Qur'an

Thomas Jefferson's two-volume personal copy of George Sale's 1734 translation of the Qur'an is now in the collections of the Library of Congress. (Michaela McNichol, Library of Congress)

Thomas Jefferson owned a copy of the Qur'an, which was the second edition of a 1734 translation by George Sale, a two-volume set published in London in 1764. This set was sold to the Library of Congress in 1815, and rebound by the Library in 1918. The daybook of the Virginia Gazette records the purchase of this edition by Jefferson in Williamsburg in 1765.^[1] There are no other known records of Jefferson reacquiring this work, suggesting perhaps that it survived the fire at Jefferson's family home, Shadwell, in 1770.

In 2007, Jefferson's copy of the Qur'an was used by United States Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) to take his oath of office.

- Anna Berkes, March 20, 2009

Further Sources

• Hayes, Kevin J. "How Thomas Jefferson Read the Qur'an." Early American Literature vol. 39, no. 2 (2004): 247-61.
• Prange, Sebastian R. "Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an." Saudi Aramco World vol. 62, no. 4 (2011): 2-7.
• Sowerby, 2:90. See also this item's record in the Thomas Jefferson's Libraries Project.
• "Thomas Jefferson's Copy of the Koran To Be Used in Congressional Swearing-in Ceremony." Library of Congress Press Release, January 3, 2007.
• Widmer, Ted. "People of the Book: Adams, Jefferson and the Koran." Keynote address, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson: Libraries, Leadership and Legacy, Boston and Charlottesville, Va., June 21-27, 2009.
• Look for further sources in the Thomas Jefferson Portal.

Jefferson's Three Greatest Achievements: Religious Freedom

Video: A view of Jefferson's religious beliefs by David Holmes, retired professor of religion at the College of William and Mary.