What passages in Thomas Jefferson's letters discuss the Quran and its translation?
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Executive summary
Thomas Jefferson owned a two-volume English translation of the Qur’an (George Sale’s 1734 work, Jefferson’s copy published in 1764) and scholars have traced his interest in that translation across decades of writing and note-taking [1] [2] [3]. Available sources report Jefferson bought the book as a law student in 1765 and used it as part of his wider reading on law, religion, and foreign systems — but they do not point to a single, definitive long letter in which Jefferson discusses the Qur’an at length [1] [4] [3].
1. Jefferson’s Qur’an: ownership and provenance
Jefferson purchased the two-volume English translation by George Sale while a law student in the mid-1760s; that copy is now in the Library of Congress and was rebound in 1918 after Jefferson sold his library to Congress in 1815 [1] [5]. Multiple accounts confirm Sale’s translation was the edition Jefferson owned and that it introduced many English readers to the Qur’an [1] [5] [2].
2. What Jefferson read it for: law, curiosity, or strategy?
Contemporary and later historians present competing interpretations. The Smithsonian and Monticello emphasize Jefferson’s curiosity about comparative religion and legal traditions — he read widely on Middle Eastern languages, history, and travel to understand legal systems [4] [1]. Other accounts underline pragmatic motives: some contemporaries linked English Protestant interest in Sale’s edition to understanding or arguing against Islam; histories note Jefferson may have read it to understand Ottoman or North African law and politics as well as the “enemies” his country confronted [2] [6].
3. Jefferson’s written traces: notes, quotations and scarce explicit discussion
Scholars such as Denise A. Spellberg and others report Jefferson took “extensive notes on Islam as it relates to English common law” and that his reading of Sale’s translation marked the start of a long-term interest [3]. However, available sources do not present any long, famous Jefferson “letter on the Qur’an” that lays out a comprehensive theological judgment; instead, reporting points to marginalia, occasional notes, and his broader references to toleration and law while debating civil rights for religious minorities [3] [7].
4. Where to find passages: published letters vs. Jefferson’s marginalia
If your goal is to locate Jefferson’s explicit commentary, primary avenues in the reporting are: (a) the Jefferson Papers and collections that record his letters and notes — Monticello’s encyclopedia entry notes the Qur’an’s place in his library but does not transcribe a singular letter about it [1]; (b) scholarly treatment such as Denise Spellberg’s Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an, which aggregates Jefferson’s references, context, and notes rather than pointing to one long epistolary discussion [3]. The Library of Congress holds the physical copy but has restricted access because of wear [8] [5].
5. How historians interpret Jefferson’s stance on Islam
Historians disagree about Jefferson’s attitude. Some emphasize an Enlightenment-inflected tolerance: Jefferson quoted John Locke and defended civil rights irrespective of religious confession, and scholars argue he envisioned Muslims included in the body politic [7]. Others stress his “personal disdain for the faith” alongside intellectual curiosity and a utilitarian interest in Islamic law’s relevance to international affairs [3] [4]. Spellberg’s work, cited repeatedly in the reporting, argues Jefferson and several founders used the notion of toleration for Muslims to advance legal protections in the new republic [3].
6. Famous public moments tied to Jefferson’s Qur’an
Jefferson’s copy reentered public debate in 2007 when Rep. Keith Ellison used a copy of Sale’s translation owned by Jefferson for his swearing-in; the Library of Congress facilitated the loan and commentators invoked Jefferson as a symbol of early American toleration and learning [5] [9]. Reporting on that episode highlights how Jefferson’s ownership has become a political and symbolic touchstone beyond the content of his private notes [5] [9].
7. Limits of available reporting and next steps for primary texts
Available sources document Jefferson’s ownership, suggest scattered notes and an ongoing interest, and point researchers to Spellberg’s book and archival holdings at Monticello and the Library of Congress for primary material [3] [1] [5]. They do not, however, quote a single long Jefferson letter that analyzes the Qur’an line by line; for verbatim passages, consult the Jefferson Papers, Monticello’s manuscript collections, or Spellberg’s citations as the next step [3] [1].