The Koran

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Once read conversion unlikely - Rated
This is a must read book if one wishes to understand Islam and the mind set of radical Muslims. Be warned however that you may baulk at the language and find it violent in the extreme, supremacist racist and misogynist.

This is not a book for light reading and it took me time to complete as I found reading emotionally and almost physically tiring as the language can be unsettling for the reasons mentioned above. It is also repetitive as Mohammed seems to have had a propensity for repeating the same story over and over again as in the case of the Exodus story and Noah.

Having read this I have reached the conclusion that Allah is not the same God portrayed in the Old Testament and he is certainly not the same God in the New Testament as exemplified by the New Covenant - God is Love is lacking throughout this tome.

Islam a religion of peace? - Rated
Well i read this book to try and change my perceptions that Islam was a violent religion, unfortunately it has only reinforced my views that it is violent. Not only that, but i found the historical inaccuracies to be quite rediculous. For example, according to the Koran, Alexander the Great was a Muslim and worshiped only one God. Even though the name mentioned in the Koran is not his name, it is agreed by scholars that the name does mean Alexander the Great as no one else had accomplished what he did and in the order the Koran tells us of. Alexander was Hellenic and worshiped the Greek Olympian Gods, he also built temples to them in many of the places he conquered.

The Koran is extremely agressive in its language and seems very much based on fear. Almost every page ends by telling us that unbelievers will burn in hell, but more horrible than that is the indepth descriptions of how we will be tortured in hell if we do not accept the Koran. I almost feel as though it threatens me into believing what is says, which i do not like at all. It is also very contradictory in some of what it tells you, for example it tells Muslims not kill unless they have been attacked first, then later on it will tell Muslims to actively seek out unbelievers and slaughter them. There is alot of violence in this book and i do not relish it at all. At times it is quite frightening and at others it even seems offensive.

Simple and Repetitive, but full of insight - Rated
The Koran is without a doubt an aggressive book - it's language is extremely powerful, fearful at times, and it's message brutal - if you don't believe this you will burn for eternity.

Theologists interested in Islam would be wise to first study the Torah, since the Koran requires knowledge of the latter to be fully understood and cannot be taken on it's own (consider the Torah the starter and the Koran the main course - with Muhammad's own teachings (recognised by some groups of muslims but not others) the dessert).

This is a readable translation for an english speaker, although I am told by Muslim friends that to truly understand the holy book you must peruse the original Arabic version. However, I have two major problems with book (whether these are inherent in the text itself or specific to this translation I am not sure):

1. The Koran repeats itself in every Surah (simply, a chapter or verse, but technically neither). Every one contains vivid descriptions of what will happen to you if you don't believe what you are reading, and most contain examples of what has happened to civilisations (for example Midian, Sodom and Gomorrah) who disobeyed the word of God (which has been mistakenly translated as Allah in some version of the Koran - the word Allah simply means God. To introduce a difference in terms implies that the muslim deity is a different one to that of the Christians and Jews which is wholly incorrect).

2. There is one particular Surah - 'The Confederate Tribes' which I have problems with and which I believe detracts from the credibilty of the piece. In it, special terms are laid out for the Prophet Muhammad - giving him more freedom in certain areas of life than other Muslims (for example, Muhammad is permitted 'the daughters of his paternal and maternal uncles' - ie. his cousins, wheras other believers are not). Specifically, Muhammad is granted more sexual freedom than any other believer. My point is, if you were going to invent a new religion, or improve upon existing ones, would you not include special provisions for yourself too? I certainly would - and it is this doubt that makes the Koran less credible.

The Koran is more straightforward and without doubt less complex than the Bible, but still leaves several key areas ambiguous. For example, the Koran states that an intelligent man will not drink alcohol (though it is not explicitly forbidden) but describes heaven as containing 'rivers flowing with the most delectable wine'. Also, parts of the book dealing with holy war lend themselves to interpretation either way - saying early in the book that God dislikes those that kill, but later that 'when you meet unbelievers in the battlefield strike off their heads'. This ambiguity is at least partly to blame for the ignorance towards Islam displayed today in western society.

Overall, an enlightening read - not the blood and guts, hatred to westerners nonsense that some would have you believe, but a powerful piece of literature that will surprise you with every turn of the page.

Simplified and unaldulterated - Rated
This is the most simple transalation of a very difficult book. The Quran is accepted as the revelations from God to Mohammed(PBUH) by all moslems. Without trying to tamper with the words, Mr Dawood has achieved something which is very hard to do. He has remained subjective in his task and God will reward him.

Not the best - Rated
Without any doubt the translation of the Quran by Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan is the best available in the English language. The translation is supported by ahaadith from Bukhari and other collections, and points of benefit have also been taken from al-Tabari, al-Qurtubi and Ibn Katheer's explanations of the Quraan.
The J M Rodwell, M M Pickthall, N J Dawood, Ahmed Ali, Yusuf Ali... are all simply written in a less fluid manner and most importantly are not referenced and thus based on the translators opinion...