The Qur'an: A New Translation - The eternal present tense

The Qur'an: A New Translation - The eternal present tense

The Qur'an: A New Translation

by Tarif Khalidi

530pp, Penguin Classics, £25

Khalidi wants the reader to enjoy the experience of reading the Qur'an. Of course, he wants to communicate the majesty of its language, the beauty of its style, and the "eternal present tense" of its grammar. But he also wants the reader to appreciate the Qur'an's unique structure, how the language changes with the subject matter, how it swirls around and makes rhythmic connections. He wishes to show how each of the seven tropes of the Qur'an (command, prohibition, glad tidings, warnings, sermons, parables and narratives) registers a change in the style of its language. A lofty ambition, but one he pulls off with some success.

http://www.newageislam.com/the-qur-an--a-new-translation---the-eternal-present-tense/books-and-documents/d/195