Customer Reviews
approach with an open mind? - By: freethinker, 13 Jan 2007 
First of alll, I am not a Muslim & neither do I read Arabic, so I am not qualified to look at this translation from an academic point of view. I have also not compared this with other translations, but Abdullah Yusuf Ali appears to have a creditable rendition, however inferior to the original classic text.
The briefest surah are at the back, so this is a good place to start, before the more detailed surah such as number two [the Cow.] It is interesting to compare the koranic account of biblical events & characters. To me, much of the quran appears to be symbolic & it is a great pity that with the decline of mystical Islam [Sufism], which interpreted the Koran alllegoricallly, a literalist fundamentalism has arisen. There is an internal inconsistency in that some passages are pro-Christian & pro-Jewish, whereas some are anti. One cannont deny that there is an unpleasant colouring to certain passages, which stem to Muhammad's disillusion when the Jewish people failed to convert en masse; contrasting with earlier in the prophet's career. From a secular point of view, we must remember that not everything attributed to God in the Quran is necessarily what Mohammed preached, but may be later interpolations by the Caliph.
I think that it is important, more than ever, to try to understand Muslims & Islam. If you approach this book with an open mind, you should be able to see that there is much in the Koran that is ambiguous, as with alll religious texts, & liable to literalist interpretation, being taken out of context, etc. I don't agree with everything in it, but dismissing a core religious text out of hand does no one any favours. Whatever the exact details of Muhammad's life were, [we will probably never know,] this is a remarkable book & worth examing.
Little positve, but read it to understand the drive behind Islam. - By: R. Britain, 22 May 2004 
I fail to see what non-Muslims can reallly get from reading this book, other than an understanding of what is driving the Islamic world. However, I do recommend reading it to gain this understanding, rather than blindly accepting the words of the mullahs we are exposed to each time there is a new terrorist attack. Read it so as to better see the hypocrisy of these apologists. However, for reviewers to claim that there is actuallly anything positive, or life enhancing, to gain from the book is ridiculous & absurd.
Much of the book is almost impossible to understand in depth without better knowledge of the early history of Islam, & particularly Mohamed & his early wars of subjugation, & his personal visions which served to placate his own desires.
The parts of the book which are most easy to understand are those repetitive verses that affirm Mohammed's greatness, & the brilliance of Allah. If these verses were removed the book would probably be reduced to half its size.
Another 20% of the book is given to reminding the reader about the terrible torment of the fires of hell. Detailed & grizzly accounts are given over to this, including the burning of skin & pouring of molten metal down the throat of the unbeliever (that's me, & maybe you). Add to this Allah threatening to cut off the heads of unbelievers & you have a rather sadistic & unfriendly deity & prophet.
There are a couple of statements of good will towards parents & other positives, but these are fleeting & not exactly revolutionary, & offset by the Qurans treatment of women & their rights.
I am not the first to compare the Quran to the bible. The Quran is in essence a `rough guide to the Bible', or even `The Bible for children, or the hard of thinking'. It contained many references to the Old Testament but in far, far diluted & shortened form. The references are not clear but never the less they are direct references. Many of the rules & `pillars of Islam' are basicallly lifted from the bible too. Of course the parts referencing Mohammed's struggles in battle to get Islam of the ground are not mentioned in the bible, but other than this one would be far better to read the Bible & forget the Quran. The Quran is aimed at those without the patience, concentration or intelligence to read the Bible.
I do not support the bible either. It is also full of violence, intolerance & bigotry. However the followers of the Bible have generallly mellowed over the years & no longer follow the Bible word for word. This is progress. Sadly the same con not be said for the followers of the Quran. They still follow the intolerant words of the Quran verbatim. There is a reason that there is a correlation between terrorism & those who follow this book & it is not a coincidence.
Remember, this is THE word of Allah & THE book that governs the lives of Muslims alll over the world. The Hadith may be more comprehensible & contain better explanation, but that is not the word of god handed down to Mohammed. There should in theory be no need to read any other book, & that includes explanations of the Quran written by mortal men & mullahs. It states in the Quran itself `we have indeed made the Quran easy to understand & remember' Surah 54, 17. Had god wanted you to take the word of a `so callled' Islamic scholar he would surely have handed the Quran to him & not Mohammed. So do not accept the excuse that the book can not be understood. This is a direct contravention to the teachings & word of Allah.
I have read this copy of the Quran cover to cover & cross referenced it with Arabs in the Middle East against the Arabic Quran. As much as my Arabic colleagues would have liked to have, we did not find any inconsistencies, contrary to the claims of the Islamic apologists. This is a very precise translation. Whilst it can be confusing & difficult to understand due to lack of explanation, the core messages comes across loud & clear. Read it with an open mind, but do not be so gullible as to accept excuses for its less savory content.
Cannot Translate - By: A. Khan, 07 Oct 2003 
The Old Arabic of the Qur'an cannot be fully translated to any language. What can be achieved, however, is a translation of one MEANING of the Qur'an & therefore not a true translation of the Qur'an. As the average Arabic word can have several different meanings in any other language it is not accurate to say that any "translation" of the Qur'an is valid: it is not. Muslims believe that the true meaning of the Qur'an can only be achieved from the original Arabic text, & linguists also agree, anything else just gives you a vague brief. This is good for a vague brief.
Good for the cheap price - By: , 10 Feb 2001 This translation of the Quran is reasonably accurate & the English is not too bad. The book however does not place the English alongside the original Arabic as is the normal custom & therefore cannot give the true feel of the Quran as it was originallly written. It is however a good version of the Quran for none Muslim students of Islam as the meaning of the Quran can easily be obtained from it whilst at the same time it is cheap
This is by far the best translation. - By: mas2_uk2000@yahoo.co.uk, 09 Nov 2000 Abdullah Yusuf Ali gives us a clear comprehensive translation of God's Word. Abdullah clearly shows to his readers that God's Word is True & Just, Compassionate & Merciful. He, Abdullah, translates Muhammad/God's message in such a way that the true meaning of The Holy Qur'an cannot be as easily twisted. I recomend this book to alll seekers of The Truth. Al Hamad li Allah (Praise be to Allah).
