As the fundamental text of Islam, the Qur’an (or Koran) holds a revered place in the religious life of nearly two billion people around the globe. It also occupies a place in the ideological tumult of our age, where its messages are often distorted by fear, false assumptions, and misbegotten advocacy. It is a primary element of Islamic faith that the Qur’an in Arabic is the verbatim word of God, possessed of an authority no translation can convey. “We have made this (Qur’an) easy in your tongue,” God assures the Arabic-speaking faithful (in Ahmed Ali’s rendering). Its thousands of verses (ayat), arranged into 114 chapters (suras), constitute a body of wisdom, prescription, and exhortation that is meant to be prayed and pondered as much as read. In fact, the word “Qur’an” springs from the root meaning “to recite,” and the intricate rhyme and rhythmic energy that characterize the original Arabic—difficult if not impossible to mimic in English—are no doubt an aid to recitation of the verses