A Survey of Qur’an Translations October 26

In English [1649 - 2014] 2017

Dr. Hayat Faqeer

Content

1. The History of Qur’an Translations in English 1

1
1.1 Introduction 1
2
1.2 Methodology 5
1.3 The Translations in an Irregular Sort 10
1.4 The Translations in a Chronological Order 10
10
1.5 Commentary 13
17
1.5.1 Translations between 1649 and 1880
1.5.2 Translations between 1905 and 1999
1.5.3 Translations between 2000 and 2014

1.6 Conclusion
2. The Translators in the Study 18
18
2.1 Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall (1930) 18
2.1.1 Introduction 19
2.1.2 Translation 20
2.1.3 Commentary
21
2.2 Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1934) 21
2.2.1 Introduction 21
2.2.2 Translation 22
2.2.3 Commentary
23
2.3 Sahih International (1997) 23
2.3.1 Introduction 23
2.3.2 Translation 24
2.3.3 Commentary
27
2.4 Laleh Bakhtiar (2007) 27
2.4.1 Introduction 27
2.4.2 Translation 29
2.4.3 Commentary

3. Historical Background and Interpretation of The Hypocrites 30

Chapter

4. Bibliography 35

1
1. Overview of Qur’an Translations in English

1.1 Introduction

“O mankind! Lo! We have created you from male and female, and

have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one

another…” (49: 13). Since André du Ryer’s French translation

(1647), “…the Qur’an has been translated into more than two

hundred and fifty local, regional, national and international

languages…” (Khan, 2009: 11). In English translations, there has

been a huge volume of Qur’an renderings published in various

parts of the world of which some are UK, India, Pakistan,

Singapore, Japan, USA, Gibraltar, Lebanon, KSA, Malaysia and

Iran.

1.2 Methodology

The bibliography of over seventy English translations has been

possible to collect from different web sources and e-books:

netlibray.net, worldcat.org, Library of Congress Online Catalog,

Kidwai (1987), France (2000) and Cornell (2007). Where a

translation, date or place of publishing is missing in a source, it

has been obtained from another. In one particular translation

2
[Abdul Majid Daryabadi (Karachi, 1941)], there have been

discrepancies between the sources regarding the place of

publication of the first edition; in this case the information given

by worldcat.org has been chosen. The translations will be

mentioned by author along with the place and date of publication

of the first edition if it is available in one of the sources, otherwise

the earliest edition existing will be mentioned. They will be

written first in an irregular sort and then in a chronological order

list. This will be followed by a brief commentary on a number of

them and a conclusion. The commentary includes reviews written

by Kidwai (1987), Smith (2001), Abdel Haleem (2004) and

Nassimi (2008), and comments by the translators or the

publishers. The translations referred to in this study will be

commented on in details under a separate heading.

1.3 The Translations in an Irregular Sort

According to Yusuf Ali (1934), the first Qur’an translation in

English was implemented by Alexander Ross (London, 1649).

Ross’s translation was from André du Ryer’s rendition (1647).

George Sale (London, 1734) produced a translation based on

Luigi Maracci’s in Latin (Padua, 1698). The Rev. J. M. Rodwell

3
(London, 1861) and Prof. E. H. Palmer (Oxford, 1880) presented

their respective translation directly from Arabic.

The first twentieth century translation was by Dr. Mohammad

Abdul Hakim Khan (Patiala, 1905) after which came several

renderings. They are by Hairat Dehlavi (New Delhi, 1912),

Maulana Muhammad Ali (Lahore, 1917), Hafiz Ghulam Sarwar

(Singapore, 1920), “M. M. Pickthall (London, 1930), Abdullah

Yusuf Ali (Lahore, 1934), Richard Bell (Edinburgh, 1937), A. J.

Arberry (London, 1953), N. J. Dawood (Harmondsworth, 1956),

S. V. Mir Ahmad Ali (Karachi, 1964), T. B. Irving

(Vermont/Leicester, 1992)1” (France, 2000: 148).

Others are by “Sher Ali (?, 1936)2, Abdul Majid Daryabadi

(Karachi, 1941), Kamaluddin and Nazir Ahmad (London, 1948),

Salahuddin Peer (Lahore, 1960), Malik Ghulam Farid (Rabwa,

1962), Ali Ahmad Khan Jullundri (Lahore, 1962), Khadim

Rahmani Nuri (Shillong, 1964), Firozuddin Ruhi (Karachi, 1965),

Abdul Rahman Tariq and Ziauddin Gilani (Lahore, 1966), Syed

Abdul Latif (Hyderabad, 1969), Muhammad Zafrulla Khan

1
Another edition was published in Vermont, 1985 (Kidwai, 1987).
2
Netlibrary.net does not mention the place of publication. The fourth edition (1967) was published in Rabwa, West
Pakistan according to the Library of Congress Online Catalog.

4
(London, 1970), Hashim Amir Ali (Tokyo, 1974), Dr. Muhammad

Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan

(Chicago, 1977), Rashad Khalifa (Tucson, 1978), Muhammad

Ahmad Mofassir (London, 1979), Muhammad Asad (Gibraltar,

1980), Dr. S.M. Afzal-ur-Rahman (London, 1980)1, Muhammad

Y. Zayid (Beirut, 1980), M. H. Shakir (Elmhurst NY, 1981),

Muhammad Sarwar (Elmhurst NY, 1981), Ahmed Ali (Karachi.,

1984), Prof. Shah Faridul Haque, (Karachi, 1988)”2.

Since 1997 and until 2003, numerous translations appeared.

Cornell (2007: 134) mentions that they include the following:

“Colin Turner (Richmond, 1997), Majid Fakhry (Reading, 1997),

Fazlollah Nikayin (Skokie, Ill., 2000), Mirza Abul Fazl

(Hyderabad, 2002)3, Thomas Cleary (Chicago, Ill., 2004), M. A.

S. Abdel Haleem (Oxford, 2004).” More translations may include

Sahih International (Jeddah, 1997), “Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley

(Norwich, 1999), Prof. (Dr.) Syed Vickar Ahmad (Malaysia,

1
Openlibrary.org displays the 1987 edition published in Delhi but states that the book was originally published in
London, 1980.
2
These translations have been present in either netlibrary.net List of Translations of the Qur’an, worldcat.org
database or A.R. Kidwai (1987). Date and place of publication have been modified or verified based on worldcat.org
search results of the first or the earliest edition or on Kidwai (1987).
3
The first edition was published in Allahabad, 1911 according to worldcat.org.

5
1999)1, Dr. Zohurul Hoque (Centerville OH, 2000), Nureddin

Uzunoglu, Tevfik R. Topuzoglu, Mehmet Maksutoglu 2 (Chicago

& London, 2000) [edited by Abdal Hakim Murad, Mustafa Hasan

Badawi, Uthman Hutchinson], M. J. Gohari, (Oxford, 2002),

Shabbir Ahmed (Lauderhill Fl., 2003), ProgressiveMuslims.org

(Bloomington, 2003), Nooruddeen Durkee (Charlottesville VA,

2003) [edited by Hajjah Noura Durkee].”3

During the epoch between 2004 and 2014, nineteen translations

were issued. These are by “Afzal Hoosen Elias (Karachi, 2004),

Ali Quli Qara’i (London, 2004), Ali Ünal (Somerset N.J., 2006),

Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Karachi, 2006), Alan Jones

(Cambridge, 2007), Edip Yüksel, Layth al-Shaiban, Martha

Schulte-Nafeh (USA, 2007), Laleh Bakhtiar (Chicago, 2007),

Tahereh Saffarzadeh (Tehran, 2007), Ahmad Zaki Hammad (Lisle

IL., 2007), Tarif Khalidi (New York, 2008), Usama Dakdok

(Venice, FL, 2009), Yahiya Emerick (Charleston SC, 2010), P.

1
(Ahmad, 2008: xi)
2
The translators have divided the task; Nureddin Uzunoglu translated chapter 1 to 8, Tevfik R. Topuzoglu rendered
chapter 9 to 20 and Mehmet Maksutoglu did chapter 40 to 114 (Nassimi, 2008: 65).
3
These translations have been found in either netlibrary.net List of the Translation of the Qur’an [English] or
worldcat.org database. Date and place of publication have been modified or verified based on worldcat.org search
results of the first or the earliest edition.

6
JainulAbideen (?, 2010)1, Wahidudin Khan (New Delhi, 2011),

Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri (London, 2011), As’ad Namir

Busul (USA, 2011), Dr. Nazeer Ahmed (USA, 2011)2, Abdur

Raheem Kidwai (New Delhi, 2013), Talal Itani (Los Gatos,

2014).”3

1.4 The translations in a Chronological Order

(1649-1880)

1. Alexander Ross (London, 1649)

2. George Sale (London, 1734)

3. The Rev. J. M. Rodwell (London, 1861)

4. Prof. E. H. Palmer (Oxford, 1880)

(1905-1999)

5. Dr. Mohammad Abdul Hakim Khan (Patiala, 1905)

6. Mirza Abul Fazl (Allahabad, 1911)

7. Maulana Muhammad Ali (Lahore, 1917)

1
Nelibrary.net List of the Translations of the Qur’an [English] does not mention the place of publication. It only
states (Beta Translation). It was not displayed in other online libraries’ catalog which we searched in.
2
This edition has been found available at amazon.com. Netlibrary.net List of the Translations and other online
libraries’ catalog which we searched in do not display this translation.
3
These translations have been present in either netlibrary.net List of Translations or worldcat.org database. Date and
place of publication have been modified or verified based on worldcat.org search results of the first or the earliest
edition.

7
8. Mirza Hairat Dehlavi (New Delhi, 1919)

9. Hafiz Ghulam Sarwar (Singapore, 1920)

10.M. M. Pickthall (London, 1930)

11.Abdullah Yusuf Ali (Lahore, 1934)

12.Sher Ali (1936)

13.Richard Bell (Edinburgh, 1937)

14.Abdul Majid Daryabadi (Karachi, 1941)

15.Kamaluddin and Nazir Ahmad (London, 1948)

16.A. J. Arberry (London, 1953)

17.N. J. Dawood (Harmondsworth, 1956)

18.Salahuddin Peer (Lahore, 1960)

19.S. V. Mir Ahmad Ali (Karachi, 1964)

20.Ali Ahmad Khan Jullundri (Lahore, 1962)

21.Malik Ghulam Farid (Rabwa, 1962)

22.Khadim Rahmani Nuri (Shillong, 1964)

23.Firozuddin Ruhi (Karachi, 1965)

24.Abdul Rahman Tariq and Ziauddin Gilani (Lahore, 1966)

25.Syed Abdul Latif (Hyderabad, 1969)

26.Muhammad Zafrulla Khan (London, 1970)

27.Hashim Amir Ali (Tokyo, 1974)

8
28.Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali and Dr. Muhammad

Muhsin Khan (Chicago, 1977)

29.Rashad Khalifa (Tucson, 1978)

30.Muhammad Ahmad Mofassir (London, 1979)

31.Muhammad Asad (Gibraltar, 1980)

32.Mahmud Y. Zayid (Beirut, 1980)

33.M. H. Shakir (Elmhurst NY, 1981)

34.Muhammad Sarwar (Elmhurst NY, 1981)

35.Muhammad Akbar Muradpuri, Abdul Aziz Kamal (Lahore,

1982)

36.Ahmed Ali (Karachi, 1984)

37.T. B. Irving (Vermont, 1985)

38.Prof. Shah Faridul Haque, (Karachi, 1988)

39.Colin Turner (Richmond, 1997)

40.Majid Fakhry (Reading, 1997)

41.Sahih International (Jeddah, 1997)

42.Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley (Norwich, 1999)

43.Prof. (Dr.) Syed Vickar Ahmad (Malaysia, 1999)

9
(2000-2014)

44.Fazlollah Nikayin (Skokie, Ill., 2000)

45.Dr. Zohurul Hoque (Centerville OH, 2000)

46.Nureddin Uzunoglu, Tevfik R. Topuzoglu, Mehmet

Maksutoglu (Chicago & London, 2000) [edited by Abdal

Hakim Murad, Mustafa Hasan Badawi, Uthman Hutchinson]

47.Dr. S.M. Afzal-ur-Rahman (2001)

48.M. J. Gohari, (Oxford, 2002)

49.Shabbir Ahmed (Lauderhill Fl., 2003)

50.ProgressiveMuslims.org (Bloomington, 2003)

51.Nooruddeen Durkee (Charlottesville VA, 2003) [edited by

Hajjah Noura Durkee]

52.Thomas Cleary (Chicago, Illinois, 2004)

53.M. A. S. Abdel Haleem (Oxford, 2004)

54.Afzal Hoosen Elias (Karachi, 2004)

55.Ali Quli Qara’i (London, 2004)

56.Ali Ünal (Somerset N.J., 2006)

57.Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Karachi, 2006)

58.Alan Jones (Cambridge, 2007)

10
59.Edip Yüksel, Layth al-Shaiban, Martha Schulte-Nafeh (USA,

2007)

60.Laleh Bakhtiar (Chicago, 2007)

61.Tahereh Saffarzadeh (Tehran, 2007)

62.Ahmad Zaki Hammad (Lisle IL., 2007)

63.Tarif Khalidi (New York, 2008)

64.Usama Dakdok (Venice, FL, 2009)

65.Yahiya Emerick (Charleston SC, 2010)

66.P. JainulAbideen (?, 2010)

67.Wahidudin Khan (New Delhi, 2011)

68.Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri (London, 2011)

69.As’ad Namir Busul (USA, 2011)

70.Dr. Nazeer Ahmed (USA, 2011)

71.Abdur Raheem Kidwai (New Delhi, 2013)

72.Talal Itani (Los Gatos, 2014)

11
1.5 Commentary

1.5.1 Translations between 1649 and 1880

The first English translation by Alexander Ross (1649) is “at times

widely different from the original” (Adel Haleem, 2004: xxvii).

The next one by George Sale (1734) includes commentaries

within the text which made the Qur’an more comprehensible to an

English-speaking audience (ibid.). However, it contains many

examples of “omission, distortion and interpolations” (Kidwai,

1987). In Rev. J. M. Rodwell’s translation (1861), the traditional

order of the chapters has been rearranged into a chronological one

from his viewpoint (Abdel Haleem, 2004: xxvii). Besides, some of

the footnotes include incorrect information (ibid.). On the other

hand, partial numbering of verses has been used and it helps when

referring to parts from the translation (ibid.). E. H. Palmer’s

rendering (1880) has about sixty-five instances of omission and

mistranslation (Nykl (1936: 77-84), cited in Kidwai (1987)).

12
1.5.2 Translations between 1905 and 1999

The early twentieth century translations of Dr. Mohammad Abdul

Hakim Khan (1905), Mirza Abul Fazl (1911) and Hairat Dehlavi

(1912) were not by well-known scholars and “both the quality of

the translation and level of scholarship are not very high and these

works are of mere historical interest” (Kidwai 1987).

M. M. Pickthall (1930) marks the beginning of “a first-rate

rendering of the Qur’an in English” (ibid.). According to Turner

(1997: xiii), “Yusuf Ali [1934], Marmaduke Pickthall [1930] and

Muhammad Asad [1980] have been among the most illustrious of

these [Qur’an translations] in recent years [before 1997], and it is

a measure of their success that countless Westerners have learned

about…the religion of Islam largely on the strength of their

English translations...” Some theologians disagree with

Muhammad Asad’s translation (1980) due to his non-traditional

rendering of some terms (Abdel Halim, 2004: xxix).

Like Rodwell (1861), Richard Bell (Edinburgh, 1937) deviates

from the traditional arrangement of the chapters (Kidwai, 1987).

Abdul Majid Daryabadi’s translation (1941) is a “faithful

13
rendering…with useful notes on historical, geographical and

eschatological issues” (ibid.). Nevertheless, it includes insufficient

background about the chapters and some of the notes require

updating (ibid.). A. J. Arberry’s translation (1953) respects the

language musical effects and it is very close to the source text in

terms of grammar (Abdel Haleem, 2004: xxviii). However, “the

lack of any notes or comments, can make the text seem difficult to

understand and confusingly unidiomatic” (ibid.). N. J. Dawood’s

translation (1956) succeeds in making the language modern and

readable compared to other translations at the time, but there are

many liberties and inaccuracies in the text (ibid.).

T. B. Irving’s translation (Vermont, 1985) uses “modern and

forceful English” but there are several “idioms, which, in places,

are not befitting of the dignity of the Qur’anic diction and style”

(Kidwai, 1987). Sahih International (1997) has described their

own translation as, “Widely acknowledged for improvement over

previous translations, its language closely adheres to that of the

original text while remaining lucid and intelligible” (1997:

Introduction). Majid Fakhry’s translation (1997) is in “modern

English” and includes “few notes and little introduction” (Smith,

14
2001). Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley’s translation (1999) is “Sufi-

inspired” (Mohammed, 2005: 58-71). Prof. (Dr.) Syed Vickar

Ahmad’s translation (1999) is “an authentic translation” written in

“modern and easy-to-understand English” with a “useful

introduction” (Smith, 20001, Cited in Nassimi, 2008: 67).

Ten translations “do not rank as significant ventures” (Kidwai,

1987): Hafiz Ghulam Sarwar (1920), Ali Ahmad Khan Jullundri

(1962), Abdul Rahman Tariq and Ziauddin Gilani (1966), Syed

Abdul Latif (1969), Hashim Amir Ali (1974), Dr. Muhammad

Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan (1977),

Muhammad Ahmad Mofassir (1979), Muhammad Y. Zayid

(1980), Muhammad Sarwar (1981) and Ahmed Ali (1984).

Rashad Khalifa’s translation (1978) reflects a colorful character

(Smith, 2001) but Kidwai (1987) says it includes “blasphemous

statements” (ibid.). Other translations have been described by

Kidwai (1987) as “Qadiyani1 translation” which is “motivated by

the urge to proclaim their ideological uniqueness.” They are by

1
According to qadiani.org [Accessed 16 April, 2015], Qadiani means “someone who lives in a small city called
Qadian in Punjab, India. However, it is also used by opponents of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community to call
Ahmadi Muslims as Qadianis. The actual name of the community is Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and not
Qadiani.”

15
Maulana Muhammad Ali (1917), Sher Ali (1936), Zafrulla Khan

(1970), Kamaluddin and Nazir Ahmad (1948), Salahuddin Peer

(1960), Malik Ghulam Farid (1962), Khadim Rahmani Nuri

(1964) and Firozuddin Ruhi (1965).

Two translations may represent Shia sect: S. V. Mir Ahmad Ali

(1964) and M. H. Shakir (1981) (kidwai 1987).

1.5.3 Translations between 2000 and 2014

Zohurul Hoque’s translation (2000) “claims ‘word to word’ style”

in the sense that it renders each Arabic word into “a single,

couple, of phrase in English using similar style and ordering as the

original…” (Smith, 2001).

In his translation, Fazlollah Nikayin (2000) adopted a poetic style.

In an interview (2002), he explains that when possible, he

introduced certain Qur’anic words into the English Language

(Broomand, 2009: 11). He believes that “addition to the Qur’an

will harm the meanings and the perfect fluency and

harmony…there is no need to add information in

16
parenthesis…this is even against the principal of faithfulness in

translation”, but when necessary he wrote brief footnotes (ibid.).

Nureddin Uzunoglu, Tevfik R. Topuzoglu, Mehmet Maksutoglu’s

translation (2000) is clear and straight with a commentary between

the verses in parenthesis, but separated from the text (Nassimi,

2008: 65).

ProgressiveMuslims.org’s translation (Bloomington, 2003) has

been made by a team of translators; the book has been attributed

to The Monotheist Group. According to them (2015: I) it is

excluded of footnotes and comments to let the text speak for itself

and to give the reader a translation of the pure message of a ‘fully

detailed’ Book. Moreover, it removes the chapter names and uses

only numeric headings because they think that upon reviewing the

oldest scripture manuscripts, it was found that no chapter names

existed as used in today’s editions and that they were added only

to ease reference (2015: II).

Nooruddeen Durkee’s translation (2003), according to the

publisher, contains a transliteration which helps non-Arabic

readers pronounce the sounds of the Qur’an while cross-checking

17
with the Arabic text. “Addition to or ‘bridges’ in the text,

necessary for the sake of English reading, are clearly distinguished

by brackets…”. The book includes notes on reading rules.

Thomas Cleary’s translation (2004) uses modern and fluent

English with no commentary notes and introduction (Nassimi,

2008: 66). The chapter names have been translated into English

without writing their Arabic names (ibid.). M. A. S. Abdel

Haleem’s translation (2004) is written in modern English, and

there is a brief introduction for each chapter (ibid.: 67). Like

Cleary (2004), the chapter names have been rendered into English

without stating the Arabic original (ibid.). There is minimum use

of footnotes and commentary (Mohammed, 2005: 58-71).

Laleh Bakhtiar’s translation (2007) is the first critical English

translation by a woman. It does not need commentary and

parenthetical phrases to allow the translation to be free of any

political, denominational or doctrinal bias (Bakhtiar, 2011: 1xiii).

The translation is of “formal equivalence” to be as close as

possible to the original (ibid.: 1xiv). It mainly differs from other

renderings in regard to Chapter 4 Verse 34 which has been long

18
interpreted to mean that God sanctions men to beat their

“disobedient” wives (ibid.). Bakhtiar translates it to say that

husbands should “go away”, let the emotions subside and then

return to each other (ibid.). The rationale is that the same Arabic

word which means “beat” also means “go away” and this is what

the prophet did when there was domestic unrest (ibid.).

Edip Yüksel, Layth al-Shaiban, Martha Schulte-Nafeh’s

translation (2007) gives a “non-sexist understanding” (2007: 5). It

refuses the right of the clergy to determine the likely meaning of

disputed passages (ibid.). It rather uses logic and the language of

the Qur’an itself as the final authority in determining likely

meanings (ibid.). It provides cross-referencing to the Bible and

arguments on several philosophical and scientific issues (ibid.).

Like Bakhtiar (2007), it replaces the common rendering “beat” in

Chapter 4 Verse 34 by a different one which is “Separate”

(Yüksel, 2007: 39).

Dr. Nazeer Ahmed (USA, 2011) is written in simple American

English with explanatory notes. Talal Itani’s translation (2014)

19
says it is in “clear, pure, easy to read modern English.” It contains

no introduction, preface, commentary or footnotes.

1.6 Conclusion

As it can be indicated, the era between 1649 and 1880 witnessed

only four translations in English. The need for translating the

Qur’an substantially grew in the early twentieth and twenty-first

century in which thirty-nine and twenty-nine translations came to

light, respectively. “And of His signs is the creation of the

heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and

colours. Lo! herein indeed are portents for men of knowledge”

(30: 22).

More to the above translations Khan (2009: 14) states that many

Arabic Quran commentaries have been rendered into English.

Some of them are, Tafsir Ibn Kathir translated and abridged by a

number of scholars (Riyadh, 2000), A.A. Moudoodi’s Tafheemul

Quran by Zafar Ishaq Ansari, (Leicester, 1988), Syed Qutub’s In

the Shade of the Quran by Adil Salahi and Ashur Shamis (New

Delhi, 2000) and Muhammad Al Gazali’s A Thematic

Commentary on the Quran by Ashur Shamis (Herndon, 2000).

20
2. The Translators in the Study

A brief introduction to each translator will be presented. There are

various aspects relevant to each one, but only those that had an

immense influence on their life will be highlighted. This will be

followed by a description of their translation and a commentary.

2.1 Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall (1930)

2.1.1 Introduction

Pickthall was a British novelist and a journalist (Netton, 2008:

508). Earlier in his life, upon no acceptance at the Royal

Engineers and the Levant Consular Service, he had the

opportunity to travel to Jerusalem (ibid.). He travelled extensively

within and in Syria; the experience changed his life (ibid.). “He

followed the customs of the people of the land…and acquired

fluency in Arabic” (ibid.). He wrote a masterpiece (1903) that

relates the story of a fisherman who was caught up in the

massacres of Syria in 1860 (ibid.). Later, he travelled to India and

had several posts in Hyderabad (ibid.). During this time, he

completed his translation of the Qur’an (ibid.). In his forward, he

mentions that some of the previous translations included

21
unpleasant commentary and the style of language was considered

to be unfit by some; hence the aim of the book is to present what

is held to be the meaning of the words of the Qur’an (1999: iii).

He returned to England in 1935 and passed away in 1936.

2.1.2. Translation

The text is entitled The Meaning of the Glorious Koran. In his

forward (1999: iii), Pickthall writes,

The Qur’an cannot be translated…The book is here

rendered almost literally and every effort has been

made to choose befitting language. But the result is not

the Glorious Qur’an, that inimitable symphony, the

very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy.

It is only an attempt to present the meaning of the

Qur’an-and peradventure something of the charm in

English. It can never take the place of the Qur’an in

Arabic, not is it meant to do so (Quoted in Kidwai,

1987).

The translation has an introduction for each chapter and includes

footnotes. On the one or two occasions where there is departure

22
from the traditional interpretation, the traditional rendering will be

found in a footnote (Pickthall, 1999: iii). Additions to explain the

meaning are added between brackets within the text (ibid.: 1).

Pickthall says that the word “Allah” has been retained throughout,

because there is no corresponding word in English (ibid.). “Allah”

has neither feminine nor plural, and has never been applied to

anything other than the unimaginable Supreme Being (ibid.).

“God” is used only where the corresponding word “ilah” is

present in the Arabic (ibid.).

2.1.3 Commentary

Pickthall’s translation was the first to be accepted by all various

readers (Khan, 2009: 13). Despite the fact that the language may

at present seems almost “artificially archaic”, the translation keeps

close to the source text, and is still very popular among English

readers (Abdel Haleem, 2004: xxviii).

Ali (1934) commented on the translation,

He is…an Arabic scholar. But he has added very few

notes to elucidate the Text. His rendering is “almost

literal”: it can hardly be expected that it can give an

23
 adequate idea of a Book which (in his own words) can

be described as “that inimitable symphony…” Perhaps

the attempt to catch something of that symphony in

another language is impossible…We do not blame an

artist who tries to catch in his picture something of the

glorious light of a spring landscape.”

2.2 Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1934)

2.2.1 Introduction

Ali was an Indian Islamic scholar who studied Classics at Bombay

University. He was awarded a scholarship for further studies in

England and studied law at St John’s College, Cambridge (Sherif,

1994: 9). In his preface (1934), Ali explains that “A man’s life is

subject to inner storms more devastating than those in the physical

world …in the bitter anguish of a personal sorrow which nearly

unseated my reason and made life seem meaningless, a new hope

was born out of a systematic pursuit of my long-cherished

project.” In his preface (1934), he acknowledged prior translations

to his, and like Pickthall, found that some of them caused harm to

the book. He believed that material produced in English should be

24
improved and increased from as many points of view as possible

to avoid being misjudged. He died alone and neglected (Sherif,

2008: 4) in London, 1953 (Sherif, 1994: 227).

2.2.2 Translation

The translation is entitled The Holy Qur’an: Text, Translation and

Comment. It includes the Arabic text parallel with the English,

explanatory notes, commentary, appendices and indices (Abdel

Haleem, 2004: xxviii). It contains poetic features (ibid.) because

“the rhythm, music, and exalted tone of the original should be

reflected in the English interpretation” (Ali, 1934: Preface).

Where there is a deviation from the literal meaning in order to

express the spirit of the original better, the literal meaning has

been explained in the notes. It is inevitable that in choosing an

English word for an Arabic one, “a translator necessarily exercises

his own judgment and may be unconsciously expressing a point of

view” (ibid.). Both the particular occasion for which each verse

was revealed and its general meaning that is of concern to us have

been written in the commentary (ibid.). The translator explains

25
that the occasion and its people perished, but the general meaning

and its application continue to be true for all time (ibid.).

2.2.3 Commentary

Ali was “gifted with an eloquent, vivid writing style”

(Mohammed, 2005). The footnotes are helpful for those who

want to fully understand the background of the text (Abdel

Haleem, 2004: xxviii). The poetic features and the archaic nature

of the language make the style outdated (ibid.). The translation,

however, “has remained the most widely published and circulated

since its first publication” (Khan, 2009: 13). It “served as a

comfort and inspiration” (Sherif, 2008: 4).

2.3 Sahih International (1997)

2.3.1 Introduction

Sahih International is a team of three American women whose

names are not mentioned in their translation. They travelled to

KSA and were first editors of Islamic literature in Jeddah, and

then they produced their own publications.

26
2.3.2 Translation

The translation is entitled The Qur’ān published by Darul-Qasim.

It has explanatory notes, and additional information which is not

mentioned in the text is added between brackets. Word order

follows more closely with that of the source text (International,

1997). Transliterated Arabic terms were avoided wherever there

was an English counterpart with a minimum exception (ibid.).

Modern Arabic dictionaries were avoided because they vary from

the language of the Qur’an and reflect “the degree of change

which has crept into the understanding of certain concepts with

the passing of time” (ibid.). Particular words and phrases in the

source text have various shades of meaning (ibid.). Therefore, the

translators believe that

Any translation, which can reflect but one emphasis,

must necessarily appear as a severe limitation.

Although additions in brackets and explanatory notes

are a partial remedy, it remains to be said that nothing

can take the place of an in-depth study through the

Arabic medium itself” (ibid.).

27
There is shifting of pronouns in many verses to match the

Qur’anic style. “Allah” is retained in the translation because it is

“the proper name of God and is not used to denote any other

being” (1997: The Forward).

2.3.3 Commentary

The definition of the source word ِ‫إ‬

“ِِ ‫ِ”ٱۡل إسلَـــــ‬according to the

translators apart from Sahih International is

“Submission/Surrender” to God. Bakhtiar (2011: 1xvii) used the

rendering “submission” according to its universal meaning, and

when its form as "muslim" appears, it is translated as “one who

submits”. Thus, it encompasses all various faiths and correlates

with 2: 62. It equally goes with the opening statement of each

chapter and which reads “In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the

Merciful”. The statement includes the whole creation; Ibn Al-

Qayyim explains that,

(ِِ ‫ِ)ٱلر إح َمــــــــ‬/

َّ (the beneficent) means the adjective

attributed to the Almighty, and (ِِ ‫ـــر ِح‬

َّ ‫)ٱلـ‬/ (the Merciful)

means it is related to the person upon who God has

mercy. That is, the first is for description and the

28
 second is for action. The first means that the mercy is

his adjective and the second means that He has mercy

upon his creation by His mercy (Cited in (Al-Jalil,

2012: 120)).

2.4 Laleh Bakhtiar (2007)

2.4.1 Introduction

Bakhtiar is an Iranian-American Islamic scholar. She has a PhD in

Educational Psychology (Bakhtiar, 2011: 1xiv). At a particular

stage in her life, she travelled to Iran where she learned about the

culture; the experience was the start of her journey that climaxed

at her translation of the Qur’an (ibid.).

2.4.2 Translation

The translation is entitled The Sublime Quran. With the text there

is another volume, Concordance of the Sublime Quran. The

rendition is meant to improve “internal consistency” of the text

(Bakhtiar, 2011: 1xiii).

29
An attempt was made to find a different English equivalent for

each Arabic verb or noun and use that same word, when the

context was the same, in order to achieve a translation that has

internal consistency (Bakhtiar, 2011: 1xiv). This is different from

some other translations which render the ideas and thoughts rather

than the words and which lead to a much more subjective

translation (ibid.).

Bakhtiar (2011: 1xv) explains an issue with regards to the

translation of Verse 33 Chapter 24 and which reads as follows,

…Compel not your spiritual warriors (f) against their

will to prostitution when they (f) wanted chastity, that

you be looking for the advantage of this present life.

And whoever compels them (f) to it against their (f)

will, yet after their (f) compulsion, God will be of

them (f), the female, Forgiving, Compassionate (24:

33).

She says she used “spiritual warriors (f)” instead of the common

translation “slave-girls” because the Arabic word “ ‫”فت ــــ‬ does not

mean so. In addition, she added “(f), the female” toward the end of

30
the verse to indicate that “the spiritual warriors (f) who were

forced into prostitution against their will are forgiven and not the

men who so forced them” (Bakhtiar, 2011: 1xvi). Other

translations, she mentioned, appear “as if the men who have

forced their “slave-girls” into prostitution are forgiven for having

done so” (ibid.).

“Inclusive language” is used in the translation of some concepts

such as “Allah”. The rationale is that the Qur’an tells the Prophet

to speak to people in their own language (Bakhtiar, 2011: 1xvii).

Besides, maintaining “Allah” in the English translation may create

a divide between people who use the word and the English

speaking readers of various faiths…” (ibid.). Consequently, it may

give the impression that there are two Gods- Allah and God

(ibid.).

2.4.3 Commentary

The Sublime Quran has received criticism by many scholars due

to the translation of 4:34.. Bakhtiar, in an interview (2007) argues

that “We have to look at it from the victim position…Islam

[Submission to God] is not going to be better understood as long

31
as we commit immoral acts ourselves against our marriage

partner. The prophet was unlettered and when the Qur’an was

revealed to him, he did not think if “ ‫”اضـــر‬/”beat” was a transitive

or intransitive verb; rather he went away. Thus, she believes that it

should be understood the way the prophet understood it.

32
3. Historical Background and Interpretation of The

Hypocrites Chapter

“Those who believe, and have left their homes and striven with

their wealth and their lives in Allah’s way are of much greater

worth in Allah’s sight…” (9: 20). In approximately 622 CE the

prophet Muhammad and his followers emigrated from Mecca to

Medinah because the people of Quraish in Mecca humiliated

them.

During the time spent in Medinah, a new group of people referred

to as the hypocrites emerged (Adel Haleem, 2004: xviii). They

professed to believe but then they did not act upon it 1. They are a

recurrent topic in the Medinan chapters including Al-Baqarah, Al-

Nisa, Al-Imran and several others. The Hypocrites chapter can be

an introduction to the subject of hypocrisy.

Khan2 provides a straightforward interpretation. He explains that

the hypocrites made it appear as if they were close to the prophet.

They told him, “We bear witness that thou art indeed Allah’s

messenger” (63:1) which is an obvious fact and saying it was

1
Nouman Ali Khan, The Hypocrites. Bayyinah Institute. All the information that follows is either quoting him or
summarizing his interpretation of the chapter.
2
ibid.

33
either an attempt at sarcasm or to convince others of their belief,

but their true nature was eventually revealed. “They testify with

their mouth but not with their heart”. It is a sign of hypocrisy to

tell people about one’s faith as the relationship people have with

God should not be shared with others.

They wanted to destroy the progress of the faith but at the same

time not being criticized by others; thus, the faith was used as a

shield. “They make their faith a pretext so that they may turn

(men) from the way of Allah. Verily evil is that which they are

wont to do” (63: 2).

Khan1 further mentions that hypocrisy can be conscious and

subconscious. In the first type, the hypocrites claim they are

believers but know that they are not so. They either have a

political agenda or desire to have some benefits from the prophet.

They can be referred to as being a spy. In the second type, people

may have signs of hypocrisy but they never know that they are

hypocrites. Qur’an examples of these signs are praying lazily and

regretting giving wealth away. The Qur’an does not differentiate

1
Nouman Ali Khan, The Hypocrites. Bayyinah Institute. All the information that follows is either quoting him or
summarizing his interpretation of the chapter. Available at
https://ia600903.us.archive.org/32/items/SurahAlMunafiqun/Surah%20Al-Munafiqun.pdf

34
between the two types or between fake believers intentionally or

ideologically and fake believers behaviorally. They are both forms

of hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy leads to severe consequences. “Whether thou ask

forgiveness for them or ask not forgiveness for them; Allah will

not forgive them. Lo! Allah guideth not the evil-living folk” (63:

6). Even if the prophet asks God to forgive the hypocrites, God

refuses to meet his request. God refers to their hearts as being

sealed which means that possible spiritual purification is no longer

reachable to them. “Their hearts are sealed so that they understand

not” (63: 3). As a result, they lose the intellectual purification, too.

“And when thou seest them their figures please thee; and if they

speak thou givest ear unto their speech. (They are) as though they

were blocks of wood in striped cloaks [or hollow barks of leaning

planks of wood]1…” (63: 4). God states that their physical bodies

impress the prophet; referring to their physical body indicates that

the spiritual part inside their hearts is dead. God pinpoints the

truth that they try to gain the attention of the prophet and being

1
Nouman Ali Khan’s translation. The Hypocrites. Bayyinah Institute. All the information that follows is either
quoting him or summarizing his interpretation of the chapter. Available at
https://ia600903.us.archive.org/32/items/SurahAlMunafiqun/Surah%20Al-Munafiqun.pdf

35
considerate, he gives it to them. Describing them as blocks of

wood indicates that they only have the appearance of a believer

and that there is no spiritual truth to it. They lean on the believers

and on their testimony to appear convincing.

“…They deem every shout to be against them. They are the

enemy, so beware of them. Allah confound them! How they are

perverted!” (63: 3). The hypocrites are worried about their

reputation that when the prophet talks about signs of hypocrisy,

they think they are being targeted and that it is an attack on them.

Their inner conflict has already destroyed them, and this is done

by God. “And when it is said unto them: Come! The messenger

of Allah will ask forgiveness for you! they avert their faces and

thou seest them turning away, disdainful” (63: 5).

“They it is who say: Spend not on behalf of those (who dwell)

with Allah’s messenger that they may disperse (and go away from

you); when Allah’s are the treasures of the heavens and the earth;

but the hypocrites comprehend not” (63: 7). The context of this

verse is that one of the hypocrites in Medinah, Abdullah Ibn Ubai

said: “These people have come from Makkah and they have taken

our jobs, they are holding our household incomes down, they have
36
caused a problem and these people are an economic disaster for

us. The only way we are going to get rid of this problem is to stop

spending on them and to stop helping them until they disappear”1.

However, it is not a favor when they spend that which God has

given to them.

“They say: Surely, if we return to Al-Madinah the mightier will

soon drive out the weaker; when might belongeth to Allah and to

His messenger and to the believers; but the hypocrites know not”

(63: 8). This verse was revealed because when the hypocrites

heard that God honored the emigrants and then spoke about the

people of Medinah in Chapter 58, they were unhappy and said as

mentioned in the verse.

God presents a solution for hypocrisy at the end of the chapter. “O

ye who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children distract you

from remembrance of Allah. Those who do so, they are the losers

(9). And spend of that wherewith We have provided you before

death cometh unto one of you and he saith: My Lord! If only thou

wouldst reprieve me for a little while, then I would give alms and

1
Quoted in Khan, The Hypocrites.

37
be among the righteous (10). But Allah reprieveth no soul when

its terms cometh, and Allah is Aware of what ye do (11).

38
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Books in Arabic

ِ‫ِ راســـــوِةرل نـــــو‬. ‫) ِوهللِاألســــم حِال فـــــ بِفـــــ ع ِل ــــ‬2102(ِِ ‫عبــــعِال بنـــــبِلــــ ِ ـــــرِال ل ـــــ‬
ِ.‫ِ ارِط بـــــــــو‬.‫ِالرســـــــــ لوِال ـــــــــوِع ـــــــــر‬.‫لآلثـــــــــ رِاۡلنم ـــــــــوِوالفـــــــــل وِألســـــــــم حِ ِال فـــــــــ ب‬
ِ.‫الرن ض‬

Thesis

Nassimi, D.M. (2008) A Thematic Comparative Review of Some

English Translations of the Quran. Thesis, (PhD). The University
of Birmingham. Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/10987713/A_thematic_comparative_re
view_of_some_english_translations_of_the_quran

Journal and Web Articles

Broomand, M.H. (2009), ‘A Poetic Translation of the Holy

Qur’an’, Echo of Islam, (volume and issue number not available),
4-13, September. Available at
http://www.sailanmuslim.com/news/wp-content/uploads/A-
Poetic-Translation-of-the-Holy-Quran.pdf [Accessed 29 April,
2015].

41
Kidwai, A.R. (1987), ‘Translating the Untranslatable: A Survey of
English Translations of the Qur’an’, The Muslim World Book
Review: 7 (4), Summer. Available at
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2015].

Kidwai, A.R. (1987), ‘English Translations of the Holy Qur’an an

Annotated Bibliography’, the Muslim World Book Review: 7 (4),
Summer. Available at:
http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/quranetr.htm [Accessed 1 May,
2015].

Khan, K.U. (2009), ‘English Translations of the Quran’, Crescent:

(no volume and issue no.) 11-14, July. Retrieved from
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&lpg=PA11&dq=WHy+did+Andre+du+Ryer+translate+the+Qura
n&source=bl&ots=Rci-
taK5_E&sig=NLoCHWTTaGnDLgMMc_G6nSgaiyE&hl=en&sa
=X&ei=6Ko7VcjQBo7xaLCrgXA&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAjgK#v=
onepage&q&f=false

Mohammed, K. (2005), ‘Assessing English Translations of the

Qur'an’, The Middle East Quarterly: 12 (2) 58-71, Spring.
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Syed, I. B (Date of publication not available), ‘The Significance of

the Hijrah’. Islamic Research Foundation International. Retrieved
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Smith, C. C. (2001), ‘Notes on English Qur’an Translations’.

Retrieved from http://www.clay.smith.name/

42
Booklet

Khan, N. A. (Year not identified) The Hypocrites, Texas:

Bayyinah Institute. Available at
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h%20Al-Munafiqun.pdf

Interview

Bakhtiar, L. (2007) Interview, Al-Jazeerah English. Retrieved

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp0Oja7nb3A

Online Database, Library Catalog and Websites

http://www.worldcat.org

http://netlibrary.net

http://catalog.loc.gov

http://historyofislam.com/the-quran/

http://al-quran.info/#63

http://www.sublimequran.org/bio/complete/Default.htm

http://www.altafsir.com/ViewTranslations.asp?Display=yes&Sora
No=1&Ayah=0&Language=2&TranslationBook=18&LanguageI
D=2

43