A new English translation of the holy book of Islam has been released by the Delhi-based Institute of Islamic and Arab Studies that aims to present the Qur’ān the way Islam’s earliest generations understood it. It is the first major Indian contribution to the English translation of the Qur’ān since the popular translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, which was first published in the early 1930s. With its copious annotations and appendices, this edition offers a complete introduction to the tenets of Islam.
The translator, Indian scholar Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan, initially started the work as a revision of Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s translation which, according to him, has many inaccuracies and mistakes, in addition to using archaic and versified language. Dr. Khan’s work slowly progressed over 11 years into a totally new translation with over two thousand new annotations and several appendices on the introduction to the Qur’ān, a biography of Prophet Muhammad, the Beautiful Names of Allah, a dictionary of Islamic terms and a subject index of the Quran. As such, this new translation of the Quran is a complete guide to Islam.
The translator is a well-known scholar of Islam who studied at Al-Azhar and Cairo universities and got his PhD in Islamic Studies from Manchester University. Along with his command over Arabic, he also is fluent in English and Urdu and has written scores of books in these three languages. He was a senior research fellow at The Muslim Institute in London for around 14 years. He writes and speaks Arabic with native fluency, which placed him in a unique position to do such a difficult job.
In this work, Dr. Khan depended only on the most authentic and original Arabic works and oldest books on exegesis and biographies of the Prophet and the most authentic dictionaries of the Quran and Arabic language in order to determine the meanings of difficult words, expressions and terms.
The copious new annotations have taken into account the kind of questions an ordinary Muslim or non-Muslim reader may have while reading the Quranic text. The absence of this approach in many translations has led to problems and doubts exploited by adversaries of Islam.
Dr. Khan says that he has tried to present a translation that reflects as accurately as possible the way Islam’s earliest generations understood the holy text. He believes this new translation is the most accurate version of the holy Islamic scripture in simple, modern English.
The translation is published by Delhi publisher Pharos Media in two editions. One has parallel Arabic text with its English translation. The other edition is without the Arabic text. The work may be ordered from bo***@ph*********.com, Amazon.in or Flipkart. The translation will soon be published by a number of publishers in various countries and will also be available on TheGloriousQuran.net, which is under construction.
APPRECIATION
This translation is a comprehensive introduction to Islam. —Aljazeera, Doha, Qatar
Dr Zafarul-Islam is a world famous and accomplished scholar of Arabic and Islam. With its appendices, this translation is a very comprehensive yet short Islamic encyclopedia. —Prof. Abdul Majid Qazi, Department of Arabic, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
The latest achievement of the distinguished scholar and author is his translation of the Holy Quran. He has well discharged the duty of introduction of Islam in the modern world. —Prof. Akhtarul Wasey, Prof. Emeritus (Islamic Studies), Jamia Millia Islamia,New Delhi
Khan’s translation is accurate, conveying effectively the sense of the original. He deserves credit for having opted for simple, easy-to-understand English, free from jargon or any embellishment. A valuable component of Khan’s interpretation of the Qur’ān is his sane and pragmatic advice to the Muslims living as minorities all over the world… the sweep of Khan’s scholarship is astonishingly rich and deep. His reader-friendly presentation skills have enhanced the usefulness of the work. —Muslim World Book Review, Leicester, UK
This translation is one of the better works on the Qur’an, and the modern English translation makes it easier to read and understand the Qur’anic verses. It is highly recommended. —The Muslim News, London
Translation of the Quranic text is of high standard, simple and in easy to understand lucid English… A bright aspect of this translation is that it guides Muslims as to how they should live as minorities in non-Muslim majority countries… The beauty of it English language, authenticity of its translation and representing Tafsīr bil-Māthūr to a large extent are the hallmarks of this translation. — Tahqiqat-e Islami, Aligarh
Each new translation improves on the prior ones. This one, being the most recent, is unquestionably superior. I can safely refer it to anyone who asks me for opinion on the best Qur’an translation, both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. — Syed Abdullah Tariq, Rampur
Accurate, authentic and accessible to the general English reader as possible. None could have done better among the contemporary Muslim scholars I am acquainted with. — Anis Luqman, Sedra, Abu Dhabi
La jawab – Unparalleled. —Shakil Rashid, Editor, Mumbai Urdu News
One of the best translations of the Holy Quran I have come across. —Dr Mohammad Makram Balawi, Istanbul, Turkey
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