It's me again. I just wanted to rectify the names of the scholars from whose translations of The Holy Quran, this book by Camille Adams Helminski is based. The names of those scholars are Abdullah Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Asad.

Camille Helminski has done a wonderful job bringing this book to the world especially when so many misconceptions exist between Islam and other major religions.

Drawn on the english translations of Yusuf Ali and Asad Ali, the author has favoured us by compiling an absolutely valuable collection of the most common verses from The Holy Quran.

Sister Camille is a big fan of the famous Sufi poet Jallaluddin Rumi. Her introduction on the text is yet another major icebreaker.

Congratulations.

I love books, and this is one of the few I have read and re-read many times. I stumbled across "Happiness Without Death" at a seminar three years ago, drawn by its unusual title. Once I read two of Assad Ali's poems, I was hooked.

Each of the poems in this volume was inspired by a surah (book) of the Qur'an, and each poem gives a rare glance into the type of deep worship that many people crave these days, though they don't realize it. Ali blends his utter devotion to God with his finely honed intellect and his ability to listen so deeply that his heart transcends ordinary reality. The resulting prayers/poems calm me when I'm crabby, pep me up when I awaken still tired from not enough sleep, and have inspired many of my own poems and essays.

If you want contemporary freeform verse that captures the essence of the Essence, this is it. As an added gift, the last portion of this volume contains fresh translations of the first thirty chapters of the Qur'an as they were revealed to the prophet Muhammad, with brief commentaries that make them accessible to Western readers.

Buy this book for someone you love, for someone curious about the true heart of Islam beyond the politics that dominate the media, for an aspiring poet, or simply as a well deserved gift for yourself. Enjoy!

This book delivers the universal message that all spiritual beings yearn for in selected verses from the Holy Quran. The translations are easy to read and well written.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about Islam and spirituality.

This book very quickly introduced me to Rumi whom I now consider one of the great spiritual teachers in my life. He loved God so deeply and his words exude this love in a way which is infectious. Helminski has done a great job of breaking out small fragments from the larger body of Rumi's work and has presented them in a format for easy assimilation. Each bite-sized piece though, is extremely profound and capable of capturing the attention for a lifetime of purposeful remembering. I never feel bored with Rumi's writings and refer to his words often to find that spiritual refreshment to make it through, what would otherwise be, trying days. Helminski's translation seems superior to other translations I have read of Rumi's words. Though I'm not capable of comparing it to the orignal, Helminski's translations sing for me like no others do. A most rewarding book and now a valued frequent companion for me.