The Koran

'I swear by the turning planets, and by the stars that rise and set; by the night, when it descends, and the first breath of morning- this is the word of a gracious and mighty essenger, held in honour by the Lord of the Throne, obeyed in heaven, faithful to his trust' The Koran is universally accepted by Muslims to be the infallible Word of God as first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel fourteen hundred years ago. Its 114 chapters, or surahs, recount the narratives central to Muslim belief, and together they form one of the world's most influential prophetic works and a literary masterpiece in its own right. But, above all, the Koran provides the rules of conduct that remain fundamental to the Muslim faith today- prayer, fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage to Mecca and absolute faith in God and His apostle. N. J. Dawood's masterly translation, the outcome of a lifelong study of the language and style of the Koran, has been assiduously revised over the years; it presents the reader with a clear, fluent and authoritative rendering while reflecting the characteristic flavour and rhythm of the original. This edition is laid out page by page alongside a parallel Arabic text prepared in the customary calligraphic style. It also includes an introduction, a brief chronology and an exhaustive index. 'The only version, if you want to know in English what the Koran actually says . . . Across the language barrier, Dawood captures the thunder and poetry of the original.' The Times Revised translation with an introduction and notes by N. J. Dawood