Which quran translation is best

For a brief, though highly useful, survey of the Muslim attitudes towards the permissibility of translating the text of the revelation to non-Arabic tongues, see M. The Muslim need for Quran English translation arose mainly out of the desire to combat the missionary effort.

Following a long polemical tradition, part of whose goal was also the production of a - usually erroneous and confounding - European version of the Muslim scripture, Christian missionaries started their offensive against a politically humiliated Islam in the eighteenth century by advancing their own Quran English translation.

Obviously, Muslims could not allow the missionary effort - invariably confounding the authenticity of the text with a hostile commentary of its own - to go unopposed and unchecked. Hence, the Muslim decision to present a faithful translation of the Quranic text as well as an authentic summary of its teaching to the European world.

Later, the Muslim translations were meant to serve even those Muslims whose only access to the Quranic revelation was through the medium of the European languages. Naturally, English was deemed the most important language for the Muslim purpose, not least because of the existence of the British Empire which after the Ottomans had the largest number of Muslim subjects.

The same rationale, however, applies to sectarian movements within Islam or even to renegade groups outside the fold of Islam, such as the Qadiyanis. Their considerable translational activities are motivated by the urge to proclaim their ideological uniqueness.

Although there is a spate of volumes on the multi-faceted dimensions of the Quran, no substantial work has so far been done to critically examine the mass of existing English translations of the Quran. Even bibliographical material on this subject was quite scant before the fairly recent appearance of World Bibliography of the Translations of the Meanings of the Holy Quran Istanbul, OIC Research Centre, , which provides authoritative publication details of the translations of the Quran in sixty-five languages.

Some highly useful work in this field had been done earlier by Dr. Hamidullah of Paris. Pearson, as is the latter's article in the Encyclopaedia of Islam. It is, however, of not much use to the Muslim. Since none of the above-mentioned works is annotated, the reader gets no idea about the translator's mental make-up, his dogmatic presuppositions and his approach to the Quran as well as the quality of the translation.

Thus, studies which focus on those aspects of each translation of the Quran are urgently needed lest Western scholars misguide the unsuspecting non-Arabic speaking readers of the Quran. An effort has been made in this survey to bring out the hallmarks and shortcomings of the major complete translations of the Quran. The early English translations of the Quran by Muslims stemmed mainly from the pious enthusiasm on their part to refute the allegations leveled by the Christian missionaries against Islam in general and the Quran in particular.

All fictitious romance, questionable history and disputed theories have been carefully avoided' Patiala, ;. Intended as 'a complete and exhaustive reply to the manifold criticisms of the Koran by various Christian authors such as Drs. Sale, Rodwell, Palmer and Sir W. Muir' Delhi, ; and. Since none of these early translations was by a reputed Islamic scholar, both the quality of the translation and level of scholarship are not very high and these works are of mere historical interest.

Muhammad Marmaduke William Pickthall, an English man of letters who embraced Islam, holds the distinction of bringing out a first-rate rendering of the Qur'an in English, The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'an London, It keeps scrupulously close to the original in elegant, though now somewhat archaic, English.

However, although it is one of the most widely used English translations, it provides scant explanatory notes and background information. This obviously restricts its usefulness for an uninitiated reader of the Qur'an. Abdullah Yusuf Ali's The Holy Qur'an: Translation and Commentary Lahore, 37 , perhaps the most popular translation, stands as another major achievement in this field.

A civil servant by vocation, Yusuf Ali was not a scholar in the classical Muslim tradition. Small wonder, then, that some of his copious notes, particularly on hell and heaven, angels, jinn and polygamy, etc.

Ahmad and S. Ameer Ali. His overemphasis on things spiritual also distorts the Qur'anic worldview. Against this is the fact that Yusuf Ali doubtless was one of the few Muslims who enjoyed an excellent command over the English language.

It is fully reflected in his translation. Though his is more of a paraphrase than a literal translation, yet it faithfully represents the sense of the original. Like PIckthall's earlier attempt, it is a faithful rendering, supplemented with useful notes on historical, geographical and eschatological issues, particularly the illuminating discussions on comparative religion.

Though the notes are not always very exhaustive, they help to dispel the doubts in the minds of Westernized readers.

However, it too contains inadequate background information about the Suras chapters of the Quran and some of his notes need updating. The Meaning of the Qur'an Lahore, , the English version of Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdud'i's magnum opus, the Urdu Tafhim al-Quran is an interpretative rendering of the Qur'an which remarkably succeeds in recapturing some of the majesty of the original.

Since Mawdudi, a great thinker, enjoyed rare mastery over both classical and modern scholarship, his work helps one develop an understanding of the Qur'an as a source of guidance. His logical line of argument, generous sensibility, judicious use of classical Muslim scholarship and practical solutions to the problems of the day combine to show Islam as a complete way of life and as the Right Path for the whole of mankind.

Since the translation of this invaluable work done by Muhammad Akbar is pitiably poor and uninspiring, the much-needed new English translation of the entire work is in progress under the auspices of the Islamic Foundation, Leicester.

The Message of the Quran by Muhammad Asad Gibraltar, represents a notable addition to the body of English translations couched in chaste English. This work is nonetheless vitiated by deviation from the viewpoint of the Muslim orthodoxy on many counts. Averse to take some Qur'anic statements literally, Asad denies the occurrence of such events as the throwing of Abraham into the fire, Jesus speaking in the cradle, etc.

He also regards Luqman, Khizr and Zulqarnain as 'mythical figures' and holds unorthodox views on the abrogation of verses. The entire Quran here is translated into English and also transliterated into the English alphabet to aid in pronunciation of the Arabic text.

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List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Sundus on April 1, at am. Jazak Allah khayr Reply. Ariffin on June 26, at pm. How can we get a copy of this? Meegan on June 27, at am. Salam do you have recommendation for an Arabic to English Quran with transliteration?

Quranic on June 27, at am. Sayed on July 12, at pm. Adnan on June 27, at am. Yes I know about this one! I Hussain on June 27, at am. Goburdhun maarzeea on June 27, at am. TO understand Quran for Me is to connect with Allah only. Maria on June 27, at pm. Naved Islam on June 27, at pm. KamalButler on July 3, at pm. Avana Nachia on July 3, at pm. Tremendous help in really understanding the meaning individually!

Quranic on July 4, at pm. Karen Webb on July 9, at pm. Abbie John on July 19, at am. Do you have a recommendation for an Arabic to English Quran? Kamal on September 1, at am. Imtiaz on November 15, at pm. Abu Banaat on November 16, at pm. Salam Ust kindly enlightened me on surah AlWaqiah verse Quranic on December 25, at pm. Hafijur on November 17, at am. Zozo on January 9, at am. Zarif Atai on January 13, at pm. Sorry, please ignore my previous reply.

I thought you had replied to my comment. Ana Muslim on November 22, at pm. And she does it better… Reply. Abu Banaat on December 25, at pm. Mustafa Khattab on January 9, at am. Quranic on January 9, at am. Welcome Imam Mustafa, surely we will add your translation to our review. Jamil on March 26, at am. Quranic on March 26, at am. Lino Pellet on April 10, at am. Samy Mahdy on April 14, at am.

Samy Mahdy on June 10, at am. Elias K on May 11, at pm. Karen on May 12, at am. Bryan Hanstein on August 11, at pm. God only knows! Shaquita Kosmatka on September 2, at am. I read a lot on this issue today.