The Qur'an: A New Translation

Tarif Khalidi's translation of the Qur'an is a landmark achievement that unfortunately hasn't gotten much attention in the world of Arabic and Islamic studies. But despite that, there is much to praise about this translation of the Qur'an. In Arabic, it has often been said that there is prose and poetry, and then there is the Qur'an. Neither strictly one or the other, it is a compilation of successive revelations that often shift in style from divine narratives to humbling invocations to moving poetry. In an attempt to remain authentic to the vigorous nature of the Arabic text, most Qur'anic translations come off as cumbersome in their wording and grammatical structure, alienating the reader. Khalidi's translation is significant in that his style adapts as the tone and tenor of the Arabic text evolves. In a literary sense, this translation marks an evolutionary point in comparison to other available translations. Recently, many publishers have tried to move beyond the antiquated, dark and patriarchal translations offered by orientalists such as Pickthall and N.J.Dawood (the previous Penguin translation entitled "The Koran" rather than "The Qur'an") and others like Yusuf Ali. Notable examples that we have seen include Abdel Haleem's (Oxford), Muhammad Asad, and the far superior "The Qur'an: With a Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation" by Ali Quli Qarai. But Khalidi's translation easily emerges ahead of the rest. It is accurate without being cumbersome, and most importantly, succeeds in inhabiting the literary culture of Arabic into English. With this translation, we have an English meaning of the Qur'an that better reflects how the Arabic reader perceives this text. No longer dark and patriarchal, Khalidi's translation of the Qur'an is poetic, moving and illuminated.

Having been a student and teacher of classical Arabic and the Quran for some time, I have read many the Quran many times in Arabic and English translations. This is one of the easiest modern English translations of the Quran I have found. It also has high accuracy. Any translation has short-comings so if you would like deeper research, look the exact words up in a dictionary like Lane's Lexicon. There is another Quran translation published back in 1980 from a collaboration between the Shia and Sunni councils of Lebanon that is also extremely good. I don't have any more information on it, and since I cannot find it in anywhere, I always recommend this translation.

The book is a fine edition, arrived promptly, and will be very helpful in study. Thank you!

Below I compare three modern translations: each an excellent alternative in comparison to other translations out there, such as old style Pickthall/Asad/Ali or Saudi influenced Hilali-Khan. ~Basmalah~ Ahmad Zaki Hammad:: In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving. MAS Abdel Haleem:: In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy! Tarif Khalidi:: In the name of God, Merciful to all, Compassionate to each! ~31:18~ Ahmad Zaki Hammad:: Moreover, do not turn your cheek to people [in contempt]. And do not ever walk upon the earth proudly exultant. Indeed, God loves no one who is swaggering [or] boastful. MAS Abdel Haleem:: Do not turn your nose up at people, nor walk about the place arrogantly, for God does not love arrogant or boastful people. Tarif Khalidi:: Do not turn your cheek away from people in contempt, and do not walk merrily upon the earth: God loves not every swaggering snob. My Opinion:: In regard to walking, Khalidi missed the sense of proudness and only mentions merrily, while Haleem missed the sense of being exultant and only mentions arrogance. Haleem, in addition, does not provide a literal translation, i.e. cheek, rather gives a more well-known idiom in English “turn up nose”. Hammad seems to be more accurate. ~49:13~ Ahmad Zaki Hammad:: O humankind! Indeed, We have created [all of] you from a [single] male and female. Moreover, We have made you peoples and tribes, so that you may [come to] know one another. And, indeed, the noblest of you, in the sight of God, is the most God-fearing of you. Indeed God is all-knowing, all-aware. MAS Abdel Haleem:: People, We created you all from a single man and a single woman, and made you into races and tribes so that you should get to know one another. In God’s eyes, the most honoured of you are the ones most mindful of Him: God is all knowing, all aware. Tarif Khalidi:: O mankind, We created you male and female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may come to know one another. The nobles among you in God’s sight are the most pious. God is All-Knowing, All-Experienced. My Opinion:: Not sure if Khalidi intentionally omitted the preposition “from”, but by saying “created you male and female”, withdrawing the preposition (originally in Arabic “min”) changes the scope of the verse. Also by saying God is “All-experienced”, Khalidi missed the point of God being continuously all-aware. Another important word here is atQaakum, which is related at-Taqwa and Muttaqun, which is usually translated to mean God-fearing or God-conscious. I feel Hammad again captures it better. But “mindful of God” as Haleem presents and “pious” as Khalidi translates are not wrong either. ~67:5~ Ahmad Zaki Hammad:: For very truly, We have adorned the nearest heaven with lights. And we have made [of] them, [as well] projectiles to [pelt] the satans. Moreover, We have prepared for [the satans in the Hereafter] the torment of the Flaming Fire [of Hell]. MAS Abdel Haleem:: We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps and made them [missiles] for stoning devils for whom We have also prepared the torment of a blazing fire. Tarif Khalidi:: We adorned the lower sky with Lanterns, and made them to be volleys against the demons, for whom We have readied the torment of the Blaze. My Opinion:: Each of Hammad, Haleem and Khalidi translates “Shayateen” as satans, devils and demons respectively. All conveys the meaning. Hammad uses too many brackets to convey contextual meaning, which sometimes can get mouthful. Heleem seems have done the best here. ~78/1-3~ Ahmad Zaki Hammad:: About what are they asking one another? About the Great Tiding [of the Afterlife]— it is about this that they dispute. MAS Abdel Haleem:: What do they question about the momentous announcement over which they differ? Tarif Khalidi:: What is it that they question each other about? Is it the Great Proclamation, concerning which they differ? My Opinion:: Here Haleem does not add “each other” or “one another”, which changes the scope of the verse. Are they question directed to God, to the Prophet or to each other? ~79/1~ Ahmad Zaki Hammad:: By the [angelic] pullers, pulling forth violently [the souls of the disbelievers at death]! MAS Abdel Haleem:: By the forceful chargers Tarif Khalidi:: By those that dispatch, to the very limit! My Opinion:: Many translate first five verses of this chapter to include interpretations such as "angels", "winds", "stars", “herd of horses” etc. But these interpretations should not be in the body of the actual translation. All of three translators fall short here. Hammad adds angels in the bracket. Haleem, too, falls short here. He, in his footnote, remarks that in his opinion military horses are the most likely interpretation. As such his translation seems to be forced to match the description of a herd of military horses going out. Khalidi follows the logic similar to that of Haleem. Ignoring the brackets, Hammad provides the best translation, IMO. ~103:1-3~ Ahmad Zaki Hammad:: By [the decline of] Time! Indeed, humankind is in [a condition of utter] loss— except for those who believe and do righteous deeds— and exhort one another to [uphold] the truth, and exhort one another to [persevere in faith with] patience. MAS Abdel Haleem:: By the fading day, man is [deep] in loss, except for those who believe, do good deeds, urge one another to the truth, and urge one another to steadfastness. Tarif Khalidi:: By the afternoon! Man is surely amiss! All save those who believe, Who do righteous deeds, Who enjoin truth upon one another Who enjoin patience upon one another. ~~~ My Conclusion:: Quran can't be properly translated into any other language to convey 100% of the meaning. In my opinion, Hammad provides the most accurate translation. The brackets can get mouthful, but are very useful in providing context. Haleem’s translation flows the best. He does not always provide literal translation but uses excellent uses of footnotes. In some places, his penchant for shorter and friendlier translation, he omits a word or two. Khalidi also falls to some error due to his desire for more poetic presentation. Hammad 5/5. Haleem 5/5. Khalidi 4/5. God knows best.

I find it useful to refer to several translations when looking for a deeper understanding of a particular verse, and many translations are availaible on the internet for such a purpose. But this is the version I like to read for pleasure and inspiration. It's prose and style avoid the archaic language of "thee, thy and thou" , and there is no inserted texts [usually in parenthesis like this] as is commonly found in other translations which seem intent on adding more meaning where in fact none may have been intended.

As an Arabic reader, I find this translation to be the one closest to Arabic. The essence is translated as well as the words.

I love this translation. I really wish Khalidi would expand upon it though and offer a version with contextual and historical notes. Most Muslims never read this one, but it's really a joy to read. I read it along with more literal and classical translations, like the one by Yusuf Ali or Sahih International, both of which are somewhat boring to read.

As a Christian, I could have read this translation to find fault. No, my purpose is to continue a long-time attempt to understand Muslim thinking. I previously read the Qur'an three times in two other translations. Why do I need to understand Muslim thinking? Perhaps, my Quixotic quest seems needed because Western political and religious leaders clearly do not understand, and ignorance of Muslim thinking has led to really, really bad international policies, even losing wars. Why don't they understand? My guess is that they don't want to understand. They only want to be kind and non-judgemental, hoping that way they can win Muslim sympathy and avoid conflicts. Self-proclaimed in the Qur'an, the message is manifest, unequivocal, lucid, distinct, unambiguous and easy to remember. I found in this version that it is manifest and distinct, at least. How, then, do Muslim scholars claim it can be understood only in Arabic, and readers need their help to find the real meanings? That also is clear. Objective readers might find the Qur'an saying things Muslims don't want the readers to see. The main themes come through very clear and unmistakable. One is that the Qur'an was sent down from above as a message to Muhammad to be recited to his followers. Most often repeated is the narrative of Allah (God, in this translation) as single, all-powerful, all knowing, creator of all. After that, more than half of the text is devoted to condemnation of non-Muslims, with several hundred times repeated warning of hell fire for them. Descriptions of torture appears to be an enjoyable topic. The favorite victims are Jews, with total annihilation the final goal. Along with that is Muslim superiority. Other main themes include Muhammad as the necessary and non-negotiable partner with Allah (Though Allah has no partners) for any believer. To minimize Muhammad is to insult Allah. Not to follow Muhammad is not to follow God. Some good poetry is found in the later, shorter suras and I would judge Sura 24 to be good literature. I think no-one will disagree that there are many part-thoughts and half-told tales, topic changes from sentence to sentence, though these do not detract much from the main themes. In the West, many claims are ascribed to the Qur'an that an unbiased reader will not be able to find. To read objectively, only to see what is there, not what is ascribed to it, is a threat to Islam. Support for the divine origin, if found to be lacking, would threaten the existence of Muslim culture, religion and political power There is more than one reason most Muslims do not read the Qur'an. This translation may be the most readable, and still accurate. I can only compare it with the two I have read, and what I read about others.