Translations of the Qur’an Part II

Laleh Bakhtiar

A Brief about her:
forensic-speaker-bakhtiar-lg She was born in 1938, in New York City, USA. She is an Iranian-American Muslim author, translator and clinical psychologist. She grew up in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., as a Catholic. At the age of 24, moved to Iran with her Iranian husband, an architect, and their three children, where she began to study Islam under her teacher and mentor, Dr Seyyed Hossein Nasr at Tehran University, studying Qur’anic Arabic, eventually converting in 1964. She returned to the U.S. in 1988. She holds a BA in History from Chatham College in Pennsylvania, an MA in Philosophy, an MA in Counseling Psychology and a PhD in Educational Foundations. She is also a Nationally Certified Counselor. As of 2007 Bakhtiar lives in Chicago, where she is president of the Institute of Traditional Psychology and Scholar-in-Residence at Kazi Publications.

She has translated and written a combination of 25 books about Islam, many dealing with Sufism. She has also authored or co-authored a number of biographical works. Her translation of the Qur’an, first published in 2007 and called The Sublime Qur’an, is the first translation of the Qur’an by an American woman. Laleh Bakhtiar’s translation attempts to take a female perspective, and to admit alternative meanings to many Arabic terms that are ambiguous or whose meaning scholars have had to guess because of the antiquity of the language. Bakhtiar has stopped wearing the headscarf, worn by many Muslim women, after the September 11 attacks, as she came to believe that in America it does not promote its goal of modesty and attracts excessive attention.

The Purpose of this Work:

Dr Lelah says the following about this translation:
“The Arabic Word of God was, is and remains the Word of God. There is no change in Arabic. The change is in our perception, our interpretation… While I have personally been blessed by my contacts with the most understanding and compassionate of men in my lifetime, and I have never found myself in a situation of being physically threatened or beaten, reading about and hearing first-hand stories of women who have, I felt the deep sense that I am essentially and spiritually one with them by my very existence. The question I kept asking myself during the years of working on the translation: How could God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, sanction husbands beating their wives? The feeling, however, did not rise to the surface until the day I first publicly presented the results of this translation of the Sublime Qur’an at the WISE (Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equity) Conference (November, 2006), in particular in reference to 4:34. There were 150 Muslim women from all over the world who had gathered to discuss the possibility of forming a Women¹s Islamic Council. I gave the logic as to why the word “to beat” in 4:34 has to revert to its original interpretation as understood by the Prophet Muhammad, peace and the mercy of God be upon him. At the end of the session, two Muslim women approached me. They said that they work in shelters for battered women and that they and the women in the shelters have been waiting for 1400 years for someone to pay attention to this issue through a translation of the Qur’an. The heavyweight of responsibility suddenly fell upon my shoulders. I had to publish my findings as soon as possible so that, with the Will of God, one less woman: wife, mother, sister, daughter, cousin, friend, in general, or Muslim wife, in particular, would be beaten at all and especially not in the Name of God; so that by initiating a dialogue, the minds of the exclusivists will awaken to consciousness and conscience; they will counsel those husbands who place their hand on the Word of God and give themselves permission to beat their wives, that they have neither the legal nor the moral right to do that. It is the prayer of all women throughout the world that all future translations of the Qur’an, in whatever language, will revert the interpretation back to the legal and moral principles of the Qur’an and Sunnah of the blessed Prophet, inshallah. God knows best.”

The Adopted Style:

Her work seeks to create understanding between non-Muslims and Muslims. In her Qur’an translation, she translates kāfirūn as “those who are ungrateful” instead of the common translations “unbelievers” or “infidels.” She also translates the Arabic word ḍaraba in Chapter 4, Verse 34, concerning the treatment of a husband towards a rebellious wife, as “go away” instead of the common “beat” or “hit.” The English words “God” and “Mary” are used instead of the Arabic Allāh and Maryam. Bakhtiar believes these translations will not push non-Muslims away from Islam.

On the website of her translation, she says the following:
“Words not appearing in the Arabic, but necessary for English, have been put in italics along with interpretative words or phrases to clarify the context. An example is that often the Qur’an refers to someone¹s being struck blind, deaf and dumb. The meaning refers to someone who is “unwilling to see, hear or speak,” not someone who is physically disabled. Therefore, I have added in italics the word “unwilling.”
For every Arabic verb perfect (past tense), imperfect (present and future tense), and imperative form, the same basic English equivalent is used adjusted according to whether it is past, present or a command. A different English equivalent is used for a verbal noun, an active or passive participle, and a noun, again, adjusted according to its usage. The English equivalents for these verbs and nouns are then studied in context and, where necessary for correct meaning, an alternative equivalent that has not been previously used elsewhere in the text is used. This resulted in 5800+ unique English equivalents. I then added some 50,000+ particles (adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions or interjections not listed in the al-Mujim al-mufahris to complete the database.
Beginning this process seven years ago with the words instead of the first sentence, I later learned that this was much the method, called formal equivalence, used in the translation of the King James Version of the Bible first published in 1611 CE. This translation, then, is one of formal equivalence in order to be as close to the original as possible. This is the most objective type of translation, as compared to a translation using dynamic equivalence, where the translator attempts to translate the ideas or thoughts of a text, rather than the words, which results in a much more subjective translation.”

“There are various marks used in the science of recitation that are marked in the English translation as well so that one can read the English translation as one listens to the recitation. This will be even more useful in the bi-lingual edition to follow. There, also, the English translation will be more exact for those who wish to learn Quranic Arabic. That translation will distinguish between 2nd person singular (i.e., thee, thou, thine) and 2nd person plural (you) which the present translation does not do. This is by special request from English speaking readers who find it difficult to relate to the usage of thee, thou and thine and the relevant verb forms. As a compromise to them, when the reader finds the word you in bold (you), that indicates that the original was thou or thee and (your) was thy or thine in the Arabic.”

Selected Reviews:

MARCIA HERMANSEN DIRECTOR OF ISLAMIC WORLD STUDIES PROGRAM AND PROFESSOR IN THE THEOLOGY DEPARTMENT LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO: “One of things that strikes me about the translation is how its reception in the mainstream; Muslim community–at least in North America, made it less acceptable or even unacceptable for Muslim community leaders to simply repeat misogynistic interpretations. I refer specifically to the ISNA representative in Canada who wanted to ban the book–and the response from US leadership that ISNA supports women’s rights and allows expression of a variety of opinions on Islam. It is clear that this pioneering project opened up conversations about gender relations in the community that needed to take place, and provoked a productive re-examination of assumptions about interpretation and authority.”

YORIYOS SON OF YUSUF ISLAM (FORMERLY CAT STEVENS): “We love and appreciate the work your mother has done and continues to do, Alhamdullilah. MashAllah, Thank you for your work Laleh. My father (Yusuf Islam) and I have been reading your books in admiration. We champion you and pray you are eternally blessed. With Peace and Much Respect Yoriyos”

DAVE EGGERS AMERICAN NOVELITY AUTHOR OF ZEITOUN on the Oprah show recommends the Sublime Quran: “I’m giving copies of the Qur’an, in a new translation by Laleh Bakhtiar. For anyone who wants to know more about Islam, or simply wants to read a beautiful book, this really is the most accessible version in English. ASMA BARLAS, PHD ITHACA COLLEGE DIRECTOR CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF CULTURE, RACE AND ETHNICITY. As to my thoughts on the Sublime Qur’an, since I am not a scholar of Arabic, I can’t talk about its linguistic accuracy, etc. However, what I think is significant about Laleh Bakhtiar’s translation is that it opens up new interpretive possibilities for Muslims. As I always point out, the Quran says that those who read it for its best meanings are the ones whom God has guided (39:18). This suggests that we can– and should –have more than one reading/ interpretation/ translation so that we can find the best among these. Of course, notions of best are likely to differ over time but that is to be expected. Besides, what makes the Quran a universal text, by which I mean a text that is always integral to our lives, no matter the age in which we live, is that each generation can continue to find new meanings in it. In contributing to that endeavour, Dr Bakhtiar has opened new doors for Muslims; whether someone wants to walk through these or not is, naturally, up to them.”

“Different translations of the Quran will naturally result in different interpretations. However, the meaning of many of the most crucial verses have been distorted and/or mistranslated. I believe that many of these crucial mistakes have been deliberate to mislead non-Arabic speaking readers. The poetic language of this translation is somewhat hard to follow if you are into digesting the meaning of the verses. For these reasons, I wouldn’t recommend this particular interpretation. But if you have to buy it, I would also recommend reading translations from different authors to get a more complete picture.”

“This translation is a heinous attempt to change the meaning of The Quran. The lady, according to one of her interviews, does not even know Arabic. This automatically disqualifies her to do any kind of translation from Arabic to English. Why doesn’t she apply for a translators job at any self-respecting organization that needs an Arabic to English translator and see what reply she gets! Just like The Qur’an, its meanings are also transferred hear to heart from the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and cannot be changed because some ignorant people cannot understand it or cannot make sense out of it.”

“This is my third Qur’an and by far my favorite. It is written formally, compared to other translations that strive for readability. I find this more appropriate for a religious text. The text is broken down into phrases and centered, which makes reading and understanding much easier. Also, the text is large and very readable. It makes the book bigger but the weight is well worth it. Rather than the traditional start at the beginning and go to the end approach, Laleh Bakhtiar used the “formal equivalence” technique. That means translating each word on its own, and then putting it all together. Bakhtiar found over 3,600 Arabic verbs and nouns, which translated into over 5,800 unique English equivalents. This results in a much more accurate and consistent translation.”

References:

A sample of Dr Laleh’s work:

quran-p1 quran-p2

5. Ahmad Zaki Hammad

A Brief about him:
ahmed_zaki Dr Ahmad Zaki Hammad was born in Egypt, He received his early Islamic and Arabic training at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, and was awarded the graduate degree of Alamiyyah from the Faculty of Theology. He lived for many years in the United States where he received a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Chicago. Professor Ahmad Zaki Hammad is an internationally known authority on The Quran and Islamic Studies. He teaches Islamic Civilization and the Primary Disciplines of Quran Commentary, the Prophetic Traditions, and the Principles of Islamic Law at the foremost center of Islamic and Arabic learning in the Muslim world, AL-Azhar University (Faculty of Languages and Translations, Department of English). He is also a member of the Faculty of Shari’ah, Department of Juristic Studies. He is the author of a study of the translation of Abu Hamid Al-Ghazalis’s “Al-Mustasfa min Ilm al-Usul”, The Quintessence of the Science of the Principles of Islamic Law, and also “Understanding Juristic Differences”, a Primer on the Science of juristic differences in Light of the sources of the Islamic law.

The Purpose of this Work:

After traveling to the states (Chicago) back in 1987 to complete his studies, Dr Hammad was shocked by the fact that there was no accurate correct translation of the Qur’an available at that time; a reality which he failed to turn a blind eye on, so he made an agreement with the University of Chicago to gather and lead a working group composed of nine members; who would aid him to complete an accurate translation for the Qur’an and end it in three years. But the task took much more time than they had planned for, the translation process lasted for seventeen years. Those 17 years were full of hard work searching for the meanings of nearly 2000 words which produced conflicting meanings and it was extremely difficult to find literal meaning in English for such words. But as they say: “No pain, No gain”, for after the completion of the translation, the work was praised by many Islamic authorities above which comes “Al-Azhar University” which approved it and agreed to its correctness. Sheikh “Youssef Al-Qaradawi” also praised the work and wrote an introduction about it.

Dr. Hammad didn’t just stop there but in order to make sure that his work was perfected as much as possible, he distributed many copies of his translation on a different group of Americans to measure the extent of their understanding for the book. After this action he collected about 700 questions from the aforementioned group, which he placed in another book so as to include the answers for such questions that may arise in the readers’ minds when reading the translation.

The Adopted Style:

As a native Arabic speaker, who is fluent in classical Arabic, which is the Arabic of the Qur’an, Dr. Hammad was able to put forth the translation of the meanings of the Qur’an in an astounding accurate manner, and does not commit potential translation errors that are found in the other English translations of the Qur’an. Through this highly reliable English translation, the Arabic of the Qur’an outflows conveying the message with unobtrusive brackets. He used modern English which spares all readers the burden of understanding the Shakespearean English of other translations. This work is free of poetic pretension, philosophical complication, and lifeless literalisms while maintaining the power of literary expression. Dr Hammad also spends quite a bit of time explaining why he translated some Qur’anic terms in a certain way, which adds a lot to the scientific value of his work, and facilitates the correct understanding of the Qur’an for the reader.

Selected Reviews:

“Easier to understand and The Gracious Quran is something I recommend for every one of my students.” Laila El-Amine, Head of Religion Department, Aqsa School in Bridgeview, Illinois.

“A wonderful contribution to the body of Islamic knowledge in America.” Salam Al-Marayati, President of MPAC (Muslim Public Affairs Council) in Los Angeles, California.

“It is no doubt a significant milestone… to my mind is so far the best.” Dr. Hassan Hathout, Los Angeles, California.

“It uses an eloquent language … sits well with in the heart of the 21st century reader… the language used is very reassuring.” Amal Ali, Youth Coordinator of CIOGC (Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago) Chicago, Illinois.

“It is obvious, the culmination of many years of careful scholarship, and we will give it an honored place in our library.” Harvey Grossman, President of Chicago, Illinois Chapter of the ACLU (America Civil Liberties Union).

“It is an impressive work of scholarship and a truly beautiful and contemporary presentation of this sacred text.” Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I. Archbishop of Chicago.

References:

A sample of Dr Hammad’s work:

6. Tarif Khalidi

A Brief about him:
Prof. Tarif Khalidi was born in Jerusalem in 1938. He received degrees from University College, Oxford, and the University of Chicago, before teaching at the American University of Beirut as a professor in the Department of History from 1970 to 1996. In 1985 he accepted a one-year position as a senior research associate at St Anthony’s College, Oxford, and from 1991 to 1992 was a visiting overseas scholar at St John’s College, Cambridge. In 1996, Tarif Khalidi left Beirut to become the Sir Thomas Adams’ Professor of Arabic at Cambridge University, the oldest chair of Arabic in the English-speaking world. He was also Director of the Centre for the Middle East and Islamic Studies and a Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge. After six years, Professor Khalidi returned to the American University of Beirut, taking on the Sheikh Zayed Chair in Islamic and Arabic Studies, the first chair to be filled at the University since the civil war. Prof. Khalidi wrote many books and articles among them are: The Muslim Jesus, Arabic historical thought in the classical period, Classical Arab Islam and Images of Muhammad.

The Purpose of this Work:

Regarding the responsibility of the Qur’anic translator, Prof. Khalidi said:

“Of all sacred texts, the Qur’an is probably the most insistent in demanding rational reflection and in emphasizing human freedom to understand or misunderstand the signs of God. The responsibility of the translator is, therefore, a very heavy one: he or she must allow the text to speak for itself. For a translator, to offer any commentary or any gloss is to exercise a false authority.”

When Prof. Khalidi was asked about the motive behind his translation, he answered:

“The crucial question in any new translation of the Qur’an, or of a similar text, is: does a new translation bring new understanding? In the case of my translation, there was one problem with practically all earlier translations that needed to be addressed. The Qur’an speaks to us in many voices: narrating, legislating, threatening, promising and so forth. The mood is constantly changing, from lyrical to legal to dramatic, to “poetical” and so forth. It was clear to me that translating the Qur’an as if it were a monotone prose text, all on the same prosaic level, as in almost all current translations, was not an accurate reflection of its overall effect. So I decided to bring out this diversity of voice and mood by dividing my translation into horizontal prose when the text is legal or narrative, and into vertical “poetry” when it is in any sense dramatic or lyrical. I also divided the translation into paragraphs to mark off where I thought what I called a “burst of revelation” ended and another began. Does all this amount to a new understanding? My readers would need to judge this.”

The Adopted Style:

Besides what Prof. Khalidi mentioned in the aforementioned answer, he commented on the style he adopted in his translation saying:

“In English, the challenge is the strategy of translation one wishes to adopt. In essence, this boils down to the following: do we modernize the text, treating it as if were our contemporary, or do we bring out its archaic and “alien” or alternatively its eternal character if you are a believer? This is always a very tough decision. I myself inclined to the latter strategy while choosing an English style that I called measured modern English, certainly not colloquial and certainly not Victorian or archaic.”

And answering another question about the adopted style he said:

“Any translation which glosses or comments or overlays the text with exegesis is, in my view, giving it a particular “spin” that reflects the translator’s juridical or theological position. The Qur’an itself speaks of its verses as divided into muhkamat (clear in meaning) and mutashabihat (ambiguous) and indeed invites its listeners or readers to reflect, to think for themselves. In my view, a translator of the Qur’an should aim at capturing what it meant to its earliest listeners, without glossing it in any way, except perhaps to explain in a brief glossary at the end a few proper names or terms. This means, on the whole, a literal translation, and accuracy in preserving the ambiguity wherever it occurs. The mystery or multiple layers of meaning is to my mind an essential aspect of the text and should not be explained away but left exactly as is so that readers can make of them what they will.”

Prof. Khalidi didn’t make use of footnotes where necessary, nor does he make use of adding explanations between brackets, this is a word for word translation in which Prof. Khalidi leaves the vagueness that is sometimes found in the text for the reader to think about and ponder over their meanings. In the introduction to this translation’s brief glossary, Khalidi argues that he does not want to weigh down a first-time reader with commentary. In short; the translation is a literal poetic classi-loquial translation, that is to say: semi-classical, semi colloquial.

Selected Reviews:

Ziauddin Sardar wrote an article in The Guardian, Saturday 21 June 2008, commenting on Prof. Khalidi’s translation, among what he wrote are the following chosen important quotes:

“He manages to capture the allusiveness of the text, as well as something of its tone and texture….. it is the first translation that tries to capture both the rhythms and the structure of the Qur’an…… While Dawood’s translation presents the Qur’an as a patriarchal, sexist text, Khalidi brings out the gender-neutral language of the original. A good example is provided by 2:21. In Dawood we read: “Men, serve your Lord.” In Khalidi, it becomes: “O People! Worship your Lord.”…….. we find “men” in Dawood’s translation in the garden of paradise who are “wedded to chaste virgins”. Khalidi renders it correctly: “In these gardens, they have immaculate spouses.”……. Khalidi is not interested in providing the context of the verses of the Qur’an. We, therefore, do not always know who the Qur’an is addressing at various junctures or who is speaking to whom in its internal dialogues. Here M Abdel-Haleem’s translation, published in 2004, is more useful……. Khalidi wants the reader to enjoy the experience of reading the Qur’an. Of course, he wants to communicate the majesty of its language, the beauty of its style, and the “eternal present tense” of its grammar. But he also wants the reader to appreciate the Qur’an’s unique structure, how the language changes with the subject matter, how it swirls around and makes rhythmic connections. He wishes to show how each of the seven tropes of the Qur’an (command, prohibition, glad tidings, warnings, sermons, parables and narratives) registers a change in the style of its language. A lofty ambition, but one he pulls off with some success.”

“The best thing that I can say about Tarif’s translation is that it is accurate. Most accurate. Plus, I checked to see how Tarif handled the more poetic Meccan verses, and he did wonders with them. Look at his rendering of the Surat Az-Zalzalah (I erred earlier in putting Zilzal instead) (The Quake): “When the earthquakes–a shattering quake! And the earth casts up its loads! And man says: ‘What ails it?’ That Day it shall tell its tales, For your Lord will have inspired it!” Or listen to his translation of the Surat of Tin (The Fig): “By the fig and the olive, And by Mount Sinai, and this city, secure! We created man in fairest proportion, Then reduced him to the lowest of the low, Save them who believe and do righteous deeds, To Them a wage, unstinted.” Compare that to Yusuf Ali and the latter sounds like a phone book. I think that Tarif did such an outstanding job because he truly inhabits both cultural (literary) worlds, of Arabic and of English, and it shows. Plus, Tarif (unlike Yusuf Ali) does not have a religio-political (as the French would say) agenda to promote. Tarif: congratulations for a work best done.” As’ad AbuKhalil commenting on Tarif Khalidi’s translation of the Qur’an.

“This translation is really good as an introduction to reading the Qur’an. It does capture the eloquence of the Qur’an in Arabic, is pretty darn easy to read, and doesn’t have a million footnotes cluttering the passages. Some passages sounded like they were directly lifted from Pickthall’s translation and modernized, but I guess if it works, it works.:)) In 3:55 (I think) mentions that Jesus “died”, but the correct Arabic word refers to the sort of death of sleep. I guess that ought to be fixed to save readers on confusion. Other than that, really good to read. I like how he added stanzas when the actual Arabic was particularly rhythmic.”

References:

The Qur’an, a new translation by Tarif KHALIDI, 2008, Penguin Classics, (“HBK Classiks”), 560 p. ISBN 978-1846140211.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarif_Khalidi
http://arablit.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/tarif-khalidi-on-transating-the-quran/
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2010/02/interview-with-comrade-tarif-khalidi.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/jun/21/saturdayreviewsfeatres.guardianreview26
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/196319822

A sample of Dr Khalidi’s work:

7. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

A Brief about him:
Khan was born in Uttar Pradesh in the town of Azamgarh in 1925. He graduated from a seminary of traditional Islamic learning and then went on to contribute with articles in journals before opening an Islamic Centre in Delhi in 1970. Some of his notable articles include “Hijacking – A Crime”, “Rights of Women in Islam”, “The Concept of Charity in Islam” and “The Concept of Jihad”. He is a noted Islamic scholar and peace activist. He has received, among others, the Demiurgus Peace International Award, under the patronage of the former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev; the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour; the National Citizen’s Award, presented by Mother Teresa and the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award (2009). Maulana Wahiduddin Khan has written several books, including: “The Prophet of Peace”, “Introducing Islam: A Simple Introduction to Islam”, “Islam Rediscovered: Discovering Islam From Its Original Sources”, “Islam and Peace” and “Words of the Prophet Muhammad.”

The Purpose of this Work:

I think that Wahiduddin Khan alluded to this in the introduction of his work where he says: “The Qur’an is the Book of God. It has been preserved in its entirety for all time to come. Although written originally in Arabic, it has been made accessible, thanks to translations, to those who have no knowledge of Arabic. While no substitute for the original, translations serve the signal purpose of spreading the word of God far beyond the Arabic-speaking peoples to a far broader spectrum of humanity. The Qur’an is apparently in the Arabic language, but in reality, it is in the language of nature, that is, the language in which God directly addressed all human beings at the time of Creation. This divine invocation of humanity is ever-present in the consciousness of all human beings, that is why the Qur’an is universally understandable—to some on a conscious plane, and to others at the subconscious level.”

I understand from the previous words that Khan wanted to make a new translation that reflects the universality of the Qur’anic words and verses, in order to contribute with the available translations in the bigger purpose of delivering the holy book to all people.

The Adopted Style:

Khan used modern English in his translation. He scarcely uses the footnotes option but rather sticks to the context of the verses, adding simplified verifications between square brackets whenever needed. The work is in the form of two columns like king James bible; which is a very specific charter of this translation. I would rather say that Khan’s style is concentrating on producing a pure English copy of the Qur’an without extensive explanation, but still he adds a few words between square brackets in the verses that touch on today’s misconceptions about Islam (i.e. like Jihad, beating women, etc..) in order to protect the reader who has no knowledge of Islam from straying away from the true meaning of the verses. You can see this in verses like the following:

“And fight in God’s cause against those who wage war against you, but do not commit aggression—for surely, God does not love aggressors. Slay them wherever you find them [those who fight against you]; drive them out of the places from which they drove you, for [religious] persecution is worse than killing.” (Qur’an, (2:190-191))

“Fighting [in defence] is ordained for you, abhorrent as it may be to you. You may dislike something although it is good for you, or like something although it is bad for you: God knows but you do not.” (Qur’an, (2:216))

“As for those from whom you apprehend infidelity, admonish them, then refuse to share their beds, and finally hit them [lightly].^a” (Qur’an, (4:34))

In the footnote (^a) he wrote: “^a This signifies a symbolic act, as the Prophet forbade the beating of women saying, ‘Never beat God’s handmaidens’.”

Selected Reviews:

“This is a great translation of the Holy Qur’an and is very, very accessible (though, at times, it seems that accessibility is preferred over the closeness of meaning to the Arabic source).”

“I read Khan’s translation of the Qur’an from cover to cover and found it very relevant and enlightening as an English speaking person. I just completed the Ramadan fast and chose Khan’s translation from the several Qur’an’s I have in my home to recite during this blessed month. I was not disappointed. I compared some of the passages with other respected translations and found them to be closely linked in vernacular and essence. While I understand the need to learn Arabic in order to gain the full essence of Qur’an, this, obviously, is not always the case, even with Arabic speaking Muslims. Something is always lost in translating from one language to another and is sometimes lost in interpreting the meaning of text within one’s own language.”

References:

http://www.amazon.com/Quran-White-Cover-Maulana-Trans/product-reviews/8178986531/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

A sample of Khan’s work:

8. Usama Dakdok

A Brief about him:
Usama identifies himself on his website as follows:
My name is Usama Dakdok. I was born in Egypt and I grew up in a Christian home. But as I grew up in school in Egypt, a government school, and through all these years that I was in school, I learned about Islam, like every other student in a Muslim country. I came to America in 1992, and I found out that there were many Muslims in America. I said, “What a great ministry for me to do right here. With all the knowledge that I have about Islam, I can reach out to the Muslim people with the word of Jesus Christ”. That is why we began The Straight Way of Grace Ministry.

Usama published his translation of the Qur’an in 2009 and he sent a free copy of it to each and every congressman and senator in the states in order to let them know the reality of Islam as he understands it. Usama also wrote a book named “Exposing the Truth about the Qur’an”, it’s a 2 volumes book in which he examines the Qur’an by comparing it to the Bible based on his own understanding of the two books. besides the previous Usama gives lectures and presentations about Islam as a faked religion, he appeared in some TV shows and he has a youtube channel containing some of his lectures.

The Purpose of this Work:

The way he puts it is that he wanted to present to the west a true correct translation of the Qur’an without the manipulation and distortion practiced by Muslims when translating their book in their pursuit to beautify it for the westerns. Usama explains:

“With Arabic as my first language, yet traveling and speaking in the English world, I sought for years to find an accurate English translation of The Generous Qur’an. Many translations have been created in order to “sugar-coat” the Qur’an and to soften its real message.”

“Even though Muslim clerics have issued a fatwa (a death decree for any person who tries to translate the Qur’an), four years ago I felt compelled to translate the Qur’an accurately into English.”

“With the great help of many friends and scholars who have given of their time and effort, this translation has been completed. As we examine every word and every sentence with the magnifying lens of truth, the reader will discover that the Qur’an contains little more than repetitive legends, contradictions, and corrupted selections that have been borrowed from the Bible.”

The Adopted Style:

Literal translation without any additions, clarifications, nor explanations displayed between brackets amidst the verses. He uses footnotes to make his comments and state his opinion about the verses. The way Usama sees it; is that the Qur’an is a total fabrication of Muhammad and that all Muslims are demons. He is convinced that there is not such a thing as good Muslims and bad Muslims, for him all Muslims are bad.³ This view of Muslims and this understanding of Islam springs out from his translation, which is being propagandized in the west as the most honest translation of the Qur’an ever. I searched a lot for any samples from his work on the internet but I couldn’t find any. I believe that studying this translation and responding to Usama’s radical opinions is very important.

Selected Reviews:

For differentiation from the rest of the comments, this first long comment is not displayed in italics.

“I recently purchased The Generous Qur’an, An Accurate, Modern English Translation of the Qur’an, Islam’s Holiest Book and I’m SO GLAD I DID! I promise YOU will be, too! Unfortunately, other English Translations of the Qur’an are filled with apologetically-motivated distortions, additions, and omissions. They may be easy to access online, but they can NOT be trusted. Then again, what else should we expect when the Qur’an itself teaches Muslims that it’s acceptable to lie in order to protect Islam and cover its shame?

Speaking of religiously-sanctioned deception, let us compare the translations of this verse that clearly allows Muslims to break their word, shall we? See for yourself which one is most clear. Notice how the other translations add words in parentheses that aren’t there in the original Arabic in order to obscure the moral bankruptcy of the text and soften it’s scandalizing impact:
Qur’an 66.2 (Dakdok) “Indeed, Allah has allowed you to be released from your oaths. And Allah is your lord. And he is the knowing and the wise.”
Qur’an 66.2 (Yusuf Ali) “Allah has already ordained for you, (O men), the dissolution of your oaths (in some cases); and Allah is your Protector, and He is Full of Knowledge and Wisdom.”
Qur’an 66.2 (Pickthall) “Allah hath made lawful for you (Muslims) absolution from your oaths (of such a kind), and Allah is your Protector. He is the Knower, the Wise.”

There is no doubt that Dakdok’s translation is the most TRUSTWORTHY English translation available ON THE PLANET. This is because Dakdok (unlike Muslim apologist translators) has no motive (nor any religious license) to lie. In addition to the plain text of the Qur’an, Dakdok includes a list of abrogated verses and an index of Arabic words to help the reader broaden her understanding. He also provides background information from the Hadiths for some passages to explain their context and origin.

I personally am reading The Generous Qur’an in order of “revelation” (you can find this order easily online) and I’m supplementing it with the Tafsirs (commentaries) of Ibn Abbas and Al-Wahidi (also available online). It’s a good idea to examine the Hadiths, too (also online) so that you can get a clear picture of just HOW morally depraved Muhammad was; you’ll be shocked and horrified, but never bored! LOL! It becomes painfully obvious to ANYONE who does their research that Islam is false, demonic, and in NO WAY stems from the root of Abraham (beyond its inclusion of plagiarized and shamelessly corrupted biblical stories, of course). This truth becomes even more apparent when the Qur’an is compared with the Bible.

EVERYONE who wants to truly understand Islam should buy this Qur’an and get started learning! ASAP! Also purchase The Deception of Allah Volume 1 (study in depth of Islam, investigating Muhammad and Islam, volume 1) and get an in-depth understanding of Islam that a western English-speaker will NEVER get ANYWHERE ELSE!”

“The English Qur’an has been watered down, most of them are more so paraphrases than literal translations so it can be skewed. This does a good job of giving an accurate English translation, and also shows what words were non-Arabic in origin (one claim of Islam is that it’s in pure Arabic). The only reason 4/5 instead of 5 is some of the observations pointed out seem to be overly biased, and I wouldn’t use them in apologetic discussion with a Muslim. However, it does a great job pointing out where verses were abrogated (removed and a different verse placed), and where Muhammad fudged up stories from the Tanakh (old testament). Great tool none the less for a Christian or anyone wanting to know what the Qur’an says. I recommend reading ‘Christ, Muhammad and I’ by Mohammed Al Ghazali along with this so you know why verses are there and what was the historical context around it.”

“This is my fifth English translation, and it is far superior to the others I have. It is “one-stop shopping” and contains references you won’t get in the Dawood, Hilali, Rodwell, Arberry, or SV Mir Ahmed Ali. Great labor has been invested in this translation, and it comes from an Arabic speaking Christian so it isn’t sanitized for Western consumption. Small wonder CAIR is sniveling about it! Who works harder than they to hide the true teachings of Islam? I realize Muslims won’t be pleased with this, and no mosque will ever send you a free copy of this exceptional work. If you want soft and sanitized, go for Yusuf Ali (mosques will ship one at no cost to you); if you want the truth, go for this Generous Qur’an. If you wonder who Muslims are, what is this entity they call Allah, and who is Muhammad, I can’t recommend this highly enough. Nothing in this Qur’an is at odds with the Ahadith and Tafsirs published on the web by Muslims. Time to wake up, spoiled children of Democracy! The truth can set you free.”

“Usama has made an excellent translation of the Qur’an. This translation is more reliable than the translations made by Muslims. Muslims tend to water down their translations in order to make Islam look more appealing and they hide the nasty verses of the Qur’an. CAIR is a terrorist organization. It is better not to listen to what they have to say.”

References:

The cover page of Usama’s work:

51G2ARJ1VoL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_ quran_intro

Islamic Methodologies Made Easy

“Have the people not traveled through the land to make their hearts understand and let their ears hear, verily it is not the eyes that go blind but the hearts inside chests.” [The Qur’an (22:46)].

Translations of the Qur’an Part II

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