i met this very cool lady the other day - she’s also bengali, and she’s a linguist (she knows like 6 languages, mashallah) and into literature and stuff - and i had heard from a guy at school (a non-muslim guy who’s studying arabic because he’s a classics major - latin, greek, and maybe even yiddish now) that some fellow named “arberry”‘s translation was quite good; well, this sister had a copy and i finally got to look at it and i must say - subaanallaah! i am blown away, really - what he did was like 85% what i had in mind for this project! it is BEAUTIFULLY laid out, the author (who surprisingly was not muslim, but an authority on arabic linguistics, and died fairly recently in 1969) took pains to keep much of the rhythmic style of the quran, which is often QUITE neglected when translated, and the volume is simply designed, with little added, in order to keep the focus on capturing the beauty, power, and resonance of the original; it is truly a work that can reach out and strike at the heart of the reader; i also had an idea to lay out a quranic translation with the numbering often found in literature - not to dismiss the referential value of it, but to keep it at a minimum, to “dim the lights” so to speak, in setting a mood for the reader of the book, and so does arberry; he uses a minimum of parenthetical interjections and other academic distractions (which of course can be found in other works) which i also felt would be a point most in keeping with the objective at hand; at any rate, contrary to how many people (and honestly, this comes also from a good place - the protectiveness of god’s word) view translational work - i think each work has its own unique objectives, and think as many good translations and styles (obviously as long as it is kept within the technical possibilities demanded by the arabic language as well as orthodox extrapolation), the better; and also something which many people do not understand - i, like many other artists and workers for the religion, do not necessarily do what i feel like doing - rather, if a great idea comes along and it hasn’t been done, i often feel positively COMPELLED to do it (ie i will not feel rest until it is done); and this feeling has little actually to do with how widely i want to see it circulated (often i want very little, if any, since that is most comfortable actually) but is a drive simply to put it out into the universe, to see it exist, if allah wills, to bear the responsibility of seeing it “done” (no matter by who); and so it was a pleasure to see this particular project done, and done so well; the only disappointment i feel is “o brothers and sisters, where art thou?” - why is it we as a nation are still stuck with the mental residue of colonialism, still the followers when we were once the experts and the innovators; why is it some of the best work done in the modern era regarding islam (heck, even arabic and hadith with hans and other orientalists) comes from OTHER THAN its own adherents?! perhaps we are too busy fighting each other in religious matters and following everyone else in worldly matters; it surprised me a little to hear that shaikh nuh highly praised this work, and i admire his honesty and integrity in giving credit where credit is due, since it truly is a great achievement; for some time i have felt that scholarship is one thing and artistry another - the prevailing “wisdom” in the current regime of muslims is that academic study is the only way and the arts merely a sinful waste of time; but no, art has always had the power to shape the way people saw things and the prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam himself would listen to it or commission it if it served a purpose; it is about time we saw someone who had not only the academic capacity but the utter love of words and sounds put down a translation for a book which in its day was a miracle to non-believers simply by virtue of the way it SOUNDED; my only sorrow is that our magnificent holy book has been “reduced” to an “oxford world classic”, on par with other temporal, albeit masterly, works! and seeing it with the “oxford university press” stamp on the back does distress me somewhat; anyway, i did breathe a sigh of relief and feel that for now, i can put the driving compulsion to do this particular project (a very daunting one actually), away, at least for now; obviously, the work is not perfect, nor can any work ever be, and many people (a common objection is also that we already have translations, so why more?) do not understand that WORDS, that LANGUAGE and meaning change over time, that each generation needs to be brought not only the “message” of islam, but needs to be able to catch even a glimpse of what used to cause the most hard-hearted to sway; i may very well come back to this later (the work does have a few outdated/strange usages for anyone not in the ivy league, some of the connotations could be rendered less like a biblical passage and more in a universal construct, and of course there are some stylistic improvements that could still be made regarding design, etc.), but at least it doesn’t have to be NOW…

Translations of the Quran should not be done for the sake of translation but the sake of communication. The Quran is the final revelation of God to mankind and it is the duty of the Muslims to make sure every human being has the opportunity to know it. Thus translations should be undertaken to serve a specific purpose in this regard.I began translating the Quran simply because I did not find a translation similar to it, and furthermore felt it was a necessary alternative which ought to be available. There are already many excellent translations. Yusuf Ali’s is a classic, as well as the ones by Pickthall and others. What I feel is the shortcoming, not in the translations themselves but for the English speaking audience, is that often the words are too elevated. It is difficult for the average English speaker to understand some of what is written and it requires education, or at least a dictionary on the part of the reader to comprehend much of what is said. As for modern day translations, they are usually much simpler and more direct and this is indeed an advantage. Still comprehension of the message is often obscure. My father recently translated the Quran, not as a literal translation, but a translation of meaning. This is because it is often difficult for English speakers, and moreso for Non-Muslims specifically, to understand what Muslims understand or what Islam intends by some of the words or phrases. For instance it is made clear that God is One although the Quran may refer to God in the royal plural form. In fact many Non-Muslims have told him that it was one of the first times they could understand the Quran.My personal relied upon favorite thus far has been “The Noble Quran” by Al-Hilali and Khan. I felt it struck a good balance between simple language and elevation. Yet the drawback here is that it heavily utilizes tafaseer, in fact, it is written on the cover that it is the “Interpretation of the Meanings” with sources from the classical books of exegesis. This is good for a Muslim in terms of more exact understanding, but is challenging to a Non-Muslim who is simply trying to read and understand this “Quran” that they have heard of. It is disruptive to continually interject by saying “All praise is for Allah (and explaining in detail who Allah is each time He is mentioned), Lord of the ‘Aalameen (and keeping some Arabic words left intact, with the specific meaning and connotations explained).” It takes away from the ease and flow for a beginner.Therefore, what I wanted was a translation for a specific purpose - to render into English the revelation of God to mankind in simple yet eloquent language, displaying the power and beauty of the words and phrases, the Message He has given all of us, while presenting it in a spare, tasteful format which enables the reader to feel they are reading what was revealed, to feel the connection through the words. It is also simply a beautiful book anyone, atheist or deist alike would enjoy reading due to its own merits of language and wisdom. At the same time, it is not for the merely poetic or literarily inclined but for those who do believe in religion and consider it to be
sacred and containing mysticism as well as morality.To enhance this particular style I basically decided upon a very simple, ascetic cover with no explanation. Yet the words have been kept true and direct to the reader. It is also organized in such a way that the passages are coherent to the uninitiated, who may not understand that the verses were sent as parts and for example that the entire chapter of “The Cow” may not actually be about the cow only, that it is revelation and reminder, not a novel or textbook. It is also numbered in a style common to books of poetry and literature for a balance between a book of reference and study, and a book that simply flows with a message.Inevitably the question of my qualifications will arise and I will be frank. I am not a scholar. I am a student of religion, the study of which is a guideline for the message of Islam as derived from the Quran, I understand basic Arabic and am familiar with its function and style, and I have mastery over the English language. Therefore, I did not simply sit and translate on my own. I relied upon those works already translated, dictionaries, exegeses and other tools to derive a unique translation as literal, correct, and appropriate to the original Arabic that I could, and thus to put forth the best possible rendering for the objectives I mentioned above. Most Muslims, when speaking to non-Muslims about the Quran, often paraphrase or put forth a meaning that seeks first and foremost understanding from our audience. This objective is paramount to any translation, whether an official one, a scholarly one, or a layman’s spontaneous attempts.I pray Allah accepts this deed for His Sake and that it brings much by way of benefit to the people. I pray it is a small contribution to the responsibility of
communication between God and man which Allah has placed upon our shoulders after the Angel Gabriel and the Prophets, peace be upon them.

(Note: This entry was imported from my personal blog and as such some of the information may be dated. Unfortunately, user comments were lost in the migration, so if you had a comment up, feel free to repost.)