8. When discussing the principal religious text of Islam, is it best to call it the Koran, the Qur'an, the Quran?
From Quiz Treading (Carefully) Where Saints Have Trod
Answer:
any of these spellings
The discussion about the proper name for this holy book arises from the difficulty of transliterating a word from its language of origin into another language. The name of the book means, literally, "the recitation." The name reflects the belief that the angel Gabriel dictated its contents to the Prophet Muhammad. The AP Stylebook recommends Quran. The Chicago Manual of Style recommends Koran with Qur'an as an alternative. The Arab American News uses Qur'an. The American American Heritage dictionary, Webster's New World College Dictionary dictionary, and Oxford English Dictionary all endorse Koran. Quiz writers are free to use whichever word they prefer but, once made, this choice should then be used consistently.
This rule holds true from any word that is transliterated from another language of origin, and, yes, this includes the Bible. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, translated to Greek, then to Latin, and finally to other world languages. Many different forms of the same name can be found, and all are acceptable.