Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations

A wonderfully insightful look at the major themes and aesthetic characteristics the Quran. I didn't think it was possible to verbalize the aural majesty of the Quran for Arabic speakers, but Sells somehow pulls it off. A real gem.

A book i had to pick up for a class in undergrad. The book was a real eye opener and a great selection for anyone in "The West" trying to get an introduction to the Qur'an that would like a bit of an idea about how the passage may be interpreted by scholars. Sells does a good job of highlighting some of the major themes of the text in a very short space. The book also comes with a CD including the chanting of daily prayers etc..in Arabic. If you are wondering about the Qur'an but don't want to spring for the full deal or would like a decnt gloss for some passages Sell's would be a good place to start.

I appreciate the language-oriented perspective of this book, but my favorite part is the list of audio downloads of Arabic recitations of Qur'anic verses. Listening to these helped me better understand the points Sells was making, but it also helped me get a glimpse of the power and the beauty of the Qur'an. Some of the recordings gave me chills.

The author provides a thorough understanding of the background behind Quranic chapters that non-Arabic-speakers would not pick up on otherwise. Very interesting.

This is by a Haverford professor!

The author captures the complexity, power, and poetry of the early suras of the Qur’án, the sacred scripture of Islam. The book presents translations of the short, hymnic chapters, or suras, associated with the first revelations to the Prophet Muhammad and is enriched by the inclusion of a compact disc recording of Quranic reciters chanting several of the early suras, allowing readers an opportunity to hear the Qur'an in its original form. The book includes Sells's '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.