The beauty and genius of the quran is not really in its message or in its content, it's in its recitation. Muhammad (or whoever wrote the quran) was a great composer and lyricist. It's the power of the sound and style of the recited words, coupled with their dramatic and over the top appeals to the divine and the hereafter, that make the quran compelling in my opinion. All of that is totally lost in translation, so the message just ends up standing naked for what it is.
It's kinda like that really catchy song that you love on the radio until you hear what they are actually saying. I remember thinking that a while back when I finally read the lyrics to "Semi Charmed Life" a while back.
With the quran though, since the subject matter is god and heaven and hell and all that sort of stuff, the style and recitation can be quite moving, especially when you already believe it's from god.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K6k-sjgf2g&feature=youtube_gdata_player