An Abridged Koran
Sunday
I HAVE previously recommended a readable version of the Qur'an, called A Simple Koran. It contains every passage in the Qur'an, written in the order the Qur'an was written (rather than the traditional way or ordering the chapters), written in plain modern English, and it even has biographical information to help you understand passages referring to events in Mohammad's life. It's a great version of the Qur'an.
But I have found something even better: An Abridged Koran, written by the same people (CSPI Publishing).
Every non-Muslim should read this book (since 61 percent of the book is about non-Muslims).
You should know its contents because your life is being influenced by it. How? Islamic supremacists are studiously attempting to fulfill its commands, and in doing so, have already changed security procedures for getting onto planes, massively influenced the economy, made what should have been a simple regime change in Afghanistan and Iraq into a bloody struggle, killed 270 million people over the last 1400 years and are still killing people every day, working hard and effectively to undermine democratic governments and freedom of the press around the world, and more is yet to come.
What does it say in their holy book? What are they trying to do? What are their goals? What methods does the book recommend to achieve those goals? Find the answer to these questions and many more in An Abridged Koran. It has all the information in A Simple Koran, but with one difference: The repetition has been removed. So when you're done with An Abridged Koran, you will have read all the information in contained in the Qur'an.
There is a tremendous amount of repetition in the Qur'an. For instance, the story of Moses and the Pharaoh is told 39 times. In An Abridged Koran that story is told only once. So you get the meaning, but without the redunancy.
When you take out all the repetition, the book is only 220 pages long. I urge you to stop taking everyone else's word for it, and read it yourself.
Take the pledge: Read the Quran.
Learn the basic teachings of Islam right now: Why is Islam so Successful?
Find out where to get a free (mainstream) Koran, and learn more about An Abridged Koran here: Chronological Order of the Qur'an (make sure you read the comments).
10 comments:
I wanted to read the abridged version very much, however, upon closer inspection of this CSPI outfit (who apparently translated it) seem pretty darn bias. Their website is full of negativity towards the cult, so therefore I cannot trust them to give me what it says in the original koran. I'll have to pass.
I was concerned about the same thing when I first got my copy. Actually, originally, I read A Simple Koran, also by CSPI.
But I already had a standard Koran, so it was easy to compare verses. You can also do it online. There are LOTS of classic Qurans online, posted on pro-Islam web sites, and it's easy to compare since they use a numbering system.
So take random verses and compare them. You will find that CSPI is accurate. It says what the standard versions say only it says it in ordinary, modern English.
Here's more about that, and some links to online versions of the Quran:
Know the Koran
The reason CSPI's website is full of negativity about Islam is because the main author, Bill Warner, knows the Koran very well, and since he is a non-Muslim, he's not very happy about what it says about non-Muslims.
But he is scrupulously accurate. Check it out for yourself.
One should send the copies of abridged Korans to Muslims. They will respect it and read it. More than non muslims, Muslims need to read the Abridged Koran. This can be a good project.
I am from Indonesia, ex Muslim. I told you that Indonesia (apa lu! anak buah tiftul liat-liat!! anjink lu!!) people just like Iran, they are not 100% Islam. They only beard Islam because oppression by radicals. Most of them never go to friday prayer, Don't like the radical preacher, and so on.
The real indonesia religion was called "kejawan", its believe to one God as creator and ruler but believe also on demigods as one God representative (the angels).
This "the kejawan" teach to be peaceful, loving, compassion just like Christian/Buddhism teaching.
So when Islam came, The people (mostly in Java) glad and open to them but in fact, the islamic use it to gain position on administration and military position, and then coup the Emperor (see Majapahit story as biggest Budhism kingdom from Thailand to all over Indonesia).
The people that don't want to convert to islam were killed.
Luckily there is a historician write it, and Bali and the last of Majapahit stronghold from Islamic "soft" invansion. You can find hundred of prrof that Islam came to Indonesia by immigrant, coup, and killing on all Internet or Historic site.
Today, we have internet communication as a tool to alert others when the danget come abroad.
Thats is why, we, ex muslim, and people on Islam country that know the real fact, write this to alert Europe, Africa, and USA that the Islam will go silently from within by occupy the administration and security on entry pint such as airport, harbor, and so on. They complete all the strategy with their legal lawyer to attack their enemy by using democracy law!
That is why before it to late, We, trying to alert all of western people that the danger come.
And those people can't be converted into freedom mind because deep on their ideology, they had been brainwashed that freedom democracy like USA is satanic and freedom only occur when all the world is Muslim and the iman mahdi (their saviour) will come to greet them.
Before it to late, please act, stop immigrant implement sharia on their community, the logic was " Why they came to Western if they don't like the way of life and the infidels law??? Aren't they Muslim run away from sharia implementation on their country?? Why go to west and trying to occupy and implement a sharia?? Is it will be the same just like their previous country??"
Gentlemen, you and the author have all missed the point. Any abridged version of anything means certain things have been left out. Not only that, do not use any recent English translations of the Qur'an provided by the Muslim/Islamic individuals or groups. Use only older "approved" English translations no later than 2000, as recent editions of those translations have been edited to include revised Muslim thinking--yes changes to the "unchangeable" Qur'an; but that appears acceptable for tranlations, as they are just "interpretations" of what the pure Arabic Qur'an states. One significant change has to do with "usury". The old "approved" 1920 English translation by M.M.Pickthall, 2000 Edition, states that "Usury" is prohibited. Later edition of the same book, states "interest" is prohibited"--a very significant differece. Once obtaining a usable "approved" English Qur'an, one must first understand and appreciate the problems encountered by its almost complete lack of "chronology". Then, a more complex issue is that of "abrogations" (Get complete definition from Webster), and how these many undated "changes", inserted at random, thoughout the already confusing text makes the Qur'an almost completely undeceipherable, even by the learned Muslims, not to mention the considerable redundancy on many issues. Bottom line: abridged versions do not solve any of those problems, other than the redundancy issue. The abrograted material must be removed and the remainder placed into a chronological order--then you can dissect it to your hearts content.
Hi Don,
Trust me, read CSPI's Abridged Koran and you will realize this is the best way an English speaker can get the whole meaning of the Koran in the fewest possible pages, without leaving out anything.
And it would not be ideal to remove abrogated verses because abrogated does not mean the verses don't count or should be completely ignored. Abrogated means if two passages conflict in a particular situation, the later one trumps the earlier one.
Muslims in a non-Muslim culture often rely on the more tolerant passages because they are not in a powerful enough position yet to apply the more intolerant passages. So those abrogated verses cannot really be removed without losing something.
I am an ex-muslim, and I've read the first 20 pages. This information is exactly what I was taught in Islamic school, and it is not biased in any way. Every sermon you hear from any Imam (or Muslim Priest) mentions A) The Ummah (Muslims), and B) The Kafirs (Infidels), be it hate-speech or not. I know a good bit of Arabic and am pretty scrupulous when it comes to native English-speakers interperations of the Qur'an. The author of this book has done a great job conveying the MEANING of the Qur'an to Westerners. If you attempt to read the Qur'an in it's traditional form, you will get lost. Mainly because it's stories are so repetitive. You have to remember, like Jesus, Muhammad was attempting to PERSUADE his people that he was the Apostle of God. If you look at it through that lens, the truth of Islam becomes clear to you.
I got the Abridged Koran a few days ago. I have read quite a bit, but I cannot find 2:256 on "there is no compulsion in religion." I even searched the online pdf. Am I missing it, or is that an error? I wrote the publisher, but no answer so far. If it is an error, I will have to switch to something else.
I asked Bill Warner this question, and he said, "It is an abridged Koran."
If you want to find every passage in the Koran, you should get Bill Warner's "A Simple Koran." The Abridged version takes out all the repetition, so of course, every passage will not be included. Every MESSAGE in the Koran is included, but the endless repetition has been removed.
Warner also had this message for you: "If you're not satisfied with your purchase, give me a mailing address and I will send, at no charge, a Simple Koran that is complete."
Thank you Zackery for the reply. I will send away for the Simple Koran. I really appreciate it.
All the same, if a person hears that repetitive passages are taken out, then... um, I am confused. Is there another passage that says that there is no compulsion in religion? (The reason I was looking for it is that Muslims tend to toss it at a person right off the bat, seeking to prove a point. I think it should be in there -- unless there is another one and I have missed it.)
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