The Qur’an may present, in the same sura, material about the unity and grace of God, regulations and laws, stories of earlier prophets and nations and the lessons that can be drawn from these, and the descriptions of rewards and punishments on the Day of Judgment.” Using examples such as how prayer reminders appear in the midst of divorce and settlements verses, and how ayat al-kursi ( 2:255) appears in the midst of charity verses, he notes: “This technique compresses many aspects of the Qur’anic message into any one sura, each forming self-contained lessons.
He states: “The reader should not expect the Qur’an to be arranged chronologically or by subject matter. One of the important issues Abdel Haleem addresses in the introduction is the order of the verses and topics within the chapters-which even many Muslims find difficult to understand. Although the introduction resembles an introductory text on Islam and the Qur’an, it helps provide a foundation for the reader to better appreciate the Qur’an’s structure, language and meanings. He also includes a chronological list of major events in early Islamic history that are relevant to the contents of the Qur’an, the compilation of the Qur’an, and the release of significant translations spanning from Ross’s first translation (1649) to Muhammad Asad’s (1980). In addition, he provides an overview of some significant English translations, followed by a brief explanation of his methodology and reasons for embarking on a new translation. Prefacing the actual translation, Abdel Haleem includes an introduction that covers numerous topics, such as the life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the spread of Islam, as well as the revelation, compilation, structure and stylistic features of the Qur’an. He identifies his goal as “mak the Qur’an accessible to everyone who speaks English, Muslims or otherwise, including the millions of people all over the world for whom the English language has become a lingua franca.” His introduction to the translation, as well as the translation itself, both reveal that his efforts are aimed at doing faithful justice to the original Arabic, while acknowledging the difficulties of translating the meanings of a sacred text revealed and preserved in the Arabic language. from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.Ībdel Haleem’s seven-year translation project, The Qur’an, was first published in 2004 by Oxford University Press, with a new edition published in 2005. in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Cairo University and his Ph.D. He was born in Egypt, and is a hāfidh who memorized the Qur’an during his childhood.
Abdel Haleem is a Muslim Professor of Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, England, and is also the editor of the Journal of Qur’anic Studies. One of the more recent twenty-first century attempts to transcend past translations’ shortcomings in clarity, accuracy, and modernity of language comes from M.A.S Abdel Haleem. However, even the latter also fall short in some areas, such as the use of archaic language, overbearing commentary or lack of historical contextualization. Other attempts, such as Pickthall’s, Yusuf Ali’s and even Arthur Arberry’s, try sincerely to convey the intended meanings of the Qur’an. by Rodwell, Bell and Dawood) have done more harm than good by distorting the Qur’an’s meanings, or even the divine sequence of its chapters. 1 Some endeavors, especially 19 th and 20 th century ones (i.e. Many attempts have been made to translate the Qur’an’s meaning into English, starting with Alexander Ross and George Sale in the 16 th and 17 th centuries. Translation is no easy task, especially when dealing with the words of Allah, the All-Mighty.