English Translations of the Qur'an

[azim]

As salamu alaykum.

I recently purchased Thomas Clearly's translation of the Quran. It claims to retain (more so than any other translation avaliable) the beauty and poetry of the Arabic Quran.

From my reading through it, I've found it's quite lacking. Especially in some aspects, there is no tafsir or sidenotes as well some times exchanging content and meaning for style.

I brought it for a new Muslim, but perhaps this may not be a good translation.

Does anyone know of a better copy for a new muslim? Or would like to recommend/review a translation of the Quran?

[Halima]

:sl:

thread moved


:w:

[Ansar Al-'Adl]

:sl: We have a thread reviewing translations in 'Education Issues' section. The overall best translation I would recommend:

Al-Qur'an : Guidance for Mankind English translation of the meaning by Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik. Links (English Only Paperback, Arabic and English Hardback, Travel Size Paperback).

:w:

[whitemuslimah]

Salaams all,
Just wondering what translation of Qur'an have you got? Who is the author? What translation is considered to be the most/least accurate/reliable? Thank you.

Mine is by M.Asad.

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[Muhammad]

:sl:

Threads merged.

Also see:http://www.islamicboard.com/304581-post17.html

And this one is good: http://www.islamicboard.com/educatio...ou-prefer.html

:w:

[Ansar Al-'Adl]

:sl:

Mine is by M.Asad.

That's not a good one - while the quality of the english is very good, his commentary and translation contains many errors and many views which go against the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh and the consensus of Muslim scholars, May Allah swt forgive him.

I would strongly recommend the following resources instead:

English Translations:
Al-Qur'an : Guidance for Mankind English translation of the meaning by Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik. Links (English Only Paperback, Arabic and English Hardback, Travel Size Paperback).

The Qur'aan: Arabic text with corresponding english meanings released by Saheeh International. Link (Here).

Commentary:
Ma'ariful Qur'an: A Comprehensive Commentary of the Holy Qur'an by the Late Grand Mufti of Pakistan, Muhammad Shafi. Links (7 volumes, Complete 8 Volumes from Al-Balagh).
Tafsir Ibn Kathir by Imâm Al-Hâfiz Ibn Kathîr, translated and abridged by a group of scholars under the supervision of Shaykh SafiurRahman Al-Mubarakpuri. Links (10 volume set, Available Online as well)

:w:

[bartdanr]

Peace to All,

I am a non-Muslim who would like to learn more about Islam.

Could you please recommend what is/are the "best" English translations of the Qur'an? I realize that much is lost in translation, but since I don't have the time to study Arabic at the present, I would like to read the Qur'an in my native language.

Your help would be appreciated.

Peace Again,
Bartdanr

[- Qatada -]

Hey. :)


I think the best translation or the most 'accurate' has to be the Sahih International Translation. You can view that from here insha'Allaah:


http://quranicrealm.com/


That site also has other translations such as Yusuf Ali, Muhsin Khan etc. Check them out insha'Allaah. :)



Peace.

[YusufNoor]

:sl:

the Qur'an that brother Fi_Sibillilah recommended IS the one that our Imam recommends for non-Muslims.

it's done by a group of scholars and representsthe best "translation".

i'm a "revert" of 8 months an i normally recommend that caution be used with the Qur'an when not in Arabic. imho, Quraysh Arabic is WAY TOO sophisticated for ANY ONE translation to give you a complete sense of it's purpose. you will miss out on the many varieties of meaning as well as totally missing the "Beauty" of the Qur'an!

i'm currently reading The Message of the Quran : New 2004 Authorized Edition (Muhammad Asad) English and Arabic. while not as "correct" as the Sahih International Translation, it DOES give one a sense of the "Beauty" and "Wonder" and "Joy" of the Qur'an. Asad spent 6 years living with Bedouin tribes and offers a keen insight as to sentence structure and purpose of many words and Ayahs.

his work is WELL researched and footnoted and as the subtitle says, it is "Translated AND Explained".

there are things about which i don't like, as he uses G-d for Allah (SWT) and Apostle for Rasul, BUT, if you're familiar with the "Bible" it REALLY feels like the Third Testament! i doubt that was his intention, but it really does come off as a continuation (and correction :) ) of the older "Books".

there's alot of background and historical information as well as the viewpoints of early Muslim scholars.

the book also contains alot of beautiful calligraphy as well as the transliteration of the Arabic. you can actually learn Surah's Al Fatihah and Al Ikhlas from it!

i've given out Sahih International Translation and people were disappointed that it was paperback and small, this is HUGE and it weighs a ton! of course, it's way more expensive than Sahih International Translation, but it feels and looks like a "Holy" book, especially if you've seen "special edition" Bibles.

take a look at the photos of some of the pages:

http://islamicbookstore-com.stores.yahoo.net/b8257.html

then, believe it or not, you should read a third translation. yup, i'm not kidding. if you research the very first Surah, Al Fatihah, you'll be convinced of what i'm saying. i read just the note's Moulana Mohamed Ali's Al Fatihah and "my jaw hit the floor". the "Seven oft' repeated verses" ALONE could take thousands of pages to explain everything that they mean!

the 1st Qur'an i completed was The Meaning of The Holy Qur'an: Arabic/English with Commentary PB US Edition Full-size (A Y Ali Amana Edition), link:

http://islamicbookstore-com.stores.yahoo.net/b3924.html

it's NOT bad, but imho, the author was way too into shaekspear and philosophy, especially for a Muslim. there are however almost as many notes as there are Ayahs, so it's heavy on "info". others contend that there are alot of "mistakes" in it. BUT, you might be able to get a copy at your local bookstore.

just my opinions...

:w:

[New_Muslim]

I heard somewhere that reading the Qur'an outside of Arabic is bad. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

[sojourner]

I have a translation by Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik with a copywrite of 1997 from the Institute of Islamic Knowledge in Houston, is this a good one to use?
I was a bit worried about it being from TX and expected to see "Ya'll" after each verse. ;D

[Woodrow]

I heard somewhere that reading the Qur'an outside of Arabic is bad. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

this is going to sound contradictory. There is no Qur'an outside of the Arabic. If it is not in the original Qur'anic Arabic it is a translation and not the Qur'an. All translations contain flaws as Arabic can not be translated into any other language accuratly.

There is nothing wrong for a non-Arabic speaking person to read a translation. However they must keep in mind that it is a translation, and translations will vary among translators. A Muslim should strive to learn sufficient Arabic to be able to read the original Arabic to the best of ones ability. Most Masjids will often offer Arabic classes. Plus quite often you can find a fellow brother to tutor you.

[Woodrow]

I have a translation by Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik with a copywrite of 1997 from the Institute of Islamic Knowledge in Houston, is this a good one to use?
I was a bit worried about it being from TX and expected to see "Ya'll" after each verse. ;D

Personaly I find the Malik translation to be good. However I recommend to also read additional translations to get a closer approximation of the true meaning.

For example let us look at Al-Fatihah as translated by different translators.

1: 1. In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. S P
1: 2. Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds; S P C
1: 3. Most Gracious, Most Merciful; S P
1: 4. Master of the Day of Judgment. S P
1: 5. Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek. S P C

1: 6. Show us the straight way, S P C
1: 7. The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray. S P C

Yusuf Ali's Quran Translation

1: 1. In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Y S
1: 2. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, Y S C
1: 3. The Beneficent, the Merciful. Y S
1: 4. Master of the Day of Judgment, Y S
1: 5. Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help. Y S C

1: 6. Show us the straight path, Y S C
1: 7. The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray. Y S C

Pickthal's Quran Translation

1: 1. In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. P Y
1: 2. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. P Y C
1: 3. The Beneficent, the Merciful. P Y
1: 4. Master of the Day of Judgment. P Y
1: 5. Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help. P Y C

1: 6. Keep us on the right path. P Y C
1: 7. The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray. P Y C

Shakir's Quran Translation

All three are translating the same three all three men are very proficient in English and Arabic, however you still get subtle differences. But, if you compare the three and understand that the true meaning is a combination of the three, you will gain a reasonable feeling of what is meant.

If you learn to understand just one Surah, let it be Al-Fatihah as that tells what Islam is and the rest of the Qur'an explains how to incorporate it into all we do.

[sojourner]

But ultimately, the best case scenario would be to learn how to read Arabic, right?

[Muhammad]

Greetings sojourner,

Yes, the best thing would be to read and understand the Qur'an in its original language. In this way, much more of its beauty and miraculous nature can be realised.

Thank you for your interest in Islam :).

[Erundur]

Peace to All,

I am a non-Muslim who would like to learn more about Islam.

Could you please recommend what is/are the "best" English translations of the Qur'an? I realize that much is lost in translation, but since I don't have the time to study Arabic at the present, I would like to read the Qur'an in my native language.

Your help would be appreciated.

Peace Again,
Bartdanr

Hello and Welcome,

quranicrealm.com is a excellent source of english translations of the Qur'an not only that but they also have the transliteration version of it, and the recitiation of all 114 surahs in which you can dowload from over a dozen different qur'anic reciters i.e... Abu Bakr Shatri, Ghamidi, Shuraim etc...

[Woodrow]

Hello and Welcome,

quranicrealm.com is a excellent source of english translations of the Qur'an not only that but they also have the transliteration version of it, and the recitiation of all 114 surahs in which you can dowload from over a dozen different qur'anic reciters i.e... Abu Bakr Shatri, Ghamidi, Shuraim etc...

Here is a clickable link: http://www.quranicrealm.com/viewverses.php?q=1

[zareena]

thank you for the links!!

[nismoskys]

(sorry if this is the wrong category).

I recently came across this beautiful English Translation of the meaning of the Qur'an.

Unlike pretty much any translation I had seen till I found this, this one used plain, easy to understand, common English, rather than the higher/harder to understand English used in most translations available.

(//I am not trying to sell these, but this is the only reference I have atm) Here is a link to a site that sells them
http://www.soundvisioncanada.com/sho...?item=4396-002
or another link on amazon that allows you to see a couple pages of it if you click the image:
http://www.amazon.com/Al-Quran-Guida.../dp/0911119809

I first found it at my local masjid, 'Dar-Ul-Uloom Al Islamiyah of America' if any of you may know of it. It turned out that they actually had quite a few extra new copies at hand, and our Mohazzin that takes care of the masjid is such a nice man, all I had to do was ask.

I read somewhere that they are working on an online version so everyone can have access to this work, I forgot, though, where I had seen that, as well as when it would be done.

I Started reading it from the very beginning and I've barely finished the first three surahs so far, but I can surely say that it has been much easier to stay connected with what's going on in the surah in comparison to other translations that I've read.

Insha'Allah, see if you may find any copies of this at your local mosque. If so, I strongly suggest you take a look at it.

May Allah reward us all, especially during this month of Ramadan, and grant us Jannah.

Jazakallah Khair

:sl: