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Quran: The Final Testament (Authorized English Version)
 
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Quran: The Final Testament (Authorized English Version) [Paperback]

Rashad Khalifa (Translator)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)


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Book Description

0962362220 978-0962362224 August 1992
This English translation of the Quran is the most comprehensive and precise translation available. It is written in clear, concise, and easy to understand English with extensive explanatory footnotes and appendices. The original Arabic text was analayzed by the computer and its intricate mathematical composition was gradually decoded. This book has been called the final word in contemporary religious reading. It ties together all the loose ends created by theories of recent years and truly answers the questions that have puzzled us for centuries. How do we know God exists? If God exists, what religion provides the best avenues to know Him? Where do we go after this life on earth? What is the purpose of our creation? How do we fit all the pieces of this puzzle of life together to make sense and bring happiness to our lives and to those of our loved ones? The Final Testament is a must reading for anyone seeking to make their lives complete in an emotional and philosophical sense, who needs to answer life's hardest questions before they can achieve the inner tranquility that is so vital to one's existence. This book can be read aloud and enjoyed by many or privately pondered to create an incredible feeling of inner harmony.


Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American

"An ingenious study of the Koran."

Review

"like most Americans I have had only a passing interest in the affairs of the rest of the world. It was with great pleasure then, that I was to discover a delightful new translation of one of the major scriptures of the world, the Quran. Reading, at last, a good translation of the major holy book of the religion has opened many new windows of understanding for me. Unlike the best known translations of this book, this new volume was translated from Arabic by a native speaker of the language. Dr. Rashad Khalifa was born in Egypt and educated in this country. His command of both Arabic and English is impressive, and results in a clear, powerful and modern translation. His footnotes, introductory material and appendices are invaluable in gaining a deep understanding of Islam and its position in today's world." -- Allen Vacas

"the final word in contemporary religious reading" -- O.W. Smith, literary critic

Product Details

  • Paperback
  • Publisher: Universal Unity (August 1992)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0962362220
  • ISBN-13: 978-0962362224
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,351,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

59 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (59 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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64 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Important information not presented earlier to the world., April 19, 2000
By 
This review is from: Quran: The Final Testament (Authorized English Version) (Paperback)
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

I Praise God. This translation of Quran by Dr. Rashad Khalifa is absolutely unique in many ways from all other English translations I have seen. It is a most revealing translation, boldly presenting information from Quran which the world has been kept in the dark about for the past few centuries. Finally, the correct answer to Why we were Created, secrets of the mysterious alphabets revealed, physical proof that God exists and that Quran is from Him etc., are among the many things a student will learn from this translation. Suddenly this translation puts to rest many of the doubts which other translations have been vague about.

A noticeable feature of this translation is that it is straightforward using simple English, and is completely devoted to the Worship of God Alone. The translator's commentaries are appropriately supported by verses from the Quran itself. This goes along with the teaching (in Quran) that Quran is sufficient as a source of religious guidance.

When actually comparing others, it becomes distinctly obvious that this is perhaps the only English translation that does not rely on traditional understandings based on the Hadith and Sunnah which Muslims use as other religious sources besides Quran. These "other sources" were written 200 years after prophet Muhammad and cannot be proven as genuine --- a fact largely not disputed by Muslims. While the case against use of Hadith is adequately covered and supported by verses in this translation, I also recommend a study of Dr. Khalifa's other book "Quran, Hadith & Islam" for more details on this subject.

I would encourage everybody to adopt this translation by Dr. Khalifa. Verses 39:18 and 17:36 ask us to verify and examine all words and follow the best. Readers must also keep in mind that Dr. Khalifa's mother tongue was (native) Arabic, which may not be the case with others who may have learnt colloquial Arabic. I quote below 2 samples of the clear differences between Dr. Khalifa's translation and two other popular translators. An objective examination will demonstrate the profound differences, God Willing.

[22:15] (Rashad Khalifa 22:15) If anyone thinks that GOD cannot support him in this life and in the Hereafter, let him turn completely to (his creator in) heaven, and sever (his dependence on anyone else). He will then see that this plan eliminates anything that bothers him.

(M. Marmaduke Pickthal 22:15) Whoso is want to think (through envy) that Allah will not give him (Muhammad) victory in the world and the Hereafter (and is enraged at the thought of his victory), let him stretch a rope up to the roof (of his dwelling), and let him hang himself. Then let him see whether his strategy dispelleth that whereat he rageth!

(Abdullah Yusuf Ali 22:15) If any think that God Will not help him (His Apostle) in this world And the Hereafter, let him Stretch out a rope To the ceiling and cut (himslef) Off : then let him see Whether his plan will remove That which enrages (him)!

[56:79] (dealing with access to Quran.) (Rashad Khalifa 56:79) None can grasp it except the sincere.

(M. Marmaduke Pickthal 56:79) Which none shall touch it save the purified.

(Abdullah Yusuf Ali 56:79) Which none shall touch But those who are clean.

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75 of 88 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars The Questionable Translation, February 26, 2000
By 
This review is from: Quran: The Final Testament (Authorized English Version) (Paperback)
This English translation of the Qur'an is translated in contemporary English which is comprehensive for average readers. Rashad has succeeded in translating the Qur'an into plain American English, thus makes it accessible to readers of all level. This could be the main reason for the non-arabic speaking readers state out their remarkable comments here. However, it is crucial for me to express that as a native Arab who was born and brought up in the Arabian Peninsula, I umpire that this piece of English Translation by Dr Khalifa has failed to convey the message of the original Qur'an which was divinely revealed through the medium of human language, the traditional patois of Qureish Arabs, the tongue of Prophet Muhammad. Every reader should realise that simple translation of Qur'an doesn't guarantee its accuracy. It doesn't necessarily mean that such translation is correctly translated without any errors just because it appears comely unto us. Honestly, this translation hasn't been faithfully translated in accordance to its original Arabic text. Simple grammatical rules have been violated thus it is apparent that Khalifa didn't possess an instinctive feel of traditional Qur'anic Arabic. Ellipticism is an integral characteristic of the Arabic idiom, and, therefore, of the language of Qur'an, so much so that it's impossible to understand its method and inner purport without being able to reproduce within oneself, instinctively, something of the same quality of elliptical, associative thought - an indispensable factor in translating the Qur'an which was disregarded in its entirely by Khalifa. It's quite manifest that Khalifa was either ignorant of linguistic usage prevalent at the time of the revelation of Qur'an (the dialect of Qureish), which could be the main reason he didn't bother to refer to primary sources OR he purposely employed his own method to suite the Qur'an with his notions. Let's take a simple error made in 2:58, in which Dr Khalifa translated the Arabic term: "HiTTah" as "treat the people nicely". Bear in mind that this term occurs only twice in Qur'an, and as agreed by consensus of most lexicographers, it has been used during the time of Prophet Muhammad to denote: Remove us the load of our sins. This maybe a frivolous error, but when even the correct rendition of a simple word like this couldn't be understood, how could one expect such person to translate the Magnanimous Qur'an? Let's quote another grammatical breach in this translation. Refer 75:17 & 18 where Khalifa translated it as: [17]It is we who will collect it into Quran.[18] Once we recite it, you shall follow such a Quran. There are at least 2 errors. Firstly, in verse 17 he has interpolated "into Quran" into the text which don't exist in the original Qur'an. The text ought to be translated as: "Verily, it is upon Us its collection and its recitation." It's manifest that Khalifa has failed to distinguish between proper & verbal noun. Qur'anaho in verse 17 isn't a proper noun to be translated as Qur'an but it's a verbal noun which simply means 'its recitation'. The same correction goes for the next verse which employs the word Qur'anaho in its verbal noun, thus it should be translated as: "Thus, when we recite it, you shall follow its recitation." Should the term Qur'an in 75:17 & 18 intended as a proper noun, God wouldn't use the personal pronoun "Ho" (IT) in the oblique case, for it signifies possession. I have read other translations of Qur'an in the English language, both by Muslims and non-muslims. Though there are mistakes in their translations, but the mendacity of those translations are not obvious enough to potray the ignorance of the translators in traditional Arabic. It would be better for Dr Khalifa to utilise primary sources such as classical Arabic lexicons, Lisanul-'Arab, Al-Mufradat Fe Gharibul-Qur'an, etc for the classical terms which he was unaware of rather than simulating his own connotations. Finally, I believe that this translation is inaccurate and severely corrupted in many aspects and therefore it's not suitable for scriptural studies and totally impracticable for scholarship erudition. Even the title is a blasphemy against Qur'an. Authorized English Version of the Quran? While claiming to be a strict follower of Qur'an only, Dr Khalifa unconsciously repudiated his claim by giving his translation this title for Quran clearly states that there is no version of the Quran, there is only ONE Qur'an ever revealed by God to mankind, the Arabic Qur'an - this is the only 'version' authorised by God [qur'an 16:103, 26:190, 41:44, 12:2, 13:37, 20:113, 39:28, 41:3, 42:7, 43:3, 46:12]. I have only stated 3 erros here, and there are more tangible mistakes which can only be perceived by a person whose daily speech mirrors the genuine speech of the traditional Arabic but the limited space don't allow me to quote all of them. It's sufficient to know that this translation is definitely not close to the original. I don't blame the non-arabic speaking people and the mosta3rib (i.e. Arabianized - refers to the people who aren't originally native Arabs the Hijazi, but being Arabized by language and culture, such as Egypt, Morrocco, Tunisia, and Algeria), but I sympathise them that they could hardly verify the correct rendition of particular verse in the Light of Traditional Arabic. I'm not saying that only native Arabs could understand the Qur'an but what I'm trying to impart here is that a person who really wants to fathom the essence of Qur'an, would make his effort to learn Arabic. Therefore I suggest all readers to have a reliable lexicon such as Edward William Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon when comparing all the translations. The only modern English translation of the Qur'an which is safe and accurate with its free flowing style is the one by Majid Fakhry. Succinctly, Dr Rashad Khalifa has used different basis (which is totally foreign and don't agree with the traditional Qur'anic Arabic) for translating numerous classical terms. It may be concluded that this translation has no scholarship value for it hasn't been eruditely translated.
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars THE TEST BEGINS..., May 23, 2000
This review is from: Quran: The Final Testament (Authorized English Version) (Paperback)
Salamun aleykom. Before learning about the Final Testament I investigated everything. First I went to church and learned about Christianity. I was very young but I remember clearly how I was told to worship Jesus in order to be saved. I asked "why?", and I didn't receive an answer. Then I learned about Judaism, Buddhism, Bahai, and although some of these concepts made sense nobody could answer my simple question. I would ask, "Why should I worship what you worship? How do I know it is the truth?" Still no answer. Thats when I came to the conclusion that if anyone would be punished after this life is over, it would be those who attributed lies to God. From that point on I felt lost and without direction. I thought about how pointless life seemed without a solid reason for existence, and more importantly proof. Regretfully I fell into what I thought was the lowest point in my life. I sat in jail, at the end of my rope. This is what it took for me to pray for God's guidance and resort to the faith I thought I had lost. I asked God to give me what seemed to be so elusive in my life. Guidance and proof. I was amazed to see that in less than a week I ran into a stranger who gave me the Quran and explained to me the truth about religion. The most important thing is that I found the proof I was looking for. The Quran is mathematically composed far beyond human capability. This is the 19th english translation of the Quran, yet it is the first by a native Arab speaker. The critics of this translation give you literal meanings of Arabic words and fail to use them in context. As you read these reviews be sure to understand that none of them matter. Your first barrier to understanding the truth is exactly this. God wants to know whether you will use the brain he has given you or follow other people blindly. The test begins...
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