There was a time when ordinary Americans did not have to know much about Islam, but that is no longer the case. We blundered into the longest war in our history without knowing basic facts about the Islamic civilization we were dealing with, and we are constantly fed false information about Islam--claims that it is essentially a religion of violence, that's sacred book is a handbook for terrorists. There is no way to assess these claims unless we have at least some knowledge of the Qur'an.
Seyyed Houssein Nasr, Caner K. Dagli, Maria Massi Dakake, Joseph E. B. Lumbard, & Mohammed Rustom, eds., The Study Quran: A New Translation (New York: HarperOne/HarperCollins, 2015). From the "General Introduction":
The Quran, then, is the foundation of Muslim life and of Islamic civilization in all its aspects. It is a sacred reality that accompanies Muslims throughout their lives. It is at once the means of discernment between truth and error, the criterion of judgement of their actions, and their protector and source of grace and comfort. It is both their judge and their friend; it indicates in the soul both the love and fear of God. For believers the Quran is not an inanimate book, but the living Word of God. Its verses words, and even letters are living beings that speak to believers and also mysteriously 'hear' them. The Sacred Text is the Muslin's constant companion from the beginning tot the end of life and in beyond earthly life on the journey to that Reality from which the Quran descended.
