We used Dawood's poetic translation for a smooth reading but foolishly did not attempt to read the text in chronological order. Alas, had we done so, perhaps it would have been a more pleasant read. Instead, we forced ourselves to read the various longer surahs of the first half of the Koran before the shorter chapters in the later section, having to read Allah basically say the same things over and over and over to Muhammad. But we still enjoyed it at the pace of a few surahs per day, read at a leisurely pace and with an interest in understanding how this text has been a cornerstone for Islamic societies which interest us historically. We will have to continue our readings in Islamic texts while pursuing our study of West Africa and the Sahel.
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