The Essential Koran: The Heart of Islam
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Translator
Thomas Cleary
Description
This collection of readings from the Quran is designed to help non-Muslim Westerners approach this sacred book and savor something of its amazing power through a selection of chapters and verses encapsulating some of its central ideas and essential beauties. A "rosary of readings and recitations," the excerpts chosen represent the "six aims" of the Quran (which range from knowledge of God to refutations of unbelievers' arguments), all of which point to the need for intelligent, considered faith in order for humans to come to a true knowledge of God. The selections, from hymns of praise to calls for compassion toward the most needy, reveal the majesty and poetry of this extraordinary text while illuminating its spiritual lessons. Cleary's graceful translation makes the ancient verses clear and accessible to the modern reader:
Worship nothing but God;
be good to your parents and relatives,
and to the orphan and the poor.
Speak nicely to people,
be constant in prayer,
and give charity.
The excellent linguistic notes, which Cleary calls an intrinsic part of the translation itself, amplify the meanings of untranslatable words through reference to their Arabic roots and related derivatives. The book is a first-rate introduction for non-Muslims both to the beauty of the Quran and to the core teachings of Islam, which have too often been misrepresented or misunderstood in the West.
From the back cover: "Finally the riches of Islam are offered accessibly to the West in this annotated translation of the heart of the Koran's spiritual wisdom. With the rise of Islam in the world arena, the Essential Koran is an indispensable aid to understanding the religion of nearly one billion people. Cleary's work clearly reveals the depths of Islamic spirituality. Thomas Cleary is the preeminent translator of classic Eastern texts, including The Essential tao, The Essential Confucius, The Secret of the Golden Flower, and the best-selling The Art of War. "Cleary has crafted a stunning evocation of the 'untranslatable' verses of the holiest of holy books in Arabic, the Noble Qur'an....essential reading."
-Bruce B. Lawrence, Duke University, author of Defenders of God.
About the Contributor(s)
About the author
Thomas Cleary: Thomas Cleary (1949-2021 CE) was an American translator and scholar, widely regarded as one of the most prolific translators of Asian and Islamic spiritual classics into English. He was born on April 24, 1949, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and began translating Buddhist scriptures in his late teens. He went on to earn a doctorate in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Over a long career Cleary produced more than eighty volumes spanning four traditions, Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and, from the 1990s onward, Islamic. He translated from Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, Pali, and Arabic, and his Islamic translations reflect the same attention to spiritual depth that marked his earlier work. Among Muslim readers he is best known for The Essential Koran, published in 1994, and a complete rendering titled The Qur'an, A New Translation, along with The Wisdom of the Prophet, a collection of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. His other widely read works include translations of the Taoist Secret of the Golden Flower and Japanese classics on strategy and discipline. His translations sold millions of copies and were rendered into more than twenty languages. He died on June 20, 2021, in Oakland, California, leaving a body of work that opened the spiritual literature of several civilizations to English-speaking readers.
About the translator
Thomas Cleary: Thomas Cleary (1949-2021 CE) was an American translator and scholar, widely regarded as one of the most prolific translators of Asian and Islamic spiritual classics into English. He was born on April 24, 1949, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and began translating Buddhist scriptures in his late teens. He went on to earn a doctorate in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Over a long career Cleary produced more than eighty volumes spanning four traditions, Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and, from the 1990s onward, Islamic. He translated from Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, Pali, and Arabic, and his Islamic translations reflect the same attention to spiritual depth that marked his earlier work. Among Muslim readers he is best known for The Essential Koran, published in 1994, and a complete rendering titled The Qur'an, A New Translation, along with The Wisdom of the Prophet, a collection of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. His other widely read works include translations of the Taoist Secret of the Golden Flower and Japanese classics on strategy and discipline. His translations sold millions of copies and were rendered into more than twenty languages. He died on June 20, 2021, in Oakland, California, leaving a body of work that opened the spiritual literature of several civilizations to English-speaking readers.
Specifications
EAN 13 / ISBN
9780062501981
Publisher
HarperSanFrancisco
Author
Thomas Cleary
Pages
203
Translator
Thomas Cleary
Year Published
1994
Size
W-5.2 in | H-8.2 in | D-0.5 in
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