Customer Reviews

The Holy Qur'an with English Translation and Commentary (English and Arabic Edition)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I would like to offer some reasons why I recommend this translation over ALL others commonly available, especially for Muslims who would like to give a Qur'an to any academic type person who is well educated or even just well read. I am not a member of the Lahore movement they even refuse to sell me their books so this is not a biased opinion. Also a caution for Muslims: this IS NOT a Qaidani book as often believed (they strongly condemn Qaidani's) and you will find this translation given a positive review with slight reservations in the first edition of Yusuf Ali's translation. So, onto those reasons.

Most other translations are actually embarrasing to nascent Islam's reputation for high scholarship and professionlism. They fail embarrasingly in one or more (often all) of the following: either no index at all (Asad, etc) or a very poor index (Yusuf Ali, Muhammad Khan etc); professional quality of the printing and publication itself (Yusuf Ali etc); also the readability of the Arabic script (most); and most importantly either no commentary (Arberry, Pickthall, actually most) or very bad commentary (Khan's dishonest use of brackets or Yusuf Ali's inaccurate, dogmatic, awkward style).

This Qur'an has: 1. a very thorough index, 2. excellent publication and printing quality, 3. the very best I've seen in Arabic script readability, 4. the most scholarly and thorough commentary I've seen with only Asad coming close, 5. a commentary that offers the multiple possiblities where this occurs without telling you which choice "is the only right choice", 6. linguistic commentary with separate Arabic linguisitic index, 7. finally most important is the date this translation and commentary were done: early 1900's revision around 40's-50's; that M.M. Ali's types of comments were made, especially about women at these early dates is a proud fact for Islam. A new paraphrased for English as a second lanquage version or a simple English paraphrase is the only way I can see to improve this work.

I would not reccomend ordering this or his other books from the publisher as they don't seem to respond well to individual orders, but ordering through dealers works just fine.

In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful...

As-Salaam-Alaikum! (Peace unto you)

This is the best translation of the Holy Qur'an in English. Marmuduke Pickthall, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, and others all acknowledge the wonderful work done by Mr. Ali. Mr. Ali's translation is both lucid and intelligent. He is not biased against women, trying to make them subservient and docile. His translation contributed to Islam becoming more respected at the time of the first printing back in early 1900's.

I'm not in the Ahmaddiyya movement. But let me say that it never cease to amaze me how many people restate the same old lies, either because they are being vicious, or more probably-because they are just ignorant. I'm not being vicious in saying "ignorant", just noting that I'm using that word in the context of saying they don't know what they are talking about. The Ahmaddiyya's never said that Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah (PBUH) was not the seal of the Prophets. They said that they believed the Madhi had come. That's the difference-that's it. If you don't believe that the Madhi came as they say (and I don't believe it, in all due respect)-then fine. If not, then you are just still looking for him to come.

Critics use that one thing to attack Mr. Ali's work, or to slander him and the Ahmaddiyya Movement. But then, the Ahmaddiyya's at least let women drive,don't force them to be as chattel, etc. See, when one looks to dwelve into the word for foolishness, then that is what one finds. And one you go seeking
a translation, filled with notes about why the translator gave the translation he did (and note that Qur'anic Arabic is different than Colloquial Arabic-just as the Queen's Engish is way different than American English) and seeking to revive and renew the interests of the world in Islam-that's the book to read!

Mr. Ali also gives painstaking history on issues of controversy in his notes to the text-including one of the finest defenses I've read against the critics of the Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) (the Holy Qur'an gives the best!) This is the book to read, for all the reasons noted by the other supporters of this translations. I rather doubt if a single critic has ever read it. Instead, they are just repeating the same old tired lies.

This is the translation that shakes up the hypocrisy, lies, misapplications, and purposeful misinterpretations of some.

Sincerely,

Dr. Muhammad

I will preface this note by referring to the other comments here about how well researched this translation is and mention that probably about 900 of the 1300 pages of this volume are the translator's detailed explanations of exactly why he translated things the way he did. You'll see in other reviews as well that not only Ahmadis (the author was one of the immediately followers of the founder of the Ahmadi movement) but many others consider this to be without doubt the best translation of the Qur'an into English.

All I can say is I wish the world would read and understand the Qur'an as translated here. I am not a Muslim but a long-time student of early Christianity, and I came to read this Qur'an in an effort to try to understand the increasing number of comments by many Western scholars in recent years that, of all the world's present religions, that which probably represents Jesus' actual teachings is Islam. I can now see why they say this. Islam, as embodied in this translation of the Qur'an, is nothing short of a noble, highly ethical, and peaceful religion.

In case these comments should be seen as "Christian-bashing," I should mention that not only are Ahmadis, from whose ranks Maulana Muhammad Ali came, generally not recognized as Muslims by the bulk of Muslims, but they are even outlawed and actively persecuted in some Muslim areas. And yet, even mainstream Muslims seem to agree that this is the best translation!

In our presently very troubled world, if the scholars are correct that indeed the actual teachings of Jesus are most similar to at least Qur'anic Islam, as revealed in Maulana Muhammad Ali's translation, it would appear that Jesus' teachings are equally misunderstood by a very large number of both Christians and Muslims.

Maulana Muhammad Ali's translation of the Quran and his masterful THE RELIGION OF ISLAM are inspiring, cogently argued, and painstakingly documented treatises on Islam's natural role as a progressive force for political, spiritual, and intellectual empowerment.
The beauty of these wonderful books is that they prove that Islamic faith does not have to be inimical to morally grounded modern intellectuals. Without abandonning so much as an iota of the real Islamic tradition--as opposed to all the un-Islamic cultural traditions which have crept into "Islamic" though over the centuries--the Maulana proves that supposedly "un-Islamic" notions of women's rights, democracy, etc., were enshrined in the Quran long before they became prevalent in the West.
If you're an open-minded, intelligent Muslim who's disturbed by how shallow so much Islamic discourse is, you need these books as ammunition against the Mullahs!
If you're a "seeker" trying to learn about Islam, you need these books as counterweights to all the ignorance and empty-headed legalism currently being propagated by many Muslim "scholars".
Sincerely,
[...].

I have been studying Islam for some now and I have many translations of the Holy Quran. I must say, without prejudice, that this one is the most clear and understandable of them all. But more impressive is the commmentary that runs along with the translation -- this adds considerable context. If you had one Holy Quran, this is the one to get.

Oh, by the way, none of the reviewers who gave this 1 star actually bought this book....none are verified Amazon buyers. They are bigots who have an axe to grind with the Ahamdi Muslim doctrine. Google "ahamadiyya prosecution" to find out more about these people.

The Maulana Muhammad Ali version of this Glorious book is the best translation for those who speak no Arabic. This translation provides a clear, easily understood translation of Arabic. I have compared this to other translations, and I can not understand the language of the others. This is well written, well formatted and thoroughly researched. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to read the Word of Allah (God). The english is clear and concise and it is not confusing. GREAT BUY!

ALLAH-U-ACKBAR!

While I am not Muslim but Reformed Christian, my interest in other cultures--their history, their faith, their music and their literature--has compelled me to read the Koran.

My fear about reading the Koran in translation and with study notes by the translator is the same as my fear about people from other faiths approaching the Bible with little or no background: we are dependent on the accuracy of the translation and the faithfulness of the study notes (to an extent, and assuming we regard the notes). However, a good friend--a Muslim from Pakistan who reads the Koran in its original language and who is very orthodox in his faith--has assured me of the accuracy of this translation of the Koran. He has also strongly cautioned me about the study notes--the translator is apparently quite liberal in his understanding of the Koran. As with the Bible, so with the Koran--read it for yourself first, then go back and compare your understanding with the study notes. Perhaps you missed a concept or misunderstood a passage, and perhaps the study note itself is incorrect. Also, study the background of the text--history of doctrine, the great interpreters and theologians, etc.--the better to inform your understanding.

In conclusion then, this is a fine edition of the Koran. A beautiful translation, thorough introduction to the whole Koran, brief introduction to each chapter, side-by-side English/Arabic text, exhaustive study notes, good index, and other features make this a worthy purchase. Five stars, minus one for the study notes!

Another wonderful work from the Ahmadiyya Ishaat Islam. The original Koran is in the form of Arabic poetry and any translation into another language is as good as the the knowledge and the intentions of the translator. Many of Koran's translations have been twisted to meet different agendas and this is one major reason the world of Islam is in such a sorry state today. Maulana Muhammad Ali's translation is by far the most wholesome and realistic. Other highly recommended writings of the Maulana are : Mohammad The Prophet, and History of The Prophets.

Also recommended: The Muslim Prayer Book by Maulana Muhammad Ali, and Jesus in Heaven on Earth by Khawaja Nazir Ahmed

I am not a Muslim and I do not read Arabic, but I was interested in the Qur'an. I did not want to hear what others thought of Islam, but what Muslims, themselves, wrote. Therefore I began to research various English translations of the Qur'an. I finally decided upon this translation because of the exhaustive study helps.

I realize that any English translation is not perfect and a more complete study could be done by comparing one translation against another, but I found this one to be easy to understand.

From all of the research I've done, it probably is as accurate as any, probably more so.

The study notes are longer than the Qur'an itself and make up a combination of commentary and apologetic. Sometimes I thought it gave too much information (opinion). Other times I was glad for the insights offered.

The small introduction to each chapter helped to keep me from getting lost and I appreciated knowing the time period in which each portion was probably written. This was my favorite part of this translation.

The index was excellent.

I am a free thinker and like to examine things for myself. I understand that some of the reviewers disagree with the translator's views. However, that is to be expected with a translation. I've learned with most religious texts that the answer to understanding is more comlicated than simply learning the original language. Even the languages I have messed around with forced me to make personal translations that were inferior to the worst ones on the market. A better path is to purchase a variety of English translations, compare them, and read what scholars have to say about them.

This version was a good choice for me. It probably will be for others also.

I picked up this translation of the Quran in Barnes and Nobles and I was extremely dissapointed. I have no problem with the translator being Ahmadi, as long as he is faithful to the original text. So please don't take this negative review of the translation to stem from animousity towards the Ahmadis. I have several problems with this translation. First of all, it divides the suras (chapters)of the Quran into sections, each section having a title given to it by the translator. A person who has never read the Quran in Arabic may conclude that these sections are divisions that are in the original Arabic text. They are not. The sections created by the author are problematic because the author, through each title, injects his own interpretation into the actual text of what the main lesson of this section is. Some of these titles lead readers to conclude that the Quran is intolerant of Jews, Christians and other monotheistic religions. This is not true. Instead, the author injects his own intolerance in the Quran. Another example of this is the "explanations" the author provides before each sura. The author's extreme intolerance distorts the meaning of the actual text. For example, in his introduction to the second surah, the cow, the author claims in some way or the other (I don't remember his exact words) that this surah is about how Jews are evildoers and have betrayed God. However, in the actual text, the Quran refers to these people as the children of Israel and not jews. Note the difference. The author's translation and interpretation is anti-semetic whereas the original text is not. The author's intolerance can also be seen when he attempts to explain the verses in the Quran that are tolerant to Jews and Christians. He discounts the meaning and importance of these verses by saying that this only refers to Jews and Christians that existed before the Quran was revealed, or alternatively those Jews and Christians that follow the uncorrupted versions of the Bible and the Torah. Yet the Arabic text is clearly in present tense. So his explanation does not make sense. He also equates evil jinn (spirits mentioned frequently in the quran) with Jews and Christians in sura 72 which is completely incorrect and baseless.

It is true that some commentators of the Quran aspouse to SOME (not all) of Ali's intolerant views. An example of such a commentator is Ibn Al-Kathir However, Sayyid Qutb and Allamah Tabitabi'i, who wrote two of the most extensive and notable commentaries of the Quran (they used the recommended method of explaining the Quran using the Quran) provide more pluralistic and tolerant interpretations of the verses of the Quran.

I highly recommend Mohammad Asad's translation over this one. Other good translations include Abdul Haleem's translation and Yusuf Ali's. Unfortunately Yusuf Ali's original translation has been tampered with but it is still better than this one. The only reason I gave it two stars instead of one is because the quality of the actual publication is good and it is very organized.