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The Quran

4.36 of 5 stars 4.36 · rating details · 18,807 ratings · 1,545 reviews

The Quran (English pronunciation: /kɔrˈɑːn/ kor-AHN; Arabic: القرآن‎ al-qurʾān, IPA: [qurˈʔaːn], literally meaning "the recitation"), also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Al-Coran, Coran, Kuran, and Al-Qur'an, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be the verbatim word of God (Arabic: الله‎, Allah).

The Quran is composed of verses (Ayat) that make u...more

Hardcover, 604 pages

Published 1996 by King Fahd Library. K.S.A (first published 650)

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May 15, 2013 Manny marked it as to-read

Shelves: linguistics-and-philosophy, why-not-call-it-poetry, transcendent-experiences

Have other people noticed that the Qur'an is listed here as being by Allah, whereas the Bible is by "Anonymous"? If I were a Christian, I think that would leave me feeling just a little annoyed.
_________________________________________

Since I posted this review, the entry has been changed, and the Qur'an is now also listed as being by "Anonymous"!

Well, whoever did that is a braver man or woman than I am. I admire your chutzpah. So to speak.
_________________________________________

And now it's "...more

342 likes · like · see review

Feb 20, 2013 Rita rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, classic, folklore-and-religion, 1-star, my-reviews, are-you-kidding-me-worst-ever

I've studied religion, and as part of my studies the Qu'ran was one of the Holy Books that I've encountered (as with Judaism, Christianity and other faiths). Volumes can be written about this book, but now I just want to ask only one question about this particular work of literature (fiction):

How can a book that:
1) legitimise violence against women,
2) murder and persecute "infidels"/people of different faith, and
3) encourage sex with children

ever get a 4.32 rating on GoodReads? (at the time of...more

76 likes · like · see review

May 02, 2013 احمد هلال added it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

الحمد لله تبارك وتعالى عز وجل له الأسماء الحسنى و الصفات العلا
القرآن العربي كلام الله ، منزل ، غير مخلوق ، منه بدأ ، وإليه يعود ، والله تكلم به على الحقيقة ، فهو كلامه حقيقة لا كلام غيره ، وإذا قرأ الناس القرآن أو كتبوه في المصاحف لم يخرجه ذلك عن أن يكون كلام الله ؛ فإن الكلام إنما يضاف حقيقة إلى من قاله مبتدئا ، لا إلى من بلغه مؤديا ، والله تكلم بحروفه ومعانيه بلفظ نفسه ، ليس شيء منه كلاما لغيره ، لا لجبريل ، ولا لمحمد ، ولا لغيرهما ، والله تكلم به أيضا بصوت نفسه ، فإذا قرأه العباد قرءوه بصوت أ...more

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Jun 13, 2007 Neal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: yes

This book was one of the most amazing books that I have ever read. It changed my whole perspective on the muslim people.

339 likes · like · see review

May 20, 2013 Werner rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who wants to understand Islam

Shelves: other-nonfiction

With the current controversies over the projected "Ground Zero" mosque and the threatened Koran burning, a review of the Koran (also spelled Quran; there isn't always a one-on-one correspondence of Arabic and Latin letters) seemed topical. That might seem ground that angels fear to tread, fraught as it is with controversy, deeply-felt sensibilities for some, and the potential for verbal abuse and even physical violence in response. (It's also a challenge to distinguish between a review of the Ko...more With the current controversies over the projected "Ground Zero" mosque and the threatened Koran burning, a review of the Koran (also spelled Quran; there isn't always a one-on-one correspondence of Arabic and Latin letters) seemed topical. That might seem ground that angels fear to tread, fraught as it is with controversy, deeply-felt sensibilities for some, and the potential for verbal abuse and even physical violence in response. (It's also a challenge to distinguish between a review of the Koran per se and a full-blown discussion of Islam and its role in the world; the two subjects inevitably impinge on each other, but they aren't identical.) But Goodreads exists to provide book discussion --especially discussion of books with ideas that greatly impact the modern world; and by any definition, this one fits that description. Reviews so far tend to fall into three camps: those by Moslems lauding the book to the skies, those by Christian and Jewish believers angrily attacking it, and those by skeptics who see it as a prime example of the ludicrous nature of any and all religions. My own perspective is that of a committed Christian believer convinced of the truth claims of Jesus Christ. That stance is not only compatible with an effort to be fair in describing and evaluating others' beliefs in an attitude of respect for fellow human beings, but positively mandates it.

Unlike the Bible, which contains the writings of many authors spread over millenia, the Koran preserves the oral discourses of just one man, Mohammed, during his lifetime in seventh-century Arabia. (So it has a single basic historical-cultural context, and reflects the theology and style of just one author.) Moslems regard Mohammed as the last and ultimate prophet of God ("Allah" is simply the Arabic word for God, cognate with the Hebrew "El") --and by "God," they mean the God of the ancient Near Eastern religious tradition that also underlies the Bible, the God who revealed Himself to Noah and Abraham. (This in itself doesn't mean that their beliefs perfectly comprehend Him --arguably, nobody perfectly comprehends Him-- but it does mean that "Allah" should not be viewed by Christians as some alien deity comparable to Baal or Molech.) Mohammed's words were dictated to scribes; he was himself illiterate (not a disgrace, in that time and place). Raised in a polytheistic environment, he had some personal contact with Jews, and mostly second-hand information about Christian beliefs, and he connected Jewish and Christian conceptions of God with the primitive monotheistic tradition of his Arab ancestors, but he obviously never read either the Old or New Testaments. He viewed himself as a prophet called to uphold God's cause, and claimed Divine authority for his words.

The content of the Koran itself is sermonic material; it lays down some laws, which reflect a fairly primitive tribal society, and touches incidentally on theology in places, but the overwhelming majority of the content is a pounding reinteration of the twin themes of demand for absolute loyalty and obedience to God and threats of judgment against the disobedient, expressed over and over with a high degree of repetitive language (useful for memorization in a mainly oral culture) and in what I found to be a turgid style. (For me, it was a chore to read, and I think it would be for most Occidental readers.) Naturally, for Christian readers the obvious question here is the legitimacy of Mohammed's claim that this represents divinely inspired teaching. That this is not a claim to be rejected a priori is indicated by the fact that there are an increasing number of Moslems who accept Jesus as the Savior, and who see this as compatible with various views of Mohammed's prophetic role as legitimate. (See "Moslem Followers of Jesus?" by Joseph Cumming, Christianity Today, Dec. 2009, p. 32-5.) There is no hint here of the gospel of grace through faith on the basis of Christ's sacrifice, and not much hint of Divine compassion (beyond pro forma statements that God is "compassionate and merciful" --though here He doesn't sound like it); and the legislation allows things like slavery, polygamy and the subordination of women, and prescribes the death penalty much more liberally than we would. The same, however, can be said of parts of the Old Testament (though the Koranic command to cut off the hands of thieves and its encouragement of wife-beating goes beyond anything found in the Mosaic law). Those parts are set in a total context of Divine revelation that modifies or qualifies them; we accept them as Scripture, but if our sole understanding of God came from, say, the book of Obadiah, we'd have a severely mutilated picture. Much of the content of the Koran, on the most charitable assessment, could be seen as primitive and incomplete, in the same sense as some of the Old Testament that we can now view through the lens of progressive revelation and of Divine accommodation to limited human understanding on the part of the people He had to work with; a parent, as Calvin pointed out, speaks baby talk to an infant. (Though Mohammed lived in a time long after Christ, for all practical purposes his part of the world was a pre-Christian culture, and neither he nor his people had heard the gospel in anything like a coherent or understandable sense.)

IMO, though, there are aspects of the Koran that resist such a charitable view. To be sure, the stress on God's oneness is an Old Testament theme that no New Testament believer would deny, either; and even the insistence that God does not beget can be taken as a refutation of a misunderstanding of Christian doctrine, much as James in his epistle rebuts a misunderstanding of Pauline theology, not the genuine article. (God did not literally beget Jesus by sexual intercourse with Mary, in the manner of pagan gods siring children on human women, and no Christian believer would argue that He did.) But from a Christian standpoint, the Koranic insistence that Jesus was not really killed by his enemies, but was rescued by God, is incompatible with Divine revelation (not to mention history). It stems from the conviction that God must always necessarily rescue and vindicate the righteous, in this world --which, experientially, is NOT true-- and from (understandable) ignorance of the vicarious role of Jesus' death. (Here again, Mohammed's lack of acquaintance with the New Testament was a serious liability --much as a lack of acquaintance with the Koran would be a liability to anyone making claims about Islam.) Also, while the Old Testament applies the Mosaic Law only to Israel, and the New Testament supersedes the letter of it with the spirit/Spirit, the Koran suggests no such limits for its laws --which is seen by strict Moslems today as a mandate to impose them on the entire world! Finally (and related to the latter) the Koran in places clearly commands a Moslem theocracy as the form of human government, and calls for its forcible imposition on the world. To be sure, not all Moslems are inclined to follow this to the letter. But this kind of Koranic teaching (coupled with its death penalty provisions for blasphemy and apostasy) certainly creates a built-in ratchet towards intolerance and religious violence, and provides religious justification for social policies which, no matter how constructive or mitigating they might have been in 7th-century tribal society, today more often create and perpetuate horrible injustice rather than mitigate it. To be wisely aware of this is not the same thing as calling for persecution of peaceful Moslems.

So in conclusion, my recommendation regarding the Koran is to read it, not burn it --but read it with a discerning critical faculty. :-) (less)

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Apr 25, 2007 Luizka rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

My only sadness is that I can't read it in Arabic.

296 likes · like · see review

Oct 16, 2007 Mariam saleh rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: all those with a heart

A book for life, a book for the next life, a book for all eternity, unspoken by man, engulfed by humanity but indiscribable of any earthly tongue. I cannot let you understand it, but i can invite you to feel it...

172 likes · like · see review

Apr 16, 2007 lamarcus brown rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's the Koran. Even if, like me, you are not religious you should still read the Koran since it is such a big part of this world. If for no other reason than to have some sort of understanding into what everyone is talking about and fighting over and if you are religious, if you are Christian or Muslim you HAVE to read this so that no one else can tell you what it says; if you rely on others they can mislead you, whether purposely or not, down the wrong path to understand the true message of th...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Alireza rated it 5 of 5 stars

who am I to say my opinion about this Miracle

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Jan 07, 2012 Abdullah ali rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

كيف لنا أن نقيم كلام رب الأرباب

كيف لهذه النجمات أن تضيء كلامي هذا عن كلام رب العالمين

يا ربي.. إني أحبك وأحب كلامك..

اللهم زدني محبة فيك .. وتعلقاً بك وخوفا منك وخضوعا إليك وفقهاً بكتابك وعلماً بك..

سبحانك لا إله إلا أنت رب العالمين

" إن هو إلا ذكر للعالمين "

142 likes · like · see review

May 15, 2011 Sarah ALsaggabi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

اللهم انر قلبي بالقران يارب واجعله ربيع فؤادي

40 likes · like · see review

Sep 03, 2012 Marwa Samir is currently reading it · review of another edition

القرآن الكريم ليس كتاب بل منهاج حياة وشفاء لنا من كل هموم الدنيا و احزان القلب اسأل الله سبحانه وتعالى أن يرزقنى تلاوته آناء الليل وأطراف النهار وأن لا أتوقف عن قراءته حتى يتوفنى الله عز وجل ولا أستطيع تجاهل حقيقة ان حياتى قد تغيرت للأحسن منذ أن بدأت الازم قراءة القرآن ليس فى رمضان ويوم الجمعة فقط ولكن فى كل أيام الله فالحمد لله رب العالمين أن هدانى لهذا وما كنت لأهتدى لولا أن هدانى الله

24 likes · like · see review

Jun 03, 2010 Heba added it

يا جماعة يجب أن يرفع القرآن الكريم من هذا الموقع فهو للمسلمين كلام الله المنزل على عبده ونبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم فكيف يُقيم بالله عليكم ويو ضع بين الكتب التي ألفها بشر؟!!ا

168 likes · like · see review

Nov 12, 2008 Dan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: religion

Another wonderful book of life guidance. No one religion or human offers ALL there is to learn and know. It's good to read and compare ALL religious texts and writings, in order to better see God's design and works.

105 likes · like · see review

Jul 05, 2007 Imran rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have read the translations by Yusuf Ali, Arberry, and Dawood. Muhammad Asad's translation and interpretations stands above all. It is the Quran translation I reccomend to non-Muslims to get a true (in my view) understanding of Islam.

I am an American born Muslim (Pakistani descent). I have been raised here, and schooled here, and so have a western perspective of events and history. What I like about Asad's translation is that it is written by a "westerner," who was formerly a Viennese Jew. As s...more I have read the translations by Yusuf Ali, Arberry, and Dawood. Muhammad Asad's translation and interpretations stands above all. It is the Quran translation I reccomend to non-Muslims to get a true (in my view) understanding of Islam.

I am an American born Muslim (Pakistani descent). I have been raised here, and schooled here, and so have a western perspective of events and history. What I like about Asad's translation is that it is written by a "westerner," who was formerly a Viennese Jew. As such, he carries the gestalt of the West (rationalism, the Enlightenment, evolution, etc.).

In contrast, Yusuf Ali, carries a certain cultural baggage derived from his experiences in India. The effects of British colonialism probably colored his world view, and my recollection (I read his translation many years ago) is that this coloring displays itself in his translation. I guess I would characterize his translation and commentary consistent with liberation theology-which is fine, but is of a certain view that many in the West may not identify.

Asad's translation and commentary, on the other hand, incorporates many of our modern understandings of the world into his explanation. So for example, evolution is considered a natural process operating as part of the ordered universe just as the laws of gravity, electricity, etc. These are the signs of God, that Muslims are required to believe. Many Muslims who are not from the West, cannot reconcile modern understandings of science with faith. Just like the fundamentalist Christian community, they cannot integrate evolution (and its theological ramifications) into their faith (as a corollary, it is worthy to note that many scientists-call them darwinian fundamentalist- cannot integrate religion into science). In Islam, there is no separation between science and religion. All of your actions in physical reality are part of your Islam, and an expression of your religious faith. Obtaining knowledge through science is also part of your submission to God's will-your Islam. Asad's interpretation repeatedly affirms this.

Asad's explanations and commentary are illuminating. He explains phenomenon, like miracles, in a way that don't require the reader to suspend his belief in the normal physical laws of daily experience. You are not required to believe in phenomenon that run contrary to objective experience. For example, in the Bible, Jesus is said to have healed the blind and raised the dead to the living. Ordinary experience tells us that physically these things are impossible, but you are required to have faith that these suspended laws of physical reality actually occurred. Asad's explanation is that in Islam, people who are closed to the God's spiritual message as relayed through the prophets, are blind to the obvious truth of God. They are spiritually dead. Jesus's miracle, was to pass his grace onto his followers, and make those whose hearts were hardened against God (blind and spiritually dead), to see the truth and to become spiritually alive. I find this explanation much more satisfactory than having to believe in a miracle. The explanation is far more simple and straightforward.

I highly recommend reading the Asad translation in conjunction with William Chittick's book Visions of Islam, and the Self-Disclosure of God, to really appreciate the sublime spirituality inhering to Islam. To my mind, it bestows on the reader how your conduct today carries with it spiritual and metaphysical dimensions.

In this post 9/11 world, where every "expert" on Islam opines on the violent nature of Islam as revealed through Quran, Asad's translation dispels these absurdities. Extremists in the Islamic world and the Western world would do well to read this, as well. For all reasonable people seeking to truly understand what Islam is about, read Asad's translation over any other.
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Jan 13, 2008 Tim Franzen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found this a lot easier to read then the bible. It's also a lot shorter.Anyone concerned with the state of modern Islam should read this inspiring text. As wityh the bible there are parts that are clearly outdated and even offensive. One must really imagine life a very long time ago, before there there was computers and silly puddy.

67 likes · like · see review

Jun 16, 2011 SnowyAngel marked it as to-read

Shelves: the-qur-an

This is one book that I will never be finished reading. I believe no one can be finished with it unless they understand it fully and completely and then implement it fully and completely in their lives. As that is near to impossible unless Allah wills it, I will never be changing the status to read of this miracle.

I know that this book can change lives and will always enlighten the path of those who Allah wills and of those who will let it enlighten their path.

Every human being, I emphasise ag...more

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Mar 14, 2011 Rasheed rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: islam, non-fiction, monotheism

Lisa Bauer wrote: "The "official" Saudi translation of the Qur'an."

Dr. Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali is Moroccan, while Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan is Afghani.

As for the four scholars who edited and revised this translation, I know two of them only, Dr. V. `Abdur-Rahim, who is Indian and Dr. Fazal Ilahi Zaheer, who is Pakistani.

Therefore, I do not see how it can be labelled a "Saudi translation," official or otherwise. They weren't even the first to print it. It was first published in 1977 in Chicago.

D'Arc...more

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Oct 31, 2010 Syed Misbahuddin rated it 5 of 5 stars

QURAN

Quran (means recitation in Arabic)

Muslims recite the whole book once during the month of Ramazan, this is happenning since 1428 years now, some people recite this once everyday, some once every week. It has 114 chapters (Sura) This book is in Arabic language.

Quran is a big Ocean, Amateurs like me make mistakes with such a big subject, but I think it is better to be imperfect and full of mistakes than be perfect and all alone.

I will only describe the physical aspects of Quran in this review,...more

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May 17, 2013 ماهرعبد الرحمن rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

كنت قد كتبت غير مراجعة هنا على مواضيع ذات صلة بالقرآن . فكتبت عن علم التجويد (مش فاكر بصراحة الكتاب اسمه إيه ولا فاكر قولت إيه)، وكتبت عن علم القراءات بعرض عام (بما يقتضيه الحال دائما هنا) للكتاب العمدة فى حياتى فيما يخص هذا العلم لابن مجاهد: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
والذى استفدت منه كثيرا فى تعلم بعض من القراءات الأخرى (غير قراءة نافع بطرقها، وغير قراءة ورش) فكنت قد تلقيت العلم نفسه والقراءتين بالطريق المعروف فى هذا الباب، أقصد بالسماع والقراءة بين يدى شيوخى رحمهم الله، وأعز من ب...more كنت قد كتبت غير مراجعة هنا على مواضيع ذات صلة بالقرآن . فكتبت عن علم التجويد (مش فاكر بصراحة الكتاب اسمه إيه ولا فاكر قولت إيه)، وكتبت عن علم القراءات بعرض عام (بما يقتضيه الحال دائما هنا) للكتاب العمدة فى حياتى فيما يخص هذا العلم لابن مجاهد: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
والذى استفدت منه كثيرا فى تعلم بعض من القراءات الأخرى (غير قراءة نافع بطرقها، وغير قراءة ورش) فكنت قد تلقيت العلم نفسه والقراءتين بالطريق المعروف فى هذا الباب، أقصد بالسماع والقراءة بين يدى شيوخى رحمهم الله، وأعز من بقى منهم. وعرضت لكتاب محمود السعدنى:http://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
وشخصيا مازلت أستمع لإذاعة القرآن من حين إلى حين، وأختبر من يكون معى فى وقت الإستماع (على قدر حظه من العلم) إما عن اسم القارئ، أو عن السورة..إلخ.وكان هذا تقليد بينى وبين رفاق الكتّاب ثم فيما بعد رفاق معهد القراءات. وكانت الأسئلة تصل إلى رقم الجزء ورقم الآية وهل الآية فى صفحة يمين أم يسار؟ (من كام يوم كنت بحكى لصديقة عن إنجيل يوحنا وكانت تتعجب من إنى حافظ رقم الشاهد) وكانت تلك وسيلة جيدة للاستذكار فقد كنا نحفظ القرآن كتابة، وكانوا فى المعهد يقولون لنا إن هذا أمر ضرورى لأن منكم من قد يراجع المصحف فيما بعد. كنا صغارا وكانت أحلامنا على قد عمرنا. ثمة إرتباط بين الذاكرة والذكاء.. والفضل فى ذاكرتى هى للقرآن وحده. ليس فقط الذاكرة، لكن أيضا اللغة العربية، فكثيرا ما أشك فى إعراب بعض الكلمات فى الجمل التى أكتبها فأقوم بقراءتها مثلما أقرء القرآن، وهو شئ أقرب لطريقة عمل الميزان الصرفى فى النحو.. ثم أراجع الصياغة لغويا فأجدها سليمة بعد قراءتها بهذه الطريقة التى تكشف لى الأخطاء. أيضا يساعدنى القرآن فى الإستمتاع بأغانى أم كلثوم وعبد الوهاب.. فلا أستمتع فقط بالكلام واللحن والصوت، لكن أيضا بسلامة النطق ودقته (وهذا أمر لمن يعتاد عليه يصبح من أولويات الإستماع والأذن تعشق قبل العين أحيانا)، أيضا يقدم لى القرآن ذخيرة لغوية هائلة، ويعلمنى فن الصياغة الرشيقة الموزونة الغنية فى المعنى، فكل حرف أكتبه هو دين لهذا الكتاب..ألم تسمع قوله "أو كظلمات فى بحر لجىّ يغشاه موج، من فوقه موج، من فوقه سحاب. ظلمات بعضها فوق بعض، إذا أخرج يده لم يكد يراها، ومن لم يجعل الله له نوارا فما له من نور".. (less)

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Sep 29, 2008 Shelli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: world-religions

Everyone should read this book at least once in their lifetime. I think it's especially critical given the conflict between Islam and the West.

61 likes · like · see review

Aug 20, 2012 Soad rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

The holy Quran is a book that everyone should read no matter the religion but it should be read in its original language, like most books that are translated it loses flavor when its not.The Arabic language when read has many different meanings and when translated it loses those,so u get one verse that means one thing when actually it has 3 or 4 different meanings (does that make sense?)as much as i read the Quran i learn something new every time and im happy to say it does not teach hate or vio...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Jeruen Dery rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've been raised as a Christian, pretty much from the very beginning. After 25 years, I decided to call it quits and identify as an atheist. There are plenty of reasons I have for making that decision, but one day, I thought, that those reasons were all due to my reactions against Christianity. So here I am, finding myself rejecting religion, all due to assumptions based on one religion: Christianity. Thus, I felt uncomfortable to reject religion across the board, using only data points from one...more I've been raised as a Christian, pretty much from the very beginning. After 25 years, I decided to call it quits and identify as an atheist. There are plenty of reasons I have for making that decision, but one day, I thought, that those reasons were all due to my reactions against Christianity. So here I am, finding myself rejecting religion, all due to assumptions based on one religion: Christianity. Thus, I felt uncomfortable to reject religion across the board, using only data points from one religion. After all, it's just like saying that I hate seafood when the only seafood I have eaten is shrimp. Thus, I picked the Qur'an. And I read it.

So what is this about?

This, as many people know, is the Holy Book of Islam. It is composed of 114 chapters, called surahs, and each surah has several verses. From a statistical point of view, the opening surahs tend to be longer than the closing ones. The second surah, for example, entitled "The Cow", has 286 verses, while the 110th surah only has three. Each surah opens with In the name of Allah, most benevolent, ever-merciful.

I initially wanted to read the Qur'an because it is believed that the Qur'an is the most spectacular piece of Arabic literature. It also helps perhaps to understand what the cultural references are to novels that I have read in the past, especially those that dealt with Islamic characters. I previously read Orhan Pamuk's My Name is Red and Nagīb Maḥfūẓ's Palace Walk, and it would definitely have helped if I had a better idea what were the religious assumptions that the characters held. Now that I have read the Qur'an, it would be easier to see where these characters are coming from.

But another reason I wanted to read the Qur'an is because I wanted to put my thoughts to the test. I identify as an atheist, which means that I rejected the belief of religion in general. But in actuality, I've never known what I was rejecting, at least with respect to Islam. I need to read about it first, before I can be more comfortable in saying that I do not buy it as well. After all, it's the scientific approach, that of experimentation.

So, 114 surahs later, I now have an opinion of what the Qur'an is. I was surprised at how some story lines are parallel to what I know the best, which is the Bible. There are characters that appeared in both, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, even Jesus. The Jews and Christians both appear in the Qur'an, but unlike Christianity, for Muslims, Jesus is just another prophet. Somewhere the stories split, and there are characters that appear in the Qur'an but not in the Bible.

I quite do not appreciate the catechism-like style of writing. There were plenty of repetitions. Several lines of thought were repeated: how Allah is all merciful and most benevolent (repeated before every chapter); how humankind emerged from a drop of holy sperm; how Allah is all-powerful and all-wise; et cetera. I never expected it to be a scientific book, and as the Bible, the writing style is geared toward indoctrination. The perspective is one of infallibility: the Qur'an only tells you that Allah is powerful, wise, and knows what is best for you. But it doesn't tell you WHY he is indeed claimed to be so. All you have to do is believe, and if you don't, you will face eternal destruction. I guess after reading this, I still conclude that Islam is not for me, and my personal conviction still holds ground. I am still an atheist.

One thing though that I have to say regarding the Qur'an, is that many people think that the Qur'an is a violent book and Islam is a violent religion. But after reading it, I think that the violence is just the same as what the Bible has. There is plenty of talk about believers and unbelievers, with the main gist as that the unbelievers will be punished by Allah. But the Bible also says the same thing. Believers will be blessed, while unbelievers will be punished, both in the Qur'an and in the Bible. Thus, to those people who burn Qur'ans because they think it's a violent book, perhaps they might want to read their own Bible too. If the Bible were made as a movie, I am pretty sure it would get an R rating.

I understand that that is not the whole problem. There's the fundamentalists too. But there are fundamentalists in Christianity too. Just check out what's found in Topeka, Kansas and you'll know what I am talking about.

So, as this is a book review, I am giving it 3 out of 5 stars. It's an awesome piece of cultural heritage, but it failed to persuade me to change my beliefs. I ended the book feeling untouched.(less)

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Jan 27, 2009 Nun rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Say: "can the blind be held equal to the seeing?" Will ye then consider not?

"Enam, 50"

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Mar 27, 2007 Sina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One Day I Will Understand it Perfectly!!!

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Dec 29, 2008 Joe Upshaw rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What can I say...I was searching for the source of fanatical anger and came to the conclusion that it isn't Islamic scholars but, ignorance and deliberate distortion of the doctrine that are used to excuse terrorism.

While there do seem to be an awful lot of things that are going to get you eternal damnation, there are but a few that can excuse violence. I mean sure there are some exhortations to crush your enemies e.g. "Make ready whatever you can to terrify the enemies of Allah" but, then agai...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Marcio Tomazela rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My Noble Qur'an is Arabic with Meanings translated to Portuguese(Br).

Amazing interesting and free of misteries.

Islam goes straight to the point, based on science and logic.

"Biʾsm Allāh ar-raḥmān ar-raḥīm" (“in the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate”).

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Aug 21, 2009 ظل البروق is currently reading it · review of another edition

هو كلام الله .. الذي لا يبلى مع التكرار .. ولا يمل مع طول الايام ..

آه على ساعات ضاعت ما قرأناه فيها ..

و آه على أيام ضاعت دون انشغال بمعانيه و آياته ..

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Jul 03, 2011 Safie Muhammad rated it 5 of 5 stars

THE HOLY QUR'AN .........WORDS OF ALLAH .......REVEALED TO PROPHET MUHAMMAD ( peace and blessings of ALLAH be upon him)

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Jun 07, 2012 Haleema rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who loves to learn the truth, knowledge-seekers

Shelves: timeless-classics, das-deep, my-emotions

This is awkward. Well, I'm a Muslim. Therefore, I will find this the best book in the history of civilization. =)

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