Synopsis
For too long the West has viewed the Koran as shrouded in an alien time and culture. In this book, translator Thomas Cleary has distilled the essence of Islam to include all the key spiritual passages. Each section is presented with explanatory notes in a historical and logical order to reveal the depths of Islamic spirituality.
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From the Back Cover
THOMAS CLEARY is the pre-eminent translator of Buddhist and Taoist texts, including 'The Essential Tao', 'The Essential Confucius', 'The Secret of the Golden Flower', and the best-selling 'The Art of War'.
"For Muslims the whole of the Qur'an is sacred, but there are certain passages which are more accessible to those seeking from the outside to understand its meaning. The present translation has the virtue of making such passages available in easily comprehensible language thereby opening the doors for many readers to the inexhaustible treasures of the Sacred Text".
SEYYED HOSSEIN NASR, University Professor of Islamic Studies, George Washington University
"Thomas Cleary has crafted a stunning evocation of the 'untranslatable' verses of the holiest of the holy books in Arabic, the noble Qur'an. His is a poet's touch, a seer's vision, a traveller's love for the journey to Truth. 'The Essential Koran' will be essential reading for all who seek the core to Islamic spirituality".
BRUCE B. LAWRENCE, Professor of History of Religion, Duke University, and the author of 'Defenders of God'
About the Author
Thomas Cleary earned his Ph.D. in East Asian studies at Harvard University and is renowned for his translations of classic Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, Pali and Arabic religious texts. His translations include the bestselling ‘The Art of War’, ‘The Essential Tao’, ‘The Essential Confucius’, ‘The Essential Koran’, and ‘The Secret of the Golden Flower’. He lives in Cambridge, MA.
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