"Approaching the Qur'an" is a major event in religious publishing. Professor Michael Sells has captured the complexity, power, and poetry of the early suras of the Qur'an, the sacred scripture of Islam. In this second edition, Sells introduces important new translations of suras and a new preface that addresses the ongoing controversy over teaching about Islam and the Qur'an in American universities. "Approaching the Qur'an" presents brilliant translations of the short, hymnic suras associated with the first revelations to ...
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"Approaching the Qur'an" is a major event in religious publishing. Professor Michael Sells has captured the complexity, power, and poetry of the early suras of the Qur'an, the sacred scripture of Islam. In this second edition, Sells introduces important new translations of suras and a new preface that addresses the ongoing controversy over teaching about Islam and the Qur'an in American universities. "Approaching the Qur'an" presents brilliant translations of the short, hymnic suras associated with the first revelations to the Prophet Muhammad. Most of these early revelations appear at the end of text and are commonly reached only by the most resolute reader of existing English translations. These suras contain some of the most powerful, prophetic and revelatory passages in religious history. They offer the vision of a meaningful and just life that anchors the religion of one-fifth of the world's inhabitants. "Approaching the Qur'an" is enriched by inclusion of free downloadable audio recordings of Quranic reciters, allowing readers an opportunity to hear the Qur'an in its original form. The book includes Sells' Introduction to the Qur'an, commentaries of the suras, a glossary of technical terms, and chapters discussing the sound nature and gender aspects of the Arabic text.
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Add this copy of Approaching the Qur'an: the Early Revelations to cart. $7.50, new condition, Sold by Peninsula FOL rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Palos Verdes Estates, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by White Cloud Press.
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Add this copy of Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations to cart. $22.00, new condition, Sold by Cinnabar rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Albany, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by White Cloud Press.
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This is a very good way to appoach the Qur'an, especially for people with some background in Biblical studies. Michael Sells (now at the University of Chicago Divinity School in the History of Religions) emphasizes the oral character of the Muslim scripture -- that its recitation is a primary religious act. The book has a CD with several styles of recitation of some of the Suras.
The main reason this is a good approach is that it concentates on the early Suras, those proclaiming the power of the Last Judgment, with its wide-ranging imagery from nature and social life. Sells gives fine translations of the Suras from 81 on with brief commentaries. If one is particularly interested in the biography of the Prophet, this is how the revelations began. This is where the emphases were before the more challenging tasks of organizing and governing an 'ummah that was also a state began. Good texts and good sounds!
