The Devotional Qur’an: Beloved Surahs and Verses

by Shawkat M. Toorawa (translator)

A beautifully curated and translated collection of the Qur’anic surahs and verses that are most cherished and memorized by Muslims the world over
 
Muslim devotional practices vary greatly over time and across regions, communities, and denominations, but they share core Qur’anic surahs (chapters) and verses rooted in the practice of earlier figures—the Prophet Muhammad, his closest Companions, the Shiite Imams, saintly figures, learned scholars, Sufi masters, local imams and religious teachers, forebears, and parents.
 
This volume is the first to present a curated English translation of these core passages, offering a powerful distillation of the recitational tradition that is at the heart of Muslim faith and practice. In these translations of thirty-two surahs and some forty verses, Shawkat M. Toorawa gives attention to rhythm, assonance, and end rhyme, as well as to the musicality and emotional force of the original Arabic. He organizes the selections according to devotional use and in approximately the order in which Muslims typically encounter, recite, and memorize them. Toorawa also explains the place and role of the surah, verse, or passage in Muslim devotional practice.
 
This book is for anyone interested in the Qur’an, its aesthetic qualities, and its place in Muslim devotion, including any Muslims seeking a sensitive English translation of these essential surahs and verses.

Genres: Islam

208 pages, Hardcover

Published May 7, 2024

About the author

Shawkat is Associate Professor of Arabic Literature at Cornell University. His research interests include literary aspects of the Qur’an, the literature of ninth- and tenth-century Baghdad, modern poetry, and Arabic belles-lettres in South Asia in the 18th century. During his fellowship in 2016-2017, he will be editing and translating the Shifā’ al-‘alīl of Āzad BIlgrāmī (d. 1200/1786).

Reviews

[Fredore Praltsa]

From Surah Kahf:

Some said, Wall them up—Let their Lord take care of them! But others prevailed, Let's build a house of worship about their company.

From Surah Yā Sīn:

And the night is a sign for them: We strip the Day from it, and suddenly they are in darkness ... And We have apportioned phases for the Moon, until it wanes like a spike of dates, withered and sapless.

[Mynti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Respectable translation and interesting high-level information on how surahs and ayahs are used in devotional practice, but lacking in necessary citations, footnotes, and explanation to communicate the legitimacy of how certain words are translated and how and why certain surahs and ayahs are used in devotional practice. Simply notes differences in practice across cultures and religious sects, but doesn’t provide adequate explanation.

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a joint project between two of my favorite professors so I'm automatically invested. A VERY interesting (and occasionally controversial) translation project!