Customer Reviews

Al-Qur'an

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Serious study of the Qur'an requires an understanding of Arabic and the Arabic text. There is simply no substitute for the scholar. Even the most literal translation will never be precise enough.

But to read the Qur'an and be impacted by its message, one only needs a faithful translation. The English of this translation is the best. Having read many translations of the Qur'an, this is my favorite. While reading this Qur'an, I find it possible to forget that it is a foreign book. I find myself reading the Qur'an because I enjoy it. With other translations I had to force myself to read out of a sense of duty.

One note of caution. The English of this book is scholarly. This is not a translation for young children. A well read adult will find it a pleasure to read. A middle school child may need to have an English dictionary nearby.

Another review attacked this translation for not being literal enough. I find this attack groundless. We already have the Qur'an in good Arabic. Now, thanks to Ahmed Ali, we have it in good English.

Those who know Arabic, and who can read the Qur'an in Arabic, should simply read Qur'an in Arabic, as all Muslims know there is no substitute for Al-Qur'an. However, the millions of readers who know no Arabic at all will likely find this to be the most readable, insightful, and hopefully inspiring English translation of The Holy Qur'an. Personally, as I unfortunately seem to have no facility whatsoever for other languages besides English, Ahmed Ali's translation has served me well as a guide to a greater and deeper understanding of a faith and way of life of which I would otherwise know virtually nothing. As the best translators know, absolute accuracy of translation is irrelevant if the end product is clumsy and unnecessarily difficult. I am not in a position to determine whether Ahmed Ali's translation is entirely accurate -- I must leave that task to great masters of scholarship -- but I do know what I like, and the elegant English is simply superb.

When I first read Ahmed Ali's translation of the Qur'an, I was awed by the poetry and fluidity that he rendered in English. I had read A. Yusuf Ali, Pickthall, etc, but this translation was by far the easiest to read and understand. In comparing his translation with Asad's, as well as Maurice Beaucaille's 'The Bible, The Qur'an and Science', I found a parity within their translations that made sense to me, personally. This translation does not satisfy 'mystics', in that it clearly explains certain 'miracles' and 'inexplicable phenomena' with rational and logical meanings attached to the Arabic verses. This translation is well worth the price! I bought five, and distributed them among my family members.

This is a very impressive work. I have never come across a translation that retains the rythm and harmony of the original and at the same time retains accuracy of meaning. Any who has read translations and understands both the original and translated languages knows the difficulty in capturing not only the essence but the entire feel and meaning in a verse or sentence. This is especially difficult with poetry. Astonishingly, Mr. Ahmed Ali has managed to accomplish this almost impossible task with every verse in the Quran. Literal translations like those of Yusuf Ali and Pikthall actually lose the meaning and completely lose the beauty of the Quran. I highly recommend it to any reader -- literary, religious, or casual.

Ali's translation of the Holy Qur'an has to be one of the best I have seen yet. He has clearly captured the essence of the Qur'an in its original Arabic form. By keeping to the format of the original and having each verse of both the Arabic and English side by side, he allows for a more in-depth analysis by those familiar with the Arabic language. Ali has done a wonderful job of keeping the poetic nature of the Qur'an intact. The addition of explanations for the various concepts and imagery will be a great help to those not familiar with the Arabic language and Islam.

Having read each of the major translations of the Qur'an (Pickthall, Yusuf Ali, Dr. Muhsin Khan, Asad), I can say that this translation, as printed in its paperback form, has been the easiest, and most pleasurable. Of course, my compliments are misleading, as I have held this feeling with each reading. The English is very simple without sacrificing respect. The structure is very easy to study, and the Arabic text is easy to follow for verifications and further study.

For someone whose native language is English, this translation captures some of the beauty of the original Arabic in a way that most of the other translations do not. There are footnotes (I wish there were more) which explain some of the subtleties and multiple meanings of certain Arabic words, which helps the text take on a deeper meaning. I picked up this translation as a person seeking truth; while reading I knew I had found it, and converted to Islam before I even finished the book.

While I found this translation to be good, the translation I read by Rashad Khalifa was more clear and easy to understand. In addition, I found the research regarding the mathematical structure of the Quran in Khalifa's translation to be extremely informative.

The book I have read is translation by Ali without Arabic text. Since it is the only translation I have read I cannot compare and contrast, but I liked the poetic form as well as the small format.

I am shocked and alarmed after reading this translation. Those reviews that say this is the `best' translation or `accurate' translation must be kidding. This is not a translation, but a serious transgression in the Quran. It is far from being accurate rendition of actual Arabic, it is verbose, it is full of interpolation. Interpolation does not mean adding new concept or theories, but if new words are added then it is interpolation. In the acknowledgment section, the translator wrote that the work was checked `word for word". In reality the translator filled up pages with too many foreign words suggesting these are equivalent of `revealed text'. I quote his own translation (although inaccurate) of verse 2:79 "But woe to them who fake the Scriptures and say : This is from God. So that they may earn some profit thereby; and woe to them for what they fake, and woe to them for what they earn from it."

Take any page from this translation, any verse at random, and most likely that a knowledgeable reader will find a verbose, inaccurate translation! Many readers will vehemently argue that it is alright if the meaning is conveyed in Islamic spirit. But by no means it is a `translation.' I do not recommend this work for any reader.