The Essential Koran

by Thomas Cleary (Translator)

Book by

Genres: Religion, Philosophy, Islam, Nonfiction, History, Reference, Spirituality

203 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1993

About the author

Dr. Thomas Francis Cleary, Ph.D. (East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University; J.D., Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley), was a prolific translator of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Muslim classics, with a particular emphasis on popular translations of Mahāyāna works relevant to the Chan, Zen, and Soen systems.

Reviews

[Lmlgriffithsgmail.com · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many years ago, this was the very first book that I read as an introduction to the Qur'an. In fact, it may have been responsible for leading me to study the Qur'an in much more detail in the following ten years, so in this sense it may have achieved its aim.

The style of language is indeed quite different from the various mainstream translations out there; the language is much more brief and terse. The style may well have been influenced by Cleary's deep interest in Taoist and Buddhist literature - or it may be a welcome attempt to reflect the brevity and terseness of the Arabic original, which can easily be lost in the more wordy English translations (especially those which ape the Elizabethan style of the KJV). The style is refreshing but in some parts the accuracy is suspect to say the least (and regrettably, I'm left wondering whether this is deliberately so).

But beware; the "selection of readings" really is only a small portion of the Qur'an. He has selected a number of verses from each Surah, and omitted some Surahs entirely. This is understandable as the book is meant to be an initial introduction to the Qur'an, but there is no doubt that the verses that have been selected are those that will sound most innocuous or agreeable to Western ears. They are in no way representative of the whole text (which you might assume like I did, if you knew no better). The selections are heavily skewed towards the early Makkan period; these verses have a very different style and impact to the majority of the Qur'anic text.

Immediately after reading Cleary's book, I went on to read two full translations of the Qur'an and I have to admit I had the feeling that I'd been "lied to" or "mislead" (I hesitate to use those words, but it's the very strong feeling I got at the time). It's easy to suspect that Cleary had an agenda other than providing a balanced selection of verses that would give a flavour of the whole Qur'an. Since that time, I studied Arabic, which led me to be particularly suspicious of parts of Cleary's translations.

The lengthy introduction is useful for beginners - it will undoubtedly give you a desire to find out more. The introduction is well worth reading but should be taken with a large pinch of salt. Cleary is firmly in the camp of the "occidental apologist". He is clearly trying to represent the religion and its main text in the most favourable and least controversial way possible, which could be dangerous considering the typical reader will be a naive Westerner with little prior knowledge of Islam.

Reading a handful of the most recent reviews of this book, I can see that his disingenuous treatment of the text has indeed misled some. I've rated the book 3 stars strictly on the understanding that much more detailed works should be studied after - taken on it's own, this work could actually be positively dangerous.

Overall I WOULD cautiously recommend this book to someone who currently knows little about the subject and wants a primer. But it is strongly recommended that you invest the time in reading a FULL translation of the Qur'an soon afterwards, and find out about Islam from varied sources. Be prepared that it might not be quite what you're expecting on the back of Cleary's work.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew this is what the Koran is like? I'm sure that some of the more unpleasant and misinterpreted parts of it were excised to put this collection together, but it seems to be a very good intro to something I knew very little about.

I was particularly surprised that it says things like "there is to be no compulsion in religion," Jews and Christians can be good Muslims, too, and God is a non-physical, infinite being. It even says that much of its own text is intentionally metaphorical, and I like the fact that the pronoun used to describe God shifts from "we" to "I" to "he" to really emphasize the incorporeality of the concept.

[Hans]

Had to clear out any preconceptions I had of the Koran and remain open to finding out why this book has spoken to so many millions of people.

Immediately the theme that jumped out to me was that of preventing the “alienation from the divine”. Essentially elaborating on the dangers of divine alienation for humanity the Koran is a call to always remember the divine. I found this theme intriguing because it helped to contextualize why fundamentalist Islam dislikes materialism and secularism seeing both as significant existential threats equivalent to humanity losing their collective soul. This remembrance is crucial for remaining connected to the roots of our being and fundamentally who and what we are.

Since the Koran is meant to be recited out-loud I wish I could listen to it chanted in Arabic and actually understand it so I could experience the poetic aspect of it.

[Helynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is holy scripture revered by Muslim people the world over for centuries, and it would be illogical not to give this book its five-star due. I have heard that the Koran loses some of its original verve when read in English translation, but I was nevertheless impressed with the beauty and eloquence of its translated prose. The Koran is neither long, cumbersome, nor difficult to read. I would compare it in length to the New Testament. I was surprised that so much of the Koran embraces the stories of the Old Testament from the Adam and Eve story through Moses, Daniel, Jonah, etc., The main emphasis of these scriptures is that people should worship and honor God (Allah)and keep His commandments, because those who are faithful will receive rewards in the afterlife and those who are not faithful will be punished for eternity. There are also parts of the Koran that state that Islam recognizes Jesus as a respected prophet (though not divine) and that the Bible and Torah are also respected as holy word. The parts of the Koran that differ significantly from the Bible are those that concern women. For example, the Koran states that a man may take up to four wives (but it cautions men that they must treat all wives equally, and if this is not possible, a man should not enter into polgamy). There are also strict laws about sexual activity, divorce, remarriage, inheritance, etc., that do indeed show a double standard that favors men over women. For example, the punishment for fornication or adultery is much more harsh for women than it is for men. Interestingly, the Koran says nothing about women being obligated to veil their faces or even their heads. It states only that both men and women should be modestly dressed. (The laws that mandate the veil for women came later from later cultural interpretations and prejudices). I would recommend the reading of this piece of holy scripture). One need not be Muslim, Jewish, Christian, or in any way religious to appreciate the finer points of its spirtual message.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unscholarly, but gets a star for PR

Having read Cleary's translation of various Taoist works, this book doesn't totally surprise me, though it does somewhat surprise me that he's even more "in the tank" for Islam than for Taoism or Buddhism.

Essentially, this is a gloss on the Quran that tries to make it, and Islam, part of Huxley's "perennial philosophy." As such, yes, a Sufi, or a liberal non-Sufi Sunni, might indeed like it. (Funny that Shi'ites aren't even mentioned in the introduction.)

That said, it's not all bad. Contra right and far-right Christians who want to stereotype all Muslims based on a portion of them, it does give some PR to Islam that's not totally inaccurate.

Contra Christians, it's wrong for other reasons, though.

Claims of the ineffability, or whatever, of Arabic for wariness of translations of the Quran are bogus. (Amazon might hold up the review if I spoke more bluntly.)

Many Jews got over similar attachments to Hebrew. (And, as a Hebrew reader, his comparison of Arabic to Hebrew in this way is both laughable and insulting.) Christians never got attached to Greek in this way.

Rather, if Arabic really is that ineffable, the logical answer is that the Quran should never have been put in written form. And, there's precedent of sort. The Brahmans of pre-Hinduism kept the Vedic Hymns oral-only for centuries.

[Mehmed Gokcel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4, not 5 stars because I thought it could have more notes on the historical context of the verses. However, it does what it says it will do by just brushing the surface of the Qu'ran with selected verses. I was particularly fond of the unusual format that was used to present the verses. They were broken up into clauses and written like a poem. When read out loud - as the translator suggests - the verses have a very powerful effect on the reader. Overall, I would recommend this version to beginners who are looking for an introduction to the Qu'ran.

[Lauren Monsey Nagel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is very interesting to read so far and absolutely not in any way close to what I expected it to be.

[Joe]

This is an impossible book to rate as it is a translation of a religous book. The first was written to clarify the bible and this book was written to attempt to say in English what its object said in Arabic language.

Unable to read the underlying religious book, I can only assume that translation is accurate until being advised otherwise,

I did learn that this book came to be a clarification of the Bible, the Torah , the Gospels and previous religious writings.It is a result from the experience of the prophet Mohammed. I did expect to find violence in the book, but their is little reference to same and its theme is forgiveness. The books it is meant to correct are more violent and perhaps that is part of its correction.

This book is a book of tolerance, peace, charity and certainly not the torch of Jihad. Its similarity to Christianity and Judaism is remarkable and all people of the "Book", the Bible, are treated with reverence.

The followers of this book are to be very religious and very tolerant. I was suprised and found this a book contributing well to human ethics and behavior.

[Czarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to the Q'ran. If you follow issues related to Islam in the media, you might expect this book to be full of violence, but on the contrary, this is a book about peace, tolerance, and goodwill. After reading the Faith Club, I knew I was going to see a lot of similar beliefs to Christianity and Judaism, but I was overwhelmed by the respect this book gives to all people of the Book (the Bible): "Indeed, be they Muslims, Jews, Sabians, or Christians, those who believe in God and the final day and who do good have nothing to fear, and they will not grieve." The only issue I have is that I would've loved to see more commentary on the actual pages right next to the passages instead of having to flip to the back of the book, but that made it easier to enjoy the poetic beauty of the book.

[VJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Qur'an is the most readable of all the Books for the people. Completed every year during the holy month of Ramadan, and often memorized by the most well brought up muslims, the essentials of Islam are presented succinctly and clearly in Cleary's translation.

However, reading the Qur'an in English is a rather tedious business. The sound of classical Arabic does much more to soothe the soul and lift the spirit. The essentials are clear: no compulsion in religion, no God but God, do good, take care of the poor and orphans, pray, and remember that God is compassionate, merciful, oft-forgiving.

Cleary's notes are worthwhile reading, but I continue to prefer the Qur'an in Arabic.

[Tom Darrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before anyone gets too judgy about Islam, they should read this book. I don't expect anyone to read the whole Koran, but this book contains the major highlights and ideas. Bible-thumping Christians might find that they have a lot more similarities with Islam than they thought.

[Nichole]

I would not read this translation again, if only because he uses the word God rather than Allah, which I think is disrespectful.

[J.K. George · Rating 3 out of 5]

My exposure to the Koran, and like (I suppose) all major collections of saying from prophets, full of wonderful truths and advice. Like the Bible, both New and Old Testaments, The Koran has plenty of drastic absolute statement, which had resulted schisms in Islam, and groups who want to kill anyone not suitable as a "believer."

After years of religion and exposure to these "great" works, I choose to consider all religion as interpretations of human beings, by human beings, of a wondrous mythology that catches our imagination and tries to answer the great questions such as where did we come from, why are we here, and what will happen to us when we are gone?

[Joseph Thotianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite edition of the God saga. It expands on the theme of the original. Had some nice callbacks to the main characters(I.e Jesus). It also has nice new characters like Mohamid. It is essentially the perfect sequel. Unlike the book of Mormon. Though it has the same fanbase problem as the original. Trying to take over the world was kinda extreme. Hope the fandom gets better over time.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in reading the Qur'an, this volume provides an accessible English translation. For Muslims, only the Arabic is truly the Qur'an so with any translation you aren't getting its real power and meaning. I have read portions before but this volume gives a broad overview of texts, succinct and useful end notes and a good brief introduction.

[Florenz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not recommended. In the preface the author makes various questionable statements about various things, and his compilation mostly aims at convincing a Western audience that islam, christianity and judaeism have common origins (which most people already know anyway), in a way that feels contrived. I don't feel I got a good grasp of the essence of the Koran either.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was assigned in a college Religious Studies course. I never finished it but always meant to. I finally did! The introduction and the notes added a lot to my understanding. In general, it was interesting to learn a bit more about the holy book of one of the world's largest religions.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

More readable than most translations (Cleary is influenced by Buddhism & Tao in his terse poeticism). But it's important to note that this is a VERY selected Koran, excising much that Western readers might misunderstood or find objectionable. I don't want to call this "Koran Lite" but it kinda is.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this years ago in a philosophy class. Interesting read and inspirational as well.

[Thomas Fackler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compassion.
Mercy.

[Himanshu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have travelled. -The Prophet Mohammed

[Karen Spence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love exploring something new & I was always curious about different religions, including Islam & how it differed from Christianity. So I read it. I’m not actually going to volunteer my opinion on this one. I think this will be entirely an individuals read for whatever reason but it fulfilled its purpose for me.

[Ushan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some 160 pages of selections from the Quran in a peculiar translation (in The Cow 35 God tells Adam that if he comes near the tree, he and his wife would become "abusive tyrants"; most translations at al-quran.info make it "wrongdoers" or "transgressors") with a preface and endnotes. The preface says that "the dramatic shifts in person, mood, tense and mode" in the text "become exhilarating exercises in perspective and translation of consciousness into a new manner of perception." This may be so; but it is likely that they reveal that the text is a poorly integrated hodgepodge, compiled from many fragmentary sources. I found a few mistakes: the Arabic word for king and the word for angel do not come from the same Semitic root, MLK; the word for angel actually comes from the root LʔK. The English word for Satan comes from the Hebrew word, not from its Arabic cognate; the English word for genius comes from Latin, not from the Arabic jinni.

[Dominic Carlone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyable as an introduction, though it's hard to comment on the choice of passages without knowing what was left out (not to say that's a flaw). Condescending tone in the introduction rubbed me the wrong way, as did the choice not to include numbers or symbols to indicate where/when end notes were applied. I've seen this practice before, so it's not a specific problem to this text, but given the suggestion in the intro that a Western reader likely can't grasp the layers of meaning without reading the end notes, some kind of indication would be nice.

[William West]

This did a nice job of providing me, a complete novice, to some of the essential passages of the Qur'an. Cleary did a good job of providing historical and analytical context for the excerpts. I had the impression that his translations were very good as there was a real poetic energy to the passages that was probably hard to reproduce from such an old text written in a language so distinct from English.

[Jeanne McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's never easy to review a sacred text, even a translation of one. Overall, I found this translation to be simple to follow. While a translation will always struggle to transmit the power, meaning, and beauty behind the original text, however, I feel this one conveys the message of "one God" in a clear and concise manner.

[Dan Robinson]

This is a book that I pick up from time to time - always find something that I would do well to give more thought to.
Thomas Cleary is in league with Stephen Mitchell and others who have done such a service to all of us in bringing to a wider audience the essence of different traditions.

[Meg]

I liked this book. I think though, it is important for readers to know that the Koran is meant more to be heard than simply read. The different sounds heard through the Arabic language have deeply passionate meanings which can't be expressed in text.

[Erik Raschke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to the koran. His translation is as light and poetic as English can be from Arabic.

[Ken Lange · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to the Koran.