Preface

This English translation is the fruit of a lifetime spent reading the Glorious Qur’an, and the courage to attempt it comes from that long companionship.

Like Isaac Newton, I find myself standing on the shoulders of giants. I have drawn on the strengths of more than eighty extant English translations of the Qur’an, available online, and I can say in good conscience that I have taken no greater liberties in rendering the text than other well-known and widely read translators—M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, Muhammad Asad, and Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, to name only three.

One strength of this translation is that it is written in modern American English. The “thee” and “thou” of older renderings, however venerable, now stand between the reader and the text; I have tried instead to let the Qur’an speak in the plain, living language that readers—especially younger ones—actually use. In the interest of complete transparency, a confession is also in order. Urdu is my mother tongue, and over a lifetime I have acquired a substantial Arabic vocabulary; my knowledge of Arabic grammar, however, is limited. I believe this limitation is adequately compensated by my consultation of countless English and Urdu translations.

Another strength is that I bring a lifetime of scientific study to my understanding of the Qur’an. No true and genuine scientific insight was ever a secret to the All-Knowing God, and His literal words reflect that reality in many ways. Nevertheless, I have made no attempt to force science into the translation itself. Instead, I will continue to add brief insights as annotations in the footnotes.

I have added my picture to make it less anonymous for you, so you may wish to read it in presence of so many other well-known translations.

And you can use the word file to improve it and add your own annotations for your continued learning the divine message.