arabic text

The Koran is universally accepted by Muslims to be the infallible word of God as first revealed to the prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel nearly fourteen hundred years ago. Its 114 chapters recount the narratives and rules of conduct central to Islamic belief, and together they form one of the world’s most influential prophetic works and a literary masterpiece in its own right. This newly revised edition of N. J. Dawood’s classic translation also includes the original Arabic in parallel text.

For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

N.J. Dawood founded The Arabic Advertising & Publishing Company in 1959, which is now one of the major producers of Arabic typesetting outside of the Middle East. He is best known for his translation of the Koran, the first in contemporary English, for the Penguin Classics in 1956. It has now sold over a million copies.