All the translation used in this blog are from The Quran. A new translation by M.A.S Abdel Haleem. This is by far my favourite translation of the Quran. It has extensive caveats to start with giving the reader a fuller understanding of the limitations of translated work. It also provides some context to this new translation. This is very important, it is very easy to read translated work and feel like we fully understand the original document. However, language is complicated and even more so for Arabic which is not closely related to English making it even harder.
This translation of the Quran, has also moved away from many others such as Yusuf Ali by not trying to keep a poetic element in the translation. This departure has made this translation more readable and easier to grasp. The poetic side of the Quran is almost impossible to convey in another language, especially since so much of it rhymes in Arabic. The only way to feel the true poetic nature is to listen to the Quran.
The best, I have left till last to talk about. Every chapter (sura) of this translation starts off with a small commentary about the context of the particular revelation and where it was revealed. This has been missing from much of the commonly available translations of the Quran. The Quran is a book that was being revealed during specific events and times. There are parts of it that directly refers to specific incidents that were occurring at the time and therefore without at least a little bit of context, it is easy to take the message of the Quran out of context and misinterpret. The commentary has been kept short, so that you do not feel bogged down by the commentary or feel like there is more commentary than original document. It provides minimal essentials, but enough that were you interested in further details you would be able to search for more information elsewhere. At times, after reading some of the context one is intrigued but sadly there is no more commentary.
All in all, one of the best translations around. M A S Abdel Haleem is Professor of Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
