Table of English Translations Listed by Date (I = Important; N+ = extensive annotation; N = some annotation; R = recommended)

               The Qur’an (the most widespread acceptable spelling; an older variant is Koran) is comprised of 114 Suras (a term roughly equivalent to “books” -- as in “books of the Bible” -- or “chapters”). Generally, as with the prophetic books of the Hebrew scriptures (Tanakh, Bible; for Christians, “Old Testament”) and the epistles or letters of the New Testament, the overall arrangement of Suras is by length, from longer to shorter.

              The excerpts in NAWLS2 (Norton Anthology of World Literature, Second Shorter Edition) are the following Suras, either complete or partial (verse numbers are not indicated in NAWLS2 but are indicated in most translations; as in some translations or editions of the Bible, usually one individual paragraph = 1 verse):

              As indicated in NAWLS2, the Suras of the Qur’an are generally divided into those given or “recited” in Mecca (often with a more religious or theological element) and those given or “recited” in Medina (often with more practical, pragmatic, legal, and societal elements). The Muslim calendar is divided into the period before Muhammad’s hejira (flight to Medina) and after the hejira; the abbreviation A.H. or AH (short for anno Hegirae) is used to indicate the present date based on the number of years having elapsed from the starting date of the Hegira (622 CE); thus Abdullah Yusuf Ali ends the preface to the first edition of his translation by the double-date reference of “4th April, 1934; 18th of the month of pilgrimage, 1352 [A]H.”

              Stylistic components contributing to the meaning of the Qur’an are many. The Qur’an is written in many styles, having many passages of “rhyming prose,” a feature not conveyed in many English translations, though some, as those by by A.J. Arberry (1957) and Ahmed Ali (1984), attempt to do this by setting off the translation in lines of verse, Ahmed Ali using variable vertical line spacing in his prose translation. For an example of rhyme within the work, see Sura 100 (printed in three columns of Arabic, English transliteration, and English translation) later in this document, along with an audio link to an award-winning cantillation (musical recitation). Other important stylistic elements include figurative language and prose refrains, both of which have parallels with Arabic art and music of the time of Muhammad (570-632 CE), the official establishment of the written text of the Qur’an (around 653 CE), and later. The figurative language parallels the ornamentation to be found in Islamic visual arts (and in some sense music), while the prose refrains would parallel the constant motifs of repeated patterns (and variations) in Islamic visual arts (and in some sense music). Figurative language includes synecdoche, sometimes not evident in English translations. For example, in 4:3 (“Women”) the text says literally, that men might consider women “that your right hands possess” to “prevent you from doing injustice”; many English translations give the meaning of the synecdoche “that your right hands possess,” rather than the actual synecdoche: “slave women” or “female slaves.” Likewise, in 62:7, the text literally reads in the Arabic “But never will they express their desire [for death] because of what their hands have sent before”; some English translations give the meaning of the synecdoche -- “deeds” or “actions” -- rather than the actual synecdoche -- “what their hands have sent before.” Other important figurative language includes metaphor, simile, antonomasia (especially with reference to God or Allah) and epithet (especially with reference to God or Allah). Yet another stylistic element is the prevalence of antithesis (contrast of opposites) to be found both on a smaller scale (parts of a sentence, one sentence versus another sentence) or larger scale (one portion of a sura versus another portion, or such references as those to believers vs. disbelievers).

              Some Suras have the appearance at the beginning of words referring to individual Arabic letters, whose names are given at the beginning of the Sura. Many theories have been advanced about their meaning, but no one knows it for certain. A kind of parallel exists in the repetition of the letters AOI in some stanzas of the medieval French epic Chanson de Roland (The Song of Roland), an excerpt of which is included in NAWLS2. Certainly, references to letters of the Arabic alphabet emphasize the importance of the Arabic language, something stressed within the Qur’an, and part of the belief of orthodox Muslims (pointed out in NAWLS2) that the Qur’an only exists in Arabic, and a translation into another language may be an interpretation but is not the authentic holy scripture. Several English translations, therefore, use titles like “The Meaning of the Qur’an,” or “An Interpretation of the Qur’an.” In accord with the emphasis on Arabic, which (like Hebrew) is read from right to left, some books containing English translations are what might be termed “Arabic opening” or “Hebrew opening” -- that is, the book reads from right to left and opens from what readers of English would ordinarily think of as “the back” of the book. Many English translations include the original Arabic in one column, along with the English translation in another column; some translations (or editions of translations) also include a transliteration of the Arabic into English letters. English translations often have, either within the translation or the notes or both, a sectarian bias -- e.g., Suni, Shia, Sufi, Ahmedyya. (Further information about translations may be found in the following documents (originally journal articles but now many also found on the Internet): A.R. Kidwai’s “English Translations of the Holy Qur’an: An Annotated Bibliography” (Hamdard Islamicus, 11 [4] [Winter 1988]: 47-55); A.R. Kidwai’s “Translating the Untranslatable: A Survey of English Translations of the Quran” (The Muslim World Book Review, Vol. 7, No. 4, Summer 1987); Khaleel Mohammed’s “Assessing English Translations of the Qur'an” (Middle East Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 2, Spring 2005); and at the Internet address “www.clay.smith.name” (without the quotation marks).

              Some material in the Qur’an is parallel with material to be found in either the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh, or what Christians refer to as the Old Testament) or the New Testament. Variant versions are widespread in several cultures and cultural or artistic forms. For example, the story of Noah has been retold several times, from its first appearance in the Bible (some scholars connect Noah with a character in the Sumerian epic poem The Epic of Gilgamesh), to medieval mystery plays (several of them comic, focusing on Noah’s shrewish, drunken spouse, who doesn’t want to get into the ark), to a pioneering stand-up comedy routine by Bill Cosby. The Joseph story, like that of Noah, has been retold several times, from its appearance in the Bible to comparable wisdom literature in ancient Egypt, to a series of novels by the celebrated German novelist Thomas Mann, to the Rock cantata by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

               Salmon Rushdie, one of the most talented writers of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, remains under sentence of death by an earlier regime in Iran for his portrayal of Muhammad (Mohammed is an earlier, alternative spelling) in Rushdie’s wildly comic novel The Satanic Verses (which begins with an airplane blowing up from a terrorist’s bomb and two Indians free-falling for thousands of feet, conversing and singing -- they do not die, incidentally). Rushdie’s novel is part of a worldwide literary movement that has come to be known as “magic realism.” There are numerous accounts -- outside of the Qur’an -- reporting the incident, which differ in the construction and detail of the narrative, but they may be broadly collated to produce a basic account. In its essential form, the story reports that Muhammad longed to convert his kinsmen and neighbors of Mecca to Islam. As he was reciting Su-ra an-Najm/ Sura 53 "The Star," considered a revelation by the angel Gabriel, Satan tempted him to utter the following lines after verses 19 and 20: "Have you considered Alla-t and al-'Uzza- / and Mana-t, the other third?" These are the exalted ghara-niq, whose intercession is hoped for. Alla-t, al-'Uzza- and Mana-t were three goddesses worshipped by the Meccans. Discerning the meaning of "ghara-niq" is difficult as it is a word found only in one place. Commentators wrote that it meant the Numidian cranes, which fly at great heights. The Arabic word does generally mean a "crane" -- appearing in the singular as ghirni-q, ghurnu-q, ghirnawq and ghurnayq, and the word has cousin forms in other words for birds, including "raven, crow" and "eagle". The implication of the alleged event is that Muhammad was backing away from his otherwise uncompromising monotheism by saying that these goddesses were real and their intercession effective. The anti-Muslim Meccans were overjoyed to hear this and joined Muhammad in ritual prostration at the end of the surah. The Muslim refugees who had fled to Abyssinia heard of the end of persecution and started to return home. Islamic tradition holds that Gabriel chastised Muhammad for adulterating the revelation, at which point [Qur'an 22:52] is revealed to comfort him: "We have sent no messenger or apostle before you / with whose recitations Satan did not tamper./ Yet God abrogates what Satan interpolates;/ then He confirms His revelations,/ for God is all-knowing and all-wise." Allegedly, Muhammad then took back his words about the three goddesses, and the persecution by the Meccans resumed. Verses in the Qur'an 53:21, were given instead, in which the goddesses are belittled. The passage in question reads: "Have you thought of Alla-t and al-'Uzza- / and Mana-t, the other third? / Are there sons for you, and daughters for Him?/ This is certainly an unjust apportioning./ These are only names which you and your fathers have invented. No authority was sent down by God for them. They only follow conjecture and wish-fulfillment, even though guidance had come to them already from their Lord." Many Muslim scholars reject the authenticity of this alleged event.  A portrayal comparable to Salmon Rushdie's of a religious figure, this one of Jesus, occurs in the novel The Last Temptation of Christ (subsequently made into a controversial feature film)  by one of the most talented writers of the twentieth century, Nikos Kazantzakis, . (Both novels remain in print, in paperback.)

    The story of Noah has been retold several times, from its first appearance in the Bible (some scholars connect Noah with a character in the Sumerian epic poem The Epic of Gilgamesh, to medieval mystery plays (several of them comic, focusing on Noah's shrewish, drunken spouse, who doesn't want to get into the ark), to a pioneering stand-up comedy routine by Bill Cosby.

    The Joseph story, like that of Noah, has been retold several times, from its first appearance in the Bible to a series of novels by the celebrated German novelist Thomas Mann, to the Rock cantata by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

        The names of the books are derived, like those of the Bible, from some significant subject, theme, or image. For example, "The Cow" (Sura 2) is named from a passage in which Muhammad discusses the continuous reluctance of the Israelites - and all devotees of religion and God - to follow a commandment and perform an action until it has been laid out to the last detail by God (a sacrifice? What kind? A cow? What kind? How old? What color? Etc.)
 

Sura No.	Number of Verses	Ahmed Ali trans.	A.J. Arberry trans.	N.J. Dawood trans.	M. Pickthall trans.	J.M. Rodwell trans.
1	7	The Prologue	The Opening	The Exordium	The Opening	[Untitled]
2	286	The Cow	The Cow	The Cow	The Cow	The Cow
3	200	The Family of Imran	The House of Imran	The 'Imrans	The Family of 'Imran	The Family of Imran
4	175	The Women	Women	Women	Women	Women
5	120	The Feast	The Table	The Table	The Table Spread	The Table
6	165	The Cattle	Cattle	Cattle	Cattle	Cattle
7	205	War Between Heaven and Hell	The Battlements	The Heights	The Heights	Al Araf
8	76	Spoils of War	The Spoils	The Spoils	Spoils of War	The Spoils
9	130	Repentance	Repentance	Repentance	Repentance	Immunity
10	109	Jonah	Jonah	Jonah	Jonah	Jonah, Peace Be on Him!
11	123	Hud	Hood	Hud	Hud	Houd
12	111	Joseph	Joseph	Joseph	Joseph	Joseph, Peace Be on Him
13	43	Thunder	Thunder	Thunder	The Thunder	Thunder
14	52	Abraham	Abraham	Abraham	Abraham	Abraham, On Whom Be Peace
15	99	Al-Hijr	El-Hijr	Al-Hijr	Al-Hijr	Hedjr
16	128	The Bees	The Bee	The Bee	The Bee	The Bee
17	111	The Children of Israel	The Night Journey	The Night Journey	The Children of Israel	The Night Journey
18	110	The Cave	The Cave	The Cave	The Cave	The Cave
19	98	Mary	Mary	Mary	Mary	Mary
20	135	Ta Ha	Ta Ha	Ta Ha	Ta Ha	Ta. Ha.
21	112	The Prophets	The Prophets	The Prophets	The Prophets	The Prophets
22	78	The Pilgrimage	The Pilgrimage	Pilgrimage	The Pilgrimage	The Pilgrimage
23	118	The True Believers	The Believers	The Believers	The Believers	The Believers
24	64	The Light	Light	Light	Light	Light
25	77	The Criterion	Salvation	Al-Furqan	The Criterion	Al Furkan
26	228	The Poets	The Poets	The Poets	The Poets	The Poets
27	95	An-Naml	The Ant	The Ant	The Ant	The Ant
28	88	The History	The Story	The Story	The Story	The Story
29	69	The Spider	The Spider	The Spider	The Spider	The Spider
30	60	The Romans	The Greeks	The Greeks	The Romans	The Greeks
31	34	Luqman	Lokman	Luqman	Luqman	Lokman
32	30	As-Sajdah	Prostration	Adoroation	The Prostration	Adoration
33	73	The Allied Troops	The Confederates	The Confederate Tribes	The Clans	The Confederates
34	54	Sheba	Sheba	Sheba	Saba	Saba
35	45	The Originator	The Angels	The Creator	The Angels	The Creator, or the Angels
36	83	Ya Sin	Ya Sin	Ya Sin	Ya Sin	Ya. Sin.
37	182	Who Stand Arrayed in Rows	The Rangers	The Ranks	Those Who Set the Ranks	The Ranks
38	88	Sad	Sad	Sad	Sad	Sad
39	75	The Small Groups	The Companies	The Throngs	The Troops	The Troops
40	85	The Believer	The Believers	The Forgiving One; Or the Believer	The Believer	The Believer
41	54	Adoration	Distinguished	Revelations Well Expounded	Fusilat	The Made Plain
42	53	Consultation	Counsel	Counsel	Counsel	Counsel
43	89	Ornaments of Gold	Ornaments	Ornaments of Gold	Ornaments of Gold	Ornaments of Gold
44	59	Smoke	Smoke	Smoke	Smoke	Smoke
45	36	Kneeling	Hobbling	Kneeling	Crouching	Kneeling
46	35	Al-Ahqaf	The Sand-Dunes	The Sand Dunes	The Wind-curved Sandhills	Al Ahkaf
47	40	Muhammad	Muhammad	Muhammad	Muhammad	Muhammad
48	29	Victory	Victory	Victory	Victory	The Victory
49	18	Apartments	Apartments	The Chambers	The Private Apartments	The Apartments
50	45	Qaf	Qaf	Qaf	Qaf	Kaf
51	60	The Dispersing	The Scatterers	The Winds	The Winnowing Winds	The Scattering
52	49	The Mount	The Mount	The Mountain	The Mount	The Mountain
53	62	The Star	The Star	The Star	The Star	The Star
54	55	The Moon	The Moon	The Moon	The Moon	The Moon
55	78	Ar-Rahman	The All-Merciful	The Merciful	The Beneficent	The Merciful
56	96	The Inevitable	The Terror	That Which Is Coming	The Event	The Event
57	29	Iron	Iron	Iron	Iron	Iron
58	22	The Disputant	The Disputer	She Who Pleaded	She That Disputeth	She Who Pleaded
59	24	Confrontation	The Mustering	Exile	Exile	The Emigration
60	13	The Woman Tried	The Woman Tested	She Who Is Tested	She That Is to Be Examined	She Who Is Tried
61	14	Formations	The Ranks	Battle Array	The Ranks	Battle Array
62	11	The Congregation	Congregation	Friday, Or the Day of Congregation	The Congregation	The Assembly
63	11	The Hypocrites	The Hypocrites	The Hypocrites	The Hypocrites	The Hypocrites
64	18	Exposition	Mutual Fraud	Cheating	Mutual Disillusion	Mutual Deceit
65	12	Divorce	Divorce	Divorce	Divorce	Divorce
66	12	Prohibition	The Forbidding	Prohibition	Banning	The Forbidding
67	30	The Kingdom	The Kingdom	Sovereignty	The Sovereignty	The Kingdom
68	52	The Pen	The Pen	The Pen	The Pen	The Pen
69	52	The Concrete Reality	The Indubitable	The Catastrophe	The Reality	The Inevitable
70	44	The Steps	The Stairways	The Ladders	The Ascending Stairways	The Steps or Ascents
71	29	Noah	Noah	Noah	Noah	Noah
72	28	The Jinns	The Jinn	The Jinn	The Jinn	Djinn
73	20	The Enwrapped	Enwrapped	The Mantled One	The Enshrouded One	The Enfolded
74	55	The Enfolded	Shrouded	The Cloaked One	The Cloaked One	The Enwrapped
75	40	The Resurrection	The Resurrection	The Resurrection	The Rising of the Dead	The Resurrection
76	31	Time	Man	Man	"Time" or "Man"	Man
77	50	The Emissaries	The Loosed Ones	Those That Are Sent Forth	The Emissaries	The Sent
78	41	The Announcement	The Tiding	The Tidings	The Tidings	The News
79	46	Those Who Pull and Withdraw	The Pluckers	The Soul-Snatchers	"Those Who Drag Forth"	Those Who Drag Forth
80	42	He Made a Wry Face	He Frowned	He Frowned	"He Frowned"	He Frowned
81	29	The Folding Up	The Darkening	The Cessation	The Overthrowing	The Folded Up
82	19	The Splitting	The Splitting	The Cataclysm	The Cleaving	The Cleaving
83	36	The Defrauders	The Stinters	The Unjust	Defrauding	Those Who Stint
84	25	The Cleaving	The Rending	The Rending	The Sundering	The Splitting Asunder
85	22	Signs of the Zodiac	The Constellations	The Constellations	The Mansions of the Stars	The Starry
86	17	The Night Star	The Night-Star	The Nightly Visitant	The Morning Star	The Night-Comer
87	19	The Most High	The Most High	The Most High	The Most High	The Most High
88	26	The Overpowering	The Enveloper	The Overwhelming Event	The Overwhelming	The Overshadowing
89	30	The Dawn	The Dawn	The Dawn	The Dawn	The Daybreak
90	20	The Earth	The Land	The City	The City	The Soil
91	15	The Sun	The Sun	The Sun	The Sun	The Sun
92	21	The Night	The Night	Night	The Night	The Night
93	11	Early Hours of Morning	The Forenoon	Daylight	The Morning Hours	The Brightness
94	8	The Opening Up	The Expanding	Comfort	Solace	The Opening
95	8	The Fig	The Fig	The Fig	The Fig	The Fig
96	18	The Embryo	The Blood-Clot	Clots of Blood	The Clot	Clots of Blood
97	5	Determination	Power	Qadr	Power	Power
98	8	The Clear Proof	The Clear Sign	The Proof	The Clear Proof	Clear Evidence
99	8	The Earthquake	The Earthquake	The Earthquake	The Earthquake	The Earthquake
100	11	The Chargers	The Chargers	The War Steeds	The Coursers	The Chargers
101	8	The Calamity	The Clatterer	The Disaster	The Calamity	The Blow
102	8	Plenitude	Rivalry	Worldly Gain	Rivalry in Worldly Increase	Desire
103	3	Time and Age	Afternoon	The Declining Day	The Declining Day	The Afternoon
104	9	The Slanderer	The Backbiter	The Slanderer	The Traducer	The Backbiter
105	5	The Elephants	The Elephant	The Elephant	The Elephant	The Elephant
106	4	The Quraish	Koraish	Quraysh	"Winter" or "Qureysh"	The Koreisch
107	7	Things of Common Use	Charity	Alms	Small Kindnesses	Religion
108	3	Pre-eminence	Abundance	Abundance	Abundance	The Abundance
109	5	The Unbelievers	The Unbelievers	The Unbelievers	The Disbelievers	Unbelievers
110	3	Help	Help	Help	Succour	Help
111	5	Abu Lahab	Perish	Fibre	Palm Fibre	Abu Lahab
112	4	Pure Faith	Sincere Religion	Oneness	The Unity	The Unity
113	5	The Rising Day	Daybreak	Daybreak	The Daybreak	The Daybreak
114	6	Men	Men	Men	Mankind	Men

A sample of the various translations via an excerpt from Sura 2, "The Cow" (verses 62-71):
 

Ahmed Ali trans. (virgules indicate lineation)	A.J. Arberry trans. (virgules indicate lineation)	N.J. Dawood trans.	M. Pickthall trans.	J.M. Rodwell trans.
Surely the believers and the Jews,/ Nazareans* and the Sabians, whoever believes/ in God and he Last Day, and whosoever does right,/ shall have his reward with his Lord/ and will neither have fear nor regret./  63. Remember the day We made the covenant with you/ and exalted you on the Mount/ and said: "Hold fast to what We have given you,/ and remember what is therein/at you may take heed."/ 64. But you went back (on your word)/ and but for the mercy and grace of God you were lost./ 65. You know and have known already/ those among you who had broken/ the sanctity of the Sabbath, and to whom/ We had said: "Become (like) apes despised,"/ 66. And whom We made an example/ for the people (of the day) and those after them,/ and warning for those/ who fear God./ 67. Remember when Moses aid to his people:/ "God demands that you sacrifice a cow,"/ they said: "Are you making fun of us?"/ And he said: "God forbid that I be of the ignorant."/ 68. "Call on your Lord for us," they said, "that He might/ inform us what kind she should be."/ "Neither old nor young, says God, but of age in between,"/ answered Moses. "So do as you are bid."/  69. "Call on your Lord," they said,/ "to tell us the colour of the cow."/ God says," answered Moses, "a fawn coloured cow, rich yellow,/ well pleasing to the eye."/ 70. "Call on your Lord," they said, "to name its variety,/ as cows be all alike to us./ If God wills we shall be guided aright."/ 71. And Moses said: "He says it's a cow unyoked,/ nor worn out by ploughing or watering the fields,/ one in good shape with no mark or blemish."/ "Now have you brought us the truth," they said;/ and then, after wavering, they sacrificed the cow.	Surely they that believe, and those of Jewry,/ and the Christians, and those Sabaeans,/ whoso believes in God and the Last Day, and works/ righteousness - their wage awaits them with their Lord,/ and no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow./ And when We took compact with you, and raised above you/ the Mount: 'Take forcefully what We have given you, and/ remember what is in it; haply you shall be godfearing.'/ Then you turned away thereafter, and but for the bounty/ and mercy of God towards you, you had been of the losers./ And well you know there were those among you/ that transgressed the Sabbath, and We said to them,/ 'Be you apes, miserably slinking!'/ And We made it a punishment exemplary/ for all the former times and for the latter,/ and an admonition to such as are godfearing./ And when Moses said to his people,/ 'God commands you to sacrifice a cow.' They said,/ 'Dost thou take us in mockery?' He said,/ 'I take refuge with God, lest I should be/ one of the ignorant.' They said, 'Pray to thy Lord/ for us, that He may make clear to us what she may be.'/ He said,' He says she is a cow neither old, nor virgin,/ middling between the two; so do that you are bidden.'/ They said, 'Pray to thy Lord for us, that He make clear/ to us what her colour may be.' He said, 'He says/ she shall be a golden cow, bright her colour,/ gladdening the beholders.' They said, 'Pray/ to thy Lord for us, that He make clear to us/ what she may be; cows are much alike to us;/ and, if God will, we shall then be guided.'/ He said, 'He says she shall be a cow not broken to plough the earth or to water the tillage,/ one kept secure, with no blemish on her.' They said,/ 'Now thou hast brought the truth'; and therefore they/ sacrificed her, a thing they had scarcely done.	Believers, Jews, Christians, and Sabaeans - whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does what is right - shall be rewarded by their Lord; they have nothing to fear or to regret.    We made a covenant with you* and raised the Mount above you, saying: 'Receive what We have given you with earnestness and bear in mind its precepts, that you may guard yourselves against evil.' Yet after that you turned away, and but for God's grace and mercy you would have surely been among the lost.    You have heard of those of you that broke the Sabbath. We said to them: 'You shall be changed into detested apes.' We made their fate an example to their own generation and to those who followed them, and a lesson to the righteous.     When Moses said to his people: 'God commands you to sacrifice a cow,' they replied: 'Are you making game of us?'     'God forbid that I should be so foolish!' he rejoined.    'Call on your Lord,' they said, 'to make known to us what kind of cow she shall be.'     He replied: 'Your Lord says: "Let her be neither an old cow nor a young heifer, but in between." Do, therefore, as you are bidden.'    'Call on your Lord,'they said, 'to make known to us what her colour shall be.'     He replied: 'Your Lord says: "Let the cow be yellow, a rich yellow, pleasing to those that see it."'    'Call on your Lord,' they said,' 'to make known to us the exact type of cow she shall be; for to us cows look al alike. If God wills we shall be rightly guided.'     Moses replied: 'Your Lord says: "Let her be a healthy cow, not worn out with ploughing the earth or watering the field; a cow free from any blemish."'     'Now you have told us all,' they answered. And they slaughtered a cow, after they had nearly declined.	62. Lo! Those who believe (in that which is revealed unto thee, Muhammad), and those who are Jews, and Christians, and Sabaeans - whoever believeth in Allah and the Last Day and doeth right - surely their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve.  63. And (remember, O children of Israel) when We made a covenant with you and caused the Mount to tower above you, (saying): Hold fast that which We have given you, and remember that which is therein, that ye may ward off (evil). 64. Then, even after that, ye turned away, and if it had not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy ye had been among the losers. 65. And ye know of those of you who broke the Sabbath, how We said unto them: Be ye apes, despised and hated! 66. And We made it an example o their own and to succeeding generations, and an admonition to the God-fearing. 67. And when Moses said unto his people: Lo! Allah commandeth you that ye sacrifice a cow, they said: Dost thou make game of us? He answered: Allah forbid that I should be among the foolish! 68. They said: Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us what (cow) she is. (Moses) answered: Lo! He saith, Verily she is a cow neither with calf nor immature; (she is) between the two conditions; so do that which ye are commanded.  69. They said: Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us of what colour she is. (Moses) answered: Lo! He saith: Verily she is a yellow cow. Bright is her colour, gladdening beholders. 70. They said: Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us what (cow) she is. Lo! Cows are much alike to us; and lo! If Allah wills, we may be led aright. 71. (Moses) answered: Lo! He saith: Verily she is a cow unyoked; she plougheth not the soil nor watereth the tilth; whole and without mark. They said: Now thou bringest the truth. So they sacrificed her, though almost they did not.	Verily, they who believe (Muslims), and they who follow the Jewish religion, and the Christians, and the Sabeites* - whoever of these believeth in God and the last day, and doeth that which is right, shall have their reward with their Lord: fear shall not come upon themn, neither shall they be grieved.     Call to mind also when we entered into a covenant with you, and lifted up the mountain* over you: - 'Take hold,' said we, 'on what we have revealed to you, with resolution, and remember what is therein, that ye may fear:'     But after this ye turned back, and but for God's grace and mercy towards you, ye had surely been of the lost! Ye know too those of you who transgressed on the Sabbath, and to whom we said, 'Be changed into scouted apes:'*     And we made them a warning to those of their day, and to those who came after them, and a caution to the God-fearing:     And when Moses said to his people, 'Verily, God bids you sacrifice a cow;'* they said, 'Makest thou a jest of us?' He said, 'God keep me from being one of the foolish.' They said, 'Call on thy Lord for us that He would make plain to us what she is.' He said, 'God saith, "She is a cow neither old nor young, but of the middle age - between the two:" do therefore what ye are bidden.'     They said, 'Call on your Lord for us, that he would make plain to us what is her colour.' He said, 'God saith, "She is a fawn-coloured cow; her colour is very bright; she rejoiceth the beholders."'      They said, 'Call on thy Lord for us that He would make plain to us what cow it is - for to us are cows alike, - and verily if God please, we shall be guided rightly:'      He said, 'God saith, "She is a cow not worn by ploughing the field, sound, no blemish in her." ' They said, 'Now has thou brought the truth:' Then they sacrificed her; Yet nearly had they done it not:

            An additional complicating factor about N.J. Dawood’s translation is that Dawood has been constantly revising and changing his translation of the Qur’an, from edition to edition; and, further, the numbering of the editions has been somewhat confused or confusing.

              The constant revisions and odd numbering of editions in the translation of Dawood make references to his translation somewhat problematic. Disentangled, the editions (based on copyright) would be as follows: first (1956); second (1959); third (1966); fourth (1968); fifth (1974); sixth (1990); seventh (1993); eighth (1997); ninth (1999); tenth (2003); eleventh (2006).

              In the following brief excerpts from the opening of Sura 19, "Mary," note the changes (sometimes subtle) in Dawood's translation.

     

Dawood/1956. In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful Kaf ha ain sad. An account of your Lord's goodness to His servant Zacharias: He invoked Him in secret, saying: "I am stricken in years, and my hair is all silver. Yet never, Lord, have I prayed to you in vain. I now fear my kinsmen who will succeed me, for my wife is barren. Grant me a son who will be my heir and an heir to the house of Jacob, and who will find grace in Your sight."

Dawood/1990. In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful Kaf ha ain sad. An account of your Lord's goodness to His servant Zacharias: He invoked his Lord in secret, saying, "My bones are enfeebled, and my head glows silver with age. Yet never, Lord, have I prayed to You in vain. I now fear my kinsmen who will succeed me, for my wife is barren. Grant me a son who will be my heir and an heir to the house of Jacob, and who will find grace in Your sight."

Dawood/1995. In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful Kaf ha ain sad. An account of your Lord's goodness to His servant Zacharias: He invoked his Lord in secret, saying, "My bones are enfeebled, and my head glows silver with age. Yet never, Lord, have I prayed to You in vain. I now fear my kinsmen who will succeed me, for my wife is barren. Grant me, from Yourself, a son who will be my heir and an heir to the house of Jacob, and make him worthy, Lord, of Your pleasure."

    How the Qur'an functions as a literary text in the original, particularly its "rhyming prose," may be seen in the following complete Sura, 100, printed with the original Arabic in the first (left) column (however, remember that Arabic, like Hebrew, is read right to left), a transliteration (equivalence between the alphabet of one language into the alphabet of another language) in the second (middle) column, and then finally a translation in the right column.

    How the complete Sura sounds when chanted by a world-class Qur'anic chanter, may be heard by clicking on the following sound link, which leads to this chanting (two minutes and twenty-five seconds for the whole Sura, though much longer to download the audio file). Click here to get the three-column text and audio file.

    Sura 100 rhymes at the ends of verses 1-3 ( yaati zabhaa, yaati qadhaa, -aati subhaa), 4-5 (-na bihi naq-aa, -tna bihi jam-aa), 7-8 (la-shadiid, la-shadiid), and 9-10 (maa fil-qubuur, maa fis-suduur).

    Following is Sura 100 in the translations of Ahmed Ali, A.J. Arberry, N.J. Dawood (1995), Marmaduke Pickthall, and J.M. Rodwell.
 

Ahmed Ali trans.  (Virgules indicate lineation)	A.J. Arberry trans. (Virgules indicate lineation)	N.J. Dawood trans. (1995)	Marmaduke Pickthall trans.	J.M. Rodwell trans.
In the name of Allah, most benevolent, ever-merciful./ I call to witness the chargers,/ snorting, rushing to battle before the others,/ 2. Then those striking sparks of fire,/ 3. Then those charging in the morning/ 4. Raising clouds of dust,/ 5. Penetrating deep into the armies,/ 6. That man is ungrateful to his Lord/ 7. And is himself witness to it,/ 8. And is intractable in his love of worldly goods./ 9. Does he not know when the contents of the graves are laid bare/ 10. And the secrets of the hearts exposed,/ 11. Surely their Lord will be aware of their (deeds).	In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate/ By the snorting chargers,/ by the strikers of fire,/ by the dawn-raiders/ blazing a trail of dust,/ cleaving there with a host!/ Surely Man is ungrateful to his Lord,/ and surely he is witness against that!/ Surely he is passionate in his love for good things./ Knows he not that when that which is in the tombs is overthrown,/ and that which is in the breasts is brought out -- / surely on that day their Lord shall be aware of them!	In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful    By the snorting war steeds, which strike fire with their hoofs as they gallop to the raid at dawn and with a trail of dust split apart a massed army; man is ungrateful to his Lord! To this he himself shall bear witness.    He loves riches with all his heart. But is he not aware that when the dead are thrown out from their graves and men's hidden thoughts are laid open, their Lord will on that day have full knowledge of them all?	In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. 1. By the snorting coursers, 2. Striking sparks of fire 3. And scouring to the raid at dawn, 4. Then, therewith, with their trail of dust, 5. Cleaving, as one, the center (of the foe), 6. Lo! man is an ingrate unto his Lord 7. And lo! he is a witness unto that; 8. And lo! in the love of wealth he is violent. 9. Knoweth he not that, when the contents of the graves are poured forth 10. And the secrets of the breasts are made known, 11. On that day will their Lord be perfectly informed concerning them.	In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful By the snorting chargers! And those that dash of sparks of fire! And those that scour to the attack at morn! And stir therein the dust aloft; And cleave therein their midway through a host! Truly, Man is to his Lord ungrateful. And of this he is himself a witness; And truly, he is vehement in the love of this world's good. Ah! knoweth he not, that when that which is in the graves shall be laid bare, And that which is in men's breasts shall be brought forth, Verily their Lord shall on that day be informed concerning them?

    In Sura 100, as in the excerpts in NAWLS2, as well as in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, familiar literary elements to students of literature, such as imagery (the sparks or fire, the dust) and metonymy (secrets in the breast), as well as rhetorical devices of persuasion, such as repetition ("lo!" or "truly"), the rhetorical question and the periodic sentence structure of the first several verses, are intermingled to convey meaning and to persuade. The tone of the Sura is a combination of the ironic (God facilitates the military victories of the riders but they don't preserve either gratitude or fidelity; the fire and dust of the riders' triumphs won't be of any avail on the day of judgment) and the vehement (prompting the exclamation points used in several of the translations), again used in the service of communication of meaning and persuasion.
 

The Qur'an and the Visual Arts

        The Qur'an, Islam, and art are discussed very well in Stokstad's Art History or Gardner's Art Through the Ages, or Sayre's The Humanities: Culture, Continuity, and Change, including the emphasis, as in ancient Hebrew culture, on the art of calligraphy, making the text itself into an art work. In addition, Stokstad includes (3rd edition; 2001) a brief outline of the Five Pillars of faith, on p. 345 (column 1; paragraph 3), while Gardner's Art Through the Ages (12th ed.) has the outline and explanation in a text box on p. 359.

        Some references to God as an artist occur in the Qur'an -- e.g., 2:138 ("[Say: "Our life takes its] hue from God! And who could give a better hue [to life] than God, if we but truly worship Him"[Asad 1980]; "(Our religion is)/The Color of Allah:/And who can color better/Than Allah? and it is He/ Whom we worship" [Yusuf Ali 1934]; "(We take our) color from Allah, and who is better than Allah at coloring. We are His worshippers" [Pickthall 1930]); 27:88 ("And thou wilt see the mountains, which [now] thou deemest so firm, pass away as clouds pass away: a work of God, who has ordered all things to perfection!" [Asad 1980]; "Thou seest the mountains/ And thinkest them firmly fixed;/But they shall pass away/ As the clouds pass away: / (Such is) the artistry of Allah,/ Who disposes of all things/ In perfect order: for He is/ Well acquainted with all that ye do" [Yusuf Ali 1934]); and God's artistry in the elements of Paradise, as described in Sura 76.  While such references might encourage humanity's engaging in the visual arts, other statements in the Qur'an point in the contrary direction, such as references to God being the only legitimate creator -- e.g., 39:62-63 ("God is the Creator of all things, and He alone has the power to determine the fate of all things" (Asad 1980); "Allah is the Creator/ Of all things, and He/ Is the Guardian and Disposer/ Of all affairs/ To Him belong the keys/ Of the heavens/ And the earth" [Yusuf Ali 1934]. Also, as in Judaism and the Hebrew Bible, strong warnings are given against the creation of idols (e.g., 5:92 and 6:74).

       
The Qur'an and Music

    As with the Hebrew Bible, the actual recitation of the Qur'an in what is called "cantillation" (musical chanting), is musical to Western ears, though it might not be considered exactly music by either musicologists or the adherents of the faiths. See Sura 100 above in these Notes and Questions, including a link to an audio file of a wonderful recitation of it.
 

General Questions on the Excerpts from the Qur'an in NAWLS2  (to determine specific verse numbers, click here for excerpts from the Yusuf Ali translation, along with verse numbers)
 
G-0. Professor Walter Evans (with support from others at Augusta State University) has identified four main features or components that cut across or connect the examples of literature (the Qur’an), music, and visual arts discussed for this unit of Humanities 2001: (a) abstraction (versus sensuality), (b) emphasis on the word, (c) emphasis on or incorporation of submission or discipline, (d) continuous line (often with repetitions), minute discriminations. How might these features or components be found in the selections assigned of the Qur’an? How might these features or components be found in examples chosen for the music as well as the visual arts assignments and lectures for this unit of Humanities 2001?

G1. (G1a) Where does the imagery of fire recur in the various Suras? With what particular meanings in each passage, and with what cumulative meaning through recurrence? (G1b) Where does the imagery of water recur in the various Suras? With what particular meanings in each passage, and with what cumulative meaning through recurrence? (G1c) How would each of these strands of imagery be related to the geographical, political, and philosophical conditions of Muhammad's revelations?

G2. Where does the imagery of wayfaring, particularly in the references to journey or path or way (meaning a "road" or "path"), recur in the various Suras? What does such imagery imply, as it does in its recurrence in the Hebrew Bible, about how faith is defined? How does such imagery define faith not merely by the adherent's inner belief or feeling about the religion but by something else?

G3. How is Paradise defined, including the imagery associated with it? How does this definition compare or contrast with Eden in Genesis 1-2 of the Hebrew Bible?

G4. The importance of language is repeatedly emphasized in both the Hebrew Bible (e.g., in Chapters 1-11 of Genesis) and in the Qur'an. How do the two religious works compare and contrast on this subject?

G5. In the Qur'an, as in the Hebrew Bible, particularly the books of Exodus through Deuteronomy, one of the literary genres is law. How is law formulated in literary ways in the Qur'an? Based on the Qur'an (and perhaps the Hebrew Bible), what can be said about law as literature?

Specific Questions on Individual Suras Anthologized in NAWLS2

S1. (Sura 1) (a) How and why are wayfaring imagery particularly important in Sura 1, "the Exordium"? (b) In what other Suras does this imagery occur?

S2. (Sura 4)  (S2a) How are the three prose refrains of "God is all-knowing and wise" (verses 11, 24, 26, 35), "God is all-knowing and gracious" (v. 12), and "God is forgiving and merciful" (vv. 13, 23-24, 25) used thematically in Sura 4, "Women"? Compare "God has knowledge of all things" (v. 26) and "God bears witness to all things" (v. 33). (S2b) How does each refrain function in its particular place, as well as cumulatively? How are such refrains used for argument or persuasion in helping to persuade the listener or reader about why he or she should do or think or feel or believe some particular thing? What resistance has to be overcome in each case within this Sura?

S3. (Sura 12)  (S3a) What parallels and contrasts are there between the Joseph story in Sura 12 and Genesis 37-50 of the Hebrew Bible? (S3b) For example, the narrative in the Hebrew Bible is partly what literary (and Bible) scholars call a bildungsroman, the narrative of a youth's education. Both Joseph, the youth, and Israel (formerly Jacob), his father, still have things to learn, as portrayed in the Hebrew Bible; how does the Hebrew Bible show that both son and father have things to learn? In the Qur'an, does Jacob/Israel know more or know less than he does in the Hebrew Bible at the opening of the narrative?

S4. (Sura 19)  (S4a) How does the material on Mary in Sura 19, "Mary," compare and contrast with the material on Mary in the New Testament: the Gospels of Matthew 1:16-25, 2:1-14, 27:55-56, 28:1-11; 12:46-50; Mark 3:20-21, 3:31-35; Luke 1:27-56, 2:1-52, 8:19-21, 23:55-24:12; John 2:1-12; 19:25-27? (S4b) How is this Sura composed of about one-half narrative and one-half exhortation? (S4c) How is the title of this Sura somewhat misleading, given what other narratives it includes?

S5. (Sura 55) What prose refrain occurs emphatically (thirty times, using the verse numbers in the Yusuf Ali or Pickthall translations) in Sura 55, "The Merciful," in verses 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 45, 47, 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59, 61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 71, 73, 75, and 77? What are the thematic and rhetorical (or persuasive) reasons for this repetition?