Approaching the Qur’án 2nd edition
by Michael Sells

In this second edition of Approaching the Qur’án, Michael Sells has captured the complexity, power, and poetry of the early suras of the Qur’án, the sacred scripture of Islam. Sells introduces a new translation on the Sura of the Compassionate (al-Rahman), which holds a special place within Islamic devotion and literature. Approaching the Qur’án presents brilliant translations of the short, hymnic chapters, or suras, associated with the first revelations to the Prophet Muhammad. Most of these early revelations appear at the end of the written 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’án is enriched by the inclusion of a compact disc recording of Quranic chants of several of the early suras, allowing readers an opportunity to hear the Qur’án in its original form.

Reviews:
"Approaching the Qur’an is a fluent and accessible text that flawlessly communicates the religious and literary verities of the Qur’an. Both Muslim and non-Muslim audiences, beginners as well as advanced students of Islam will no doubt appreciate the many innovative facets of this extraordinary book. It is an indispensable aid for all students of religion and Islam, with Sells again at his best."

— Ebrahim Moosa, Associate Professor, Religious Studies, University of Cape Town, Visiting Professor, Stanford University, editor of a posthumous volume of the late professor Fazlur Rahman, Revival and Reform, and author of a forthcoming book on the thought of al-Ghazali.

White Cloud Press 2007

ISBN 13: 9781883991692

$22.95