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This is the first complete English narration of the Quran by an American woman and the first translation by an American women. Laleh Bakhtiar has provided a remarkable rendition of the Quran. Her achievement balances accuracy with poetry. In particular, her rendition corrects many of the prejudicial readings of certain passages of the Qur'an that have long been used to denigrate Islam. The Arabic of the Qur'an is not in any way transparent --even to native Arabic speakers. There are archaisms that have really never been adequately resolved. Dr. Bakhtiar takes an approach from critical literary practice, and chooses interpretations that are consistent with Islamic theology rather than adhering to some kind of philological pedantry. This is the first Quranic rendition undertaken by a female scholar. It is masterful and something that everyone should have in their library next to their other sacred texts. --William O. Beeman Director, Middle East Studies (Providence, RI USA) Narration available September 2008.