M.A.R. Habib & Bruce B. Lawrence 
The Qur’an: A Verse Translation 

Islam’s founding text, rendered for the first time in flowing English verse.

This monumental feat of translation, the product of a ten-year-long collaboration between one of our most respected scholars of Islam (Bruce B. Lawrence) and a poet and scholar of literature (M. A. R. Habib),
The Qur’an: A Verse Translation offers readers the first rendering in English to echo, in accessible and fluent verse, the sonorous beauty of the Arabic original as well as the complex nuances of its meaning.



Those familiar with the Qur’an in Arabic—especially the faithful who each day hear the text recited aloud—know that it is a sublime blend of sound and sense, music and meaning. While no translation can perfectly capture the inimitable virtues of the original, Habib and Lawrence have come closest to a readable, clear, and fluid English Qur’an that all readers, regardless of their faith or familiarity with the text, can read with pleasure, gaining a deeper appreciation of the book and the religious tradition it inspired.



A rich and informative introduction situates the Qur’an in its cultural context and describes its unique structure and history. A note from the translators explains their painstaking efforts to address the many challenges that any translator must face when rendering the Qur’an into English. Extensive notes and explanatory apparatus will help all readers—whether they are familiar with the original or coming to the text for the first time—to read (and hear) the Qur’an with fresh understanding and insight.

About the author

Bruce B. Lawrence is the Marcus Family Humanities Professor of Religion Emeritus at Duke University and adjunct professor at the Alliance of Civilizations Institute, Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of sixteen books about Islam, including The Koran in English: A Biography (2017). He lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina.