Praise be to Allah, the
Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds, Who has said in His Noble Book:
- "There has come to you from
Allah Light and a Perspicuous Book." (5.15)
And may peace and blessings be upon
the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, who has said that:
"The best among you is he who learned
the Qur-ãn and then taught it." (Narrated by the six except Muslim)
May the peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him, his family and all his Companions.
The Glorious Qur-ãn is the Book of
Allah, the Wise and Worthy of all Praise, Who has promised to
safeguard it from any violations in its purity. It becomes incumbent
upon each and every person who seeks the dignity of this world and the
bliss of the Hereafter to regulate his life according to it, to
implement its commandments and to pay homage to the magnificence of
the One Who revealed it. This can be an easy task for those favored
with guidance from Allah, especially those blessed by an understanding
of Arabic, the language of the divine communication. But for those not
acquainted with Arabic, their ignorance is a barrier between them and
this source of guidance and illumination. A translation of the message
of Allah is thus a task not to be taken lightly or performed
superficially.
Before the reader begins to study the
Qur-ãn, he must realize that unlike all other writings, this is a
unique book with a supreme author, an eternal message and a universal
relevance. Its contents are not confined to a particular theme or
style, but contain the foundations for an entire system of life,
covering a whole spectrum of issues, which range from specific
articles of faith and commandments to general moral teachings, rights
and obligations, crime and punishment, personal and public law, and a
host of other private and social concerns. These issues are discussed
in a variety of ways, such as direct stipulations, reminders of
Allah's favors on His creation, admonitions and rebukes. Stories of
past communities are narrated, followed by the lessons to be learned
from their actions and subsequent fates.
The Qur-ãn enjoys a number of
characteristics unique to it alone, some of which are as follows:
- It is the actual Word of Allah;
not created but revealed for the benefit of all mankind.
"Blessed is He Who sent down the
Criterion to His servant, that it may be An admonition to all
creatures." (25.1)
- It is complete and comprehensive.
The Almighty says:
"Nothing have We omitted from
the Book." (6.38)
In another place we read,
"And We have sent down to thee
the Book explaining all things." (16.89)
- It is a theoretical and a
practical Book, not only moralizing but also defining specifically
the permissible and the forbidden. The importance of understanding
the message of the Qur-ãn is undeniable, but simply reciting it with
the intention o f seeking Allah's pleasure and reward is also an act
of worship and meritorious in itself. Allah Almighty says:
"So take what the Prophet gives
you, and refrain from what he prohibits you." (59.7)
- Allah has perfected His religion
for all mankind with the revelation of this Book. He says:
"This day have I perfected your
religion for you, completed My favor upon you and have chosen for
you Islam as your religion." (5.3)
- It is Allah's eternal miracle
revealed to the Prophet Muhammad for all succeeding generations. In
response to those who doubt the authorship of the Qur-ãn, Allah
Almighty has challenged the most articulate Arabs to produce a whole
book, ten chapters or even one solitary chapter which can be
remotely comparable to the Qur-ãn. But to this day, no one has
succeeded in meeting the challenge of the Almighty. The critics of
the Qur-ãn; have been struck dumb by its ineffable eloquence and
surpassing beauty.
"Say, if the whole of mankind
and jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this
Qur-ãn, they could not produce the like thereof; even if they
backed-up each other with help and support." (17.88)
The Almighty also says:
"Or they may say: 'He forged
it.' Say: 'Bring ye then ten chapters forged, like unto it and call
(to your aid) whomsoever ye can other than Allah, if ye speak the
truth.'" (11.13)
And again
"Or do they say: 'He forged it'?
Say: 'Bring then a chapter like! Unto it and call (to your aid)
anyone ye can besides Allah, if it be ye speak the truth.'" (10.38)
- It has been revealed to
re-establish the sincere worship of Allah alone, without association
of any partners with Him.
"This is a Book with verses
basic or fundamental (of established meaning), further explained in
detail, from One Who is Wise and Well-Aware. (It teaches) that you
should worship none but Allah." (11.1-2)
"And they have been commanded no
more than this: to worship Allah, offering Him sincere devotion,
being true in faith, to establish regular prayer and to give Zakat,
and that is the religion Right and Straight." (98.5)
- It contains a complete code which
provides for all areas of life, whether spiritual, intellectual,
political, social or economic. It is a code which has no boundaries
of time, place or nation.
"Verily this Qur-ãn doth guide
to that which is most right." (17.9)
- Allah Almighty has taken upon
Himself the duty of preserving the Qur-ãn for ever in its entirety,
as He says:
"We have without doubt sent down
the Message, and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)."
(15.9)
So well has it been preserved, both
in memory and in writing, that the Arabic text we have today is
identical to the text as it was revealed to the Prophet. Not even a
single letter has yielded to corruption during the passage of the
centuries. And so it will remain for ever, by the consent of Allah.
Given the depth as well as the
sublimity of the Qur-ãnic text, a faithful translation of it into
another language is virtually impossible. The various translations
that exist today, however accurate they may be, cannot be designated
as the Qur-ãn, since they can never hope to imitate the diction or the
style of the Book of Allah. But as translation is one of the few ways
to export the message of the Qur-ãn to allow those lacking in
knowledge of Arabic to share this priceless gift, it becomes a duty
for those in a position to fulfill this task.
A number of individuals have in the
past ventured to translate the Qur-ãn, but their works have generally
been private attempts, greatly influenced by their own prejudices. In
order to produce a reliable translation free from personal bias, a
Royal decree (No. 19888, dated 16/8/1400 AH) was issued by the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz, at that
time the deputy prime minister, authorizing the General Presidency of
the Departments of Islamic Researches, Ifta, Call and Guidance to
undertake the responsibility of revising and correcting a particular
translation which would be selected for this purpose and made publicly
available later.
To accomplish this enormous task, a
number of committees were formed, comprising scholars well qualified
both in Islamic Shari'a and the English language. Some of these
scholars were associated with the General Presidency of the
Departments of Islamic Researches, Ifta, Call and Guidance.
The first committee was given the
task of examining the existing translations and choosing the most
suitable one from among them. The committee discovered that there was
no translation free from defects and so there were two options open
for consideration : the first was to select the best translation
available and then adopt it as a base for further work as well as a
source of reference, with the objective of revising its contents and
correcting any faults in view of the objections raised against it; the
second was to prepare a fresh and independent translation, starting
from scratch.
It became obvious from studying these
translations that the second option demanded much time and effort,
neither of which were available at the time. The first option was
therefore considered to be more practical, since it met the existing
urgent requirements and helped to achieve the desired goal in a
comparatively short period of time. The translation by the late Ustadh
Abdullah Yusuf Ali was consequently chosen for; its
distinguishing characteristics, such as a highly elegant style, a
choice of words close to the meaning of the original text, accompanied
by scholarly notes and commentaries.
The committee began revising and
correcting this translation with the aid of other translations
available, by comparing and then adopting best expressions as well as
by introducing fresh expressions where necessary. The committee was
fully aware of all the criticisms that had been directed against this
translation and which had been carefully brought to the notice of the
presidency by a number of academic bodies and other involved parties.
In the second stage, the entire work of this committee was referred to
a number of individuals and organizations who then augmented any
deficiencies in the work of the committee.
A third committee was set up to
collate all their suggestions. It then compared all such views
regarding specific issues, selected the appropriate one(s) and arrived
at a text as authentic and defect-free as was humanly possible.
Finally, a fourth committee was
formed to look into the findings of the second and third committees
and to implement the recommendations made by them. Furthermore, this
committee had to finalize the text by adopting the most accurate
expression where needed, besides checking the notes vigilantly so as
to clear any misconceptions regarding the articles of faith, varying
juristic opinions and thoughts not in conformity with the sound
Islamic point of view.
In the course of its work, the
committee came across some Arabic words which could not be translated
correctly, such as Zakat and Tagût. It was therefore
decided to give a transliteration of these words in English with a
brief explanatory note for each one at its first occurrence in the
text. The reader will find a list of such words at the end of this
preface, as well as a list containing an English transliteration of
Arabic letters. A list of the abbreviations used in this work is also
provided. Finally, the reader will find at the end of the text a
comprehensive list containing references to proper names of people,
places and important topics, dealt with either in the text or in the
accompanying notes.
According to the Royal decree (No.
12412, dated 27/10/1405 AH), this translation is printed at King Fahd
Holy Qur-ãn Printing Complex in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah and also with
coordination of the General Presidency of the Departments of Islamic
Researches, Ifta, Call and Guidance.
To implement the directions of the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (may Allah preserve him) concerning
the Propagation of the Book of Allah, its distribution and translation
into every language spoken by Muslims the worldwide, and due to the
cooperation between the General Secretariat of King Fahd Holy Qur-ãn
Printing Complex and the Presidency of Islamic Researches, Ifta, Call
and Guidance regarding a faithful, specific and scholarly translation
of the meanings of the Holy Qur-ãn, we are pleased to present to all
Muslims and those seeking spiritual light among English speaking
people this translation which comes as one of the series of the
translations of the meanings of the Holy Qur-ãn into various languages
printed by the Complex in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah.
May Allah reward bounteously those
who were behind this blessed work.
The Presidency of Islamic Researches,
Ifta, Call and Guidance.
The translation presented in this
site is unauthorized. If you notice any errors, or have any comments
or suggestions, please contact the maintainer. The Holy Qur-ãn is
published by:
King Fahd Holy Qur-ãn Printing
Complex.
P.O. Box 3561 Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah.
Saudi Arabia. |
