The Qur'an is universally known as the sacred book of Islam, and in today's world it is as important to the non-Muslim community as to the Muslim one. Chapters and sections included in this volume aim to introduce the non-Muslim reader to the essential wisdom, beauty and majesty of this sacred book. The present translation makes some passages of the admirable book more accessible to those seeking to understand its meaning in easily comprehensible language. Thomas Cleary, with his poet's touch and a traveller's love for the journey to Truth, has crafted a stunning evocation of the 'untranslatable' verses of the noble Qur'an, pointing out facts like 'Islam does not demand unreasoned belief' along the way. For too long, the West has viewed the Qur'an as shrouded in an alien time and culture. In Essential Koran, Cleary has distilled the essence of Islam to include all the key spiritual passages. Each section is presented with explanatory notes in a historical and logical order to reveal the depths of Islamic spirituality.