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The Qur'an

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Downloading the Qur'an (Koran)

The Quran (Koran) is the holy book of Islam. You can download a complete English translation of the Qur'an from the link below. This version of the Quran translation is in pdf file format (About 1.6 MB ). You will need an Acrobat Reader  to read it. On most browsers, right-click on one of the download links below and then choose "Save Target As" to save the PDF file.

Revised and corrected edition includes expanded historical introduction.

Download the complete Qur'an in PDF  (Right-Click the link and Select Save Target As...) Site 1  

If you don't have the Acrobat Reader then Click here to get Acrobat Reader.

IMPORTANT NOTE - BE SURE TO READ THIS

This adaptation of the Quran, historical introduction and editing are copyright 2001, 2004 and 2011 by MidEastWeb RA. You may use and distribute the physical PDF file intact and as is, without any changes at all, including the file name, provided you do not charge for it or use it as part of a commercial venture. Any other abuse is plagiarism and theft, and is a violation of copyright laws.

About the Qur'an

The Qur’an (Koran), meaning recitation, is the sacred book of Islam. According to Muslim tradition, it was revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad in separate revelations over the major portion of his life at Mecca and at Medina. The Qur'an was probably compiled as a single volume under the third caliph, Uthman, who appointed a committee (651-52). The internal organization of the Qur'an is somewhat ad hoc. Revelations consisted of verses (ayat) grouped into 114 chapters (surahs). The arrangement of the suras is mechanical: the first, al-Fateha or "the Opening," is a short prayer exalting God that has become an essential part of all Islamic liturgy and prayer. The rest are graded generally by length, from longest to shortest. It is impossible to tell from the book the chronological order of the surahs. Some of the Surahs begin with letters of the Arabic alphabet, as though meant to be numbered, others do not. Some Surah of the Qur'an refer or allude to religious and historical events but seldom provide comprehensive accounts. God in the Qur'an speaks in the first person. The Qur'an is written in an especially elegant and difficult Arabic that is not easily interpreted or rendered into other languages. Being the verbatim Word of God, the text of the Qur'an is valid for religious purposes only in its original Arabic, cannot be modified, and is not translatable, although the necessity for non-Arabic interpretations is recognized.

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