The Koran: Selected Suras

by Arthur Jeffery (Translator), Arthur Jeffrey (Translator)

The Koran is the sacred scripture of Islam, a collection of revelations that Mohammed, the Prophet, said he had received from God (through the angel Gabriel) in seventh-century Arabia. Mohammed preached these revelations in rhymed verses that comprised suras , or chapters. Shortly after his death, his followers published the suras as the Koran (an adaptation of a word meaning "scripture lesson"), which today is considered one of the great sacred books of the world. Deeply moralistic, full of passion and fervor, the suras deal with such topics as the omniscience and majesty of God, death and judgment, the proper conduct of the faithful, stories of previous prophets, kindness to orphans, and much more.
The complete Koran consists of 11 suras — arranged from longest to shortest — plus an opening prayer and two closing charms. The selections in the present volume were carefully chose to give a cross-section of the whole and to illustrate Mohammed's teaching as it developed from the rhapsodic style of his early Meccan period to the workaday legislative material of the Medinan period. This excellent English translation replaces the original verse form with accurate, highly readable prose, making a treasury of eternal wisdom from the Koran accessible to both the novice and the serious student.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

Reviews

[Megan Kiekel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn’t the Koran in its entirety, but is a compilation of suras meant to be representative of the Koran as a whole. Excellent way for students to familiarize themselves with Islam.

This is left over from one of my college courses (Peace and Conflict in Religion?). I like reading religious primary sources because I feel like it gives me a deeper understanding of the religion than just a description of the beliefs and rituals practiced.

I really loved the footnotes in this translation. It cleared up possible duel meanings in the text, explained translation choices, and discussed errors and controversies.

[Tommy Estlund · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing that I found absolutely remarkable about this read was how much in common there is between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.

There is more that connects us than separates us.

[Kathy Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

This only had selections. It was not bad as there are cultural cross references in the back so one can check with the Bible if they would like. It is interesting that Muhammad did not write anything himself and that these writings came later. If there is a prophet, someone is always commanded to be writing the words of God down for the faithful.

[Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I get lost in the pronouns. Repetitive. Allah appears abundant in judgement and lacking in grace. An educational read, but not satisfying.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the full Qur'an, but instead a collection of important passages. One particular surah, Al-Inshirah, caught my attention. "Have we not expanded for thee, o Mohammed, thy breast? And removed from thee thy burden of guilt? which was breaking thy back? And have we not raised for thee thy reputation? Now, verily, along with difficulty there and to thy lord make supplication" (Jeffery 70). This passage sheds some light onto Mohammed as a person. It is interesting to see the message from God pushing him to continue his work to promote the religion.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readability 4. Rating 6. A collection, with commentary, of approximately 65 of the 114 suras that make up the Koran. A fascinating collection emphasizing the rewards of belief and the risks of disbelief, sprinkled with instructive passages ranging from the vague to the precisely detailed and an agglomeration of Christian and Jewish teachings and legends, with the latter often taking new form as a result of "loss in translation" between Mohammed and his teachers. I just always felt that someone got him started on the idea of building his own religion -- "first you...then you...". But despite my amazement (or is that amusement?) it worked.