English translations: MoQ

-- a comparative study by Clay Smith

Following is a comparison by Clay Smith, a revert. It covers many translators, but the comparer admits that he does not know Arabic and has limited awareness of Islamic scholarship. So he may have made positive comments about deceptive works, e.g. those of the Qadianis/ Ahmedya Lahoris. His short biography of Rashad Khalifa is also different from what I have read.

He finds little to criticize in almost all translations, even from non-Muslims with an agenda to twist meanings and to attack Islam.

His attempt to be comprehensive is to be commended, but be careful with his conclusions. Note that the Quran cannot be translated. What is commonly called Quran translation is actually a translation of the meanings of the Quran, as understood by the translator. 

-- timbuktu

Quran Translations: by Clay Smith (Updated 2009.07.17)

In May 2001 I began looking into the Quran.  Using a variety of English Quran translations and a few commentaries, I read, compare, and reflect.  Being illiterate in Arabic and having limited awareness of Islamic scholarship, I rely on some of these various translations (and their commentaries) to give me confidence I am seeing reliable meanings intended in the Quran. 

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Entries prefaced with “~” I have a copy.  Entries prefaced with “!” I have only an online copy.  So, if you wish me to look up something in any of those translations, please email me at Clay@ClayChipSmith.com J.

From time to time, folks ask “what translation do you recommend?”  Well, it depends on the recipient.  I very nearly always start my reading with Ali Unal  and, so, perhaps this may be construed to be a singular recommendation.  However, this will not suit all folks.  Those wishing a literal reading may consider Maulana Muhammad Ali translation. (note by timbuktu: This is the standard reference work of the Lahori jamaat of the Ahmedya, yet Clay recommends this.) Those wishing beautiful English would benefit from Fazlollah Nikayin – expensive, but certainly worth it.  If you wish to look at a few translations together, then consider also looking at translations/commentaries by Ozek or Hoque and the word-by-word translations by Khan and Ali.

~Ahamad        Author: Syed Vickar Ahamed; Title: An Interpretation of the Meaning of The Glorious Quran; Published in 1999.  Syed worked this translation over a 15 year period to be “a simplified translation of the meaning of the Quran for young people”.  In 1997 he received blessings of Al-Azhar while he was professor of Computer Science at City University of New York.  I found his web addresses here  ahamed@postbox.csi.cuny.edu and http://www.csi.cuny.edu/divsci/ahamed.htm .  He received BS from Bangalore University in 1957, Ph.D. from Manchester University in 1962, and D.Sc. from Manchester University in 1984.  This translation is certainly a carefully constructed work.  I found it at  http://www.amana-publications.com/order_form2.shtml .  Recently, http://www.al-furqaan.org/ has adopted this translation for a broad program of public distribution in hotels and the like.

!Ahmed           Author: Mohamed J Ahmed and Samira Ahmed;  Title: The Koran, Complete Dictionary and Literal Translation.  For sure, this is a bright, open minded, and mainstream work.  Respect for the consistent meaning of words centers this work above many.  A copy of this work is http://www.clay.smith.name/Lexical_Quran.htm .

~Ali                 Author: Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1872-1953);  Title, The Quran Text, Translation, and Commentary;  Translation was first published in 1934;  The translation style has poetic leanings, which, on the whole, detract from the work (the chased English slowed me down too).  The doctrinal commentary struck me as rational and clarifying.  One review complained Yusuf’s apologia and rationalism went to far on eschatology and angelology. Be that as it may, Yusuf as word-smith is apparent in close choice of words.  Yusuf was principal of Islamia College, Lahore.  This translation is included in the Parallel Quran available here: http://www.clay.smith.name/Parallel_Quran.htm

~Ali                 Author: S V Mir Ahmad Ali;  Title: The Holy Qur'an with English Translation and Commentary according to the version of the Holy Ahlul Bait;  Published 1964.  Also spelled Ahmed.  Commentary was from Hujjatul Islam Ayatullah Haji Mirza Mahdi Pooya Yazdi.  After brief review, I found more narrowing of meaning in the translation than seemed justified.  Yet, the commentary was satisfyingly flexible, informative.   Seems well liked by Shia enthusiasts.  One reviewer makes the following observations “Vindicates on the authority of the Qur'an itself such sectarian doctrines of Shias as Imamat, Muta'a (temporary marriage), the nomination of Ali as the Prophet's successor, Taqqiyya (hiding the faith), Tabarra (cursing), and mourning in the month of Muharram. Invectives used against both the Umayyad and Abbasid rulers. Strongly refutes the view that the Shias believe in the alteration (Tahreef) of the Qur'an.”

 ~Ali                Author: Ahmed Ali;  Title: Al-Quran, A Contemporary Translation;  Published in 1984, 1988, and 1993.  Ahmed taught at various Indian universities and was a visiting professor in China and the United States.  This translation is written in verse. Unlike others’ verse, Ahmed was kind enough to forgo capitalizing the first letter of each line.  Certainly, Ahmed worked hard in this fluent and clever work. The few notes are significant, sometimes explaining unorthodox adaptations to the text, as in 4:34.  This is certainly a valuable work.  One reviewer had issues with 2:73, 2:248, 2:282, 3:49, and 4:1 (A quick look, I see each has notes indicating Ahmed’s rational).

 ~Ali                Author: Maulana Muhammad Ali (1876 – 1951);  Title:  Holy Quran;  Translation was first published in 1917.  An on-line copy with commentary is at http://www.muslim.org/english-quran/quran.htm  and www.bn.com has copies.  This translation is satisfyingly literal and includes a cogent commentary.    After graduating with BA in Math (and minor in Arabic) in 1896 from Government College Lahore, he continued to receive a MA in English in 1898.  He passed his final law examination in 1899, and gave up his job teaching mathematics at Islamia College Lahore, intending to set up a legal practice.  One reviewer is critical of his sympathy with Ahmadiyya, conjecturing mistranslation of ayah related to the Promised Messiah, his miracles, and angelology.  So far, I find no problems in the text and nothing substantially annoying in the commentary.  Omer Riza Dogrul wrote in The Islamic Review, May 1952, an obituary, saying “Muhammad Ali believed that the Prophet Muhammad was the Last of the Prophets, and there were none to come after him.”  Be that as it may, one reviewer complains this translation commentary unnecessarily rationalizes 2:60, 2:102, 72:1, 105:3.  A copy of this translation is included in the Parallel Quran, http://www.clay.smith.name/Parallel_Quran.htm

~Ali                 Author: Muhammad Mohar Ali;  Title: A Word for Word Meaning of the Quran;   Publishing from 1998 to 2001 by Jamiyat Ihyaa Minhaaj Al Sunnah;  Available through www.halalco.com.  Though only the first 5 volumes of this 10 volume set have been published, the set is still useful.  Parallel to the text are definitions and references to prior uses of words.  The writing style of this translation is much like Hoque’s translation, having marks of straight word to word translation and ordering. I hope the author completes the rest of the 5 volume. [Ali was born in Bangladesh, unconfirmed]. Ali is a professor of History of Islam.  He has taught at Madina Islamic University and Imam Muhammad Islamic University.

~Ali                 Author: Maulawi Sher Ali (?-1947);  Title: The Holy Quran: Arabic Text with English Translation; Published 1955 a .  This translation is clear and worded satisfactorily.   There are enough similarities to Muhammad Ali’s 1917 translation to consider it a reference for this translation.   I use both a downloaded copy of this translation and a hard copy of Malik Ghulam Farid’s commentary to consider this translation.   The title page says “auspices of Hadrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Fourth Successor of the Promised Messiah”, and I did find some Ahmadiyya abrogation apparent in the commentary (perhaps there is some in the translation too, but I did not see it).  I particularly like this translation for its many cross references.  See Farid below for a reference to a complete online copy of this translation. 

~Amir-Ali       Author: Hashim Amir-Ali (1903 - ) ; Title: The Message of the Quran, Presented in Perspective;  Published 1974.  By perspective, the author means in chronological order of revelation. A table in appendix two correlates 10 other’s inclination on Sura chronological order.  I found this work highly readable (I have not yet looked to see if it is error prone).   Hashim Amir-Ali raised in the palace of Salar Jungs of Hyderbad, India and educated at University of Chicago and Cornell, received a PhD in rural sociology in 1929.  He was a student of Mirza Abul Fazl.  Hashim was a Muslim.

~Arberry         Author: Arthur John Arberry (1905-1965);  Title: The Koran Interpreted; Published in 1955 in London.  Arberry was a Professor of Arabic at the University of London and Cambridge.  Arberry was born in Buckland, Portsmouth, England and educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge.  In 1944 he was appointed to the chair of Persian at London University.  In 1946 he returned to Pembroke as Sir Thomas Adam’s Professor of Arabic, a post he held for the remainder of his life.  Arberry did not claim to be a Muslim, and called himself an infidel in the preface to the translation. Reviews I found were critical of this translation sometimes for his choice of unmannerly English and other times for translation errors.  Errors cited were, 3:43, 4:72, 4:147, 4:157, 5:55, 5:71, 6:20, 6:105, 7:157, 7:158, 7:199, 8:17, 8:29, 8:41, 8:59, 10:88, 11:30, 11:46, 12:61, 32:23.  I looked at a few of these, and some had errors, though of little import.  I do not consider his English unmannerly; rather, a little archaic.

~Asad             Author: Muhammad Asad (1900-1992); Title: The Message of The Quran Translated and Explained;  Published in 1980;  He gives an interestingly rationalized translation and commentary -- A translation for the thoughtful, willing to take a refreshing look.  I found a hardcopy at www.thebook.org .  An online copy is at http://www.geocities.com/masad02  A Spanish softcopy is at http://www.webislam.com/BEI/coran/indice.htm .

1.      The following abstract was taken from a now defunct internet address: (1900-1992) one of the most prominent Muslim thinkers of the twentieth century. He was born Leopold Weiss in Lwow [Ukraine] , the son of a Jewish barrister and grandson of an orthodox rabbi. In 1926, he converted to Islam and became Muhammad Asad. "The great mistake [of the fundamentalists]," he once explained, "is that most of these leaders start with the hudud, criminal punishment. This is the end result of the sharia [Islamic Law], not the beginning. The beginning is the rights of the people. There is no punishment in Islam which has no corresponding right."

2.      A more extensive view of his journey to Islam is in http://www.islamonline.net/english/journey/jour10.shtml .

~Ashi              Author: Arafat K El Ashi; Title: The Meaning of the Glorious Quran;  Published 1996 and 2002;  Born in Gaza Palestine, Ashi received BA in English from Cairo University in 1962, MA in Islamic Studies from Punjab University in 1984, PhD in Comparative Religion from Punjab in 1991.  At the time of the 2002 edition, Ashi was director of Canadian office of World Muslim League and Head of Canadian branch of International Islamic Relief Organization.  Ashi updated Pickthall’s translation to a puritan wit.  Perhaps a broader reading shall reveal broader wit, I hope.

Ayoub             Author: Mahmoud Ayoub; Title: Quran And Its Interpreters, Volume 1-2 of 20; Published 1992.  This is a partial translation.  Dr. Mahmoud Ayoub is a professor of Islamic Studies at Temple University in Philadelphia. He was born in Lebanon. He received his B.A. from American University in Beirut, and Ph.D. from Harvard University.  Ayoub gives a summarized tafseers of 13 influential Muslim scholars, comparing and contrasting their different interpretations of the Qur'an. These scholars, are, in alphabetical order, Ibn Arabi, Ibn Kathir, Nisaburi, Qummi, Qurtubi, Qutb, Razi, Shawkani, Tabari, Tabarsi, Tabataba'i, Wahidi, and Zamakhshari.

!Aziz               Author: Hamid S Aziz (1930 - ); Title: The Meaning of The Holy Quran, with Explanatory Notes;  Published online at http://www.altway.freeuk.com in about 2000. Aziz says this work is “not an original direct translation from the Arabic. It is the result of comparing several other English Translations.”   Aziz was born in 1930, brought up in India, educated in Aligarh. He came to Pakistan in 1948, where he continued his studies in Peshawar University. He came to the UK in 1950 where he had various forms of employment while continuing his studies privately. He has retired, and now lives in Wales, occupying himself with writing articles about Islam on the Internet.  He describes himself in the third person as follows:  He has made a study of the Sciences, Philosophy, Religions, Politics, Economics, History, Technology and Literature for 50 years, in an attempt to find a method of understanding and creating a unified, self-consistent system of thought which combines all aspects of existence. He found that not one of these systems could be justified independently, but was based on assumptions, the proof of which lay in other systems. He  came to understand Islam rather late in life, and found in it the foundations he was seeking.

Bell                  Author: Richard Bell (1876 - );  Title: The Quran; Translated with a Critical Rearrangement of Surahs, 2 volumes;  Published 1937. Other editions in 1939 and 1991.   Bell asserts in his introduction the Quran was “written by Muhammad himself”.  Bell’s rearrangement (to fix “alteration, substitutions and derangement of the text”) is substantially beyond chronological reordering.  Bell was a professor at University of Edinburgh.

~Bewley          Author: Hajj Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley;  Title: The Noble Quran, A New Rendering of its Meaning in English;  Published 1999.   Between translating other Islamic works, Aisha Abdur-rahman at-Tarjumana Bewley worked this translation over a 25 year period.  The result is she and her husband produced a fluid reading using standard English.  The translation is based on the Warsh reading rather than Hafs (Nafs) recitation. The Warsh, originating in Medina, is closely linked to Qurayish dialect, which the Quran was revealed.  The Author regularly posts portions of her translation here http://bewley.virtualave.net/quran.html

Cleary              Author: Thomas F Cleary;  Title: The Essential Koran: The Heart of Islam; Published in 1994.  This is a commentary and translation of selected verses from the Quran.  Cleary holds a Ph.D. in East Asian languages and civilization from Harvard University.

~Daryabadi     Author: , Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi (1892-1977);  Title: Translation and Commentary of the Quran in 4 volumes;  Originally published in 1941.  The copy I looked at was printed 1991, but is likely the 1957 edition.  His translation is straight forward.  In matters of Islam, his commentary seems orthodox. Yet, in 2 areas, his commentary reflects ignorance of modernity and psychology.  Perhaps, this translation is derived from an Urdu translation know as Kanzul Iman. (note by timbuktu: If I remember correctly, Kanzul Iman is the work of Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi)

~Dawood        Author: Nessim Joseph Dawood (1927 - );  Title: The Quran;  Published 1956.  Aso spelled Daud.  Born in Baghdad Iraq to a Jewish family, he moved to London in 1945 as an Iraq State Scholar, and he graduated from London University.  Dawood originally published the chapters in chronological order, and had errors (for example, 7:31 was translated “children of Allah”, but should have been “children of Adam”).  In later editions, order was returned to normal, but errors still exist. For example, Dawood renders 2:191 as “idolatry is more grievous than bloodshed”, but should be more like “persecution (oppression, sedition) is worse than killing”.

~Durkee          Author: Abdullah Nooruddeen Durkee and Hajjah Noura Durkee;  Title: The Tajwidi Quran;  Initial partial publication in 1992;  Complete publication in 1999.  This contains Arabic, Transliterated, and English for the Quran.  The Arabic is the largest and clearest font I have seen for an Arabic & English volume.  The appendix has a useful pronunciation guide.  There is a precision and honesty (psychological) in this translation that is likeable.  I found a copy at http://www.an-noor.org/home.htm .  Durkee seems to have a Sufi connection.

~Fakhry           Author: Majid Fakhry;  Title: Quran: A Modern English Version;  Published 1997.  This seems to be a derivative of the work of Mahmud Zayid.  Majid, born in Lebanon, is presently Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University in Washington  and the American University of Beirut.   This work contains few notes and little introduction.   I lost interest in this translation as nearly every verse had been puzzled out and singularly rendered.  Surely there is value is subtlety.  The proper use of square brackets […] to indicate an addition by the translator is attractive.

~Farid             Author: Malik Gulam Farid;  Title: The Holy Qur'an: English Translation and Short Commentary; Published in 1969.  The translation itself is Sher Ali’s.  After Sher Ali died, Farid completed the commentary that he , Sher and Mirza Bashir-uddin Mahmud Ahmad had started together.  The resulting 3 volume Long Commentary was completed in 1963, and it prompted interest to inspire editing this single volume commentary.  The title page takes auspices of Hadrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad, Third Successor of the Promised Messiah and Head of the Ahmadiyyah Movement in Islam, and in later editions take auspices of Hadrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, fourth successor.  I did find some Ahmadiyya abrogation apparent in the commentary (perhaps there is some in the translation too, but I did not see it).  A complete translation of this single volume is available at http://www.alislam.org/quran/tafseer/guide.htm?region=EN with the full notes and cross-references.  I find these cross-references integral to confident understanding, making studying the Quran attractively complete.  This translation is included in the Parallel Quran available here: http://www.clay.smith.name/Parallel_Quran.htm

Fazl,                Author: Mirza Abul Fazl (?-1956);  Title: unknown;  Published: 1910 and revised 1915 and 1955.  Fazl also spelled Fadl.  A copy of Fazl’s commentary is included in his student’s translation (Hashim Amir-ali).  Fazl was thought of as a Muslim by his student, Hashim.  Fazl’s translation, which included the Arabic also, was the first time the Quran was rendered using metal typeface.  As was seemingly fashion at that time, this translation arranged chapters chronologically.  One reviewer notes: Dedicated to Sultan Jahan Begum, [Lady] ruler of Bhopal [India]. References to the Bible with a view to bringing out the superiority of the Qur'an. Refutation of the missionary views in a casual manner. Includes few notes.

Gilani              See Tariq.

~Habib            Author: M H Shakir (1904-1959);   Title: The Quran, Arabic and English;  Published  in 1981, with a brief biography indicating Mahomedali Habib (MH Shakir is a pen name) died 1959 days after completing this translation.   This translation is largely taken from Maulana Muhammed Ali’s translation with English updated to middle century style.  This translation is included in the Parallel Quran available here: http://www.clay.smith.name/Parallel_Quran.htm .

                        Courtesy of the internet. The following bibliography is completely unnrelated to Habib. From what I can see there is no relationship, but I include it here for entertainment as to how disinformation is propagated in the internet.  --  Mohammad Habib Shakir (1866-1939) was an Egyptian judge, born in Cairo and a graduate from Al-Azhar University.  He occupied many prominent positions, such as: Sudan's Supreme Judge for four years, Dean of Alexandia's Scholars, Al-Azhar Secretary General, and a member of its board of directors and Legislative Committee.  He died in Cairo in 1939 AD. Some of his famous works include: an English translation of the Holy Qur'an and Explanation of the Primary Lessons in Religious Belief.

Hairat              Author: Mirza Hairat of Delhi ( - 1928); Title: The Koran, Prepared by Various Oriental Learned Scholars and Edited by Mirza Hairat;  Published 1912 (or 1919).  One reviewer said this translation fell short of its goal of being an exhaustive reply to the criticisms of previous translations by Christians (perhaps the shortcoming related to failure to publish a companion commentary).  Interestingly, this translation was numbered by parts rather then chapters.

Hayek              Author: Sheikh ‘Izziddin al-Hayek; Title: An Approximate, Plain, Straightforward Translation of the Meanings of the honorable Quran in English;  Published in 1996 in Damascus.  There is a copy here: http://www.lib.virginia.edu/area-studies/MiddleEast/Cairo/97/l97-139 cataloged as follows:  10- LCN: 97964811 Tarjamah taqribiyah sahlah wa-wadihah li-ma'ani al-Qur'an al-Karim bi-al-lughah al-Inkiliziyah / tarjamat 'Izz al-Din al-Hayik = An approximate, plain and straightforward translation of the meanings of the honourable Qur'an in the English language / 'Izziddin al-Hayek. al-Tab'ah 1. Dimashq : Tawzi' Dar al-Fikr lil-Tiba'ah wa-al-Nashr, 1996. 23.80 uds 988 pages.  Based on a quote of 1 verse, I speculate this is a verbose and amplified translation.

~Hilali             See Khan

~Haque           Author: Shah Faridul Haque;  Title: The Holy Quran, from Kanzul Iman;  Published 1988 in Delhi.  Haque made this translation while living in Karachi Pakistan.  In 1910, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (born Brielly India 1858 and died 1921) translated the Quran to Urdu under the title Kanzul Iman.  Fundamentally, Raza focused great effort on consistency of meaning among related occurrences in the Quran.  Haque maintained this effort in English.  There is a certain precision in this translation and an indifference to prior English works.  In this way, there is value in this translation for seeking alternative congruities.  Haque is hyper-conservative (lacks psychological and sociological sensitivity) in rendering some verses.  There is a copy of this on line at http://www.nooremadinah.net/Al-Quran/Translations/Translations.html

~Hoque           Author: Zohurul Hoque (1927 - );  Title: The Holy Quran;  Publisher: Holy Quran Publishing Project, http://www.qurantoday.com ;   This translation claims “word to word” style of translation.  Meaning, each Arabic word is rendered into a single, couple, of phrase in English using similar style and ordering as the original Arabic.  The top of the page contains both Arabic and English in parallel columns.  The bottom of the page has a running commentary in the form of an amplified translation, detailing traditions, history, and referencing other parts of the Quran.  Reading without parenthetical distraction or uniquely resolved meaning is a highly attractive part of this translation.  That is, the word-to-word translation gave me a strong and reliable sense that I was getting the unvarnished literal meaning in the Quran.  Next, reading the second (the historical and studied expanded) translation gave me a progressive sense I was learning a balanced and rational scope toward the full and proper meanings in the Quran.    Hoque was born in Assam province of India in a family of Sunni devotees.  Upon graduating high school with highest marks in Arabic in the whole state of Assam, he entered medical school.  After 12 years of work, he published a Bengali translation of the Quran in 1986.  With 8 additional years of work he completed a Assamese translation.  From 1993 to 2000, he worked on this English translation.  After studying Public Health at University of Calcutta and at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, he was Director of  Health Services for the state of Assam in India and was a National Consultant to World Health Organization. During his official career, he had built several (20+) hospitals in underserved Muslim communities of Assam.

~Irving            Author: Thomas Ballantine Irving;  Title: The Noble Reading, The Quran;  Published in 1985 by Amana Books.  This translations (25 years in the making) differentiates pros from verse both in formatting and style.  Word order is changed to suit English ease of reading.  The few criticisms I can find (2:37 and 2:157) take residence in me as enlightened and proper wordings or amplifications.  Thomas Irving was a convert to Islam. He received his PhD from Princeton University (after about 1940) and taught in American, Canadian, Latin American, Asian, African and Mexican Universities.  The proper use of square brackets […] to indicate an addition by the translator is attractive.  Apparently, the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City has been given permission to maintain a soft copy: http://isgkc.org/translat.htm .

Jullundri          Author: Ali Ahmad Khan Jullundri;  Title: Translation of the Glorious Holy Quran, with commentary; Published from Lahore in 1962 by World Islamic Mission. Revision published in 1978.  One review read as follows:  “The translator boastfully entitles his work as ‘After few centuries a True and Easy translation of the Glorious Holy Quran’. Marred by numerous mistakes of translation. Appended to the translation is lengthy, dealing with diverse topics in a bizarre way, heaps abuses in the Saudi rulers and slights the role of Sunna. A simply unreadable work.”

~Khalifa          Author: Rashad Kalifa (1935 – 1990) ;  Title: Quran, The final Testament, Authorized English Version with Arabic Text;  Published in 1981, a revision in 1989, and a second revision in 1992.  Rashad Kafr El-Zayat Egypt to a Sufi family. Rashad rejected Sufi behaviors of idolization of Muslim Saints (Wali ), the prophet and his family, and their upholding of other books over Quran.  Rashad acquired degrees in Agriculture from Egypt Ain Shams University, Master Degree of  Biochemistry from Arizona State University and a Ph.D. from University of California, Riverside. He moved to the USA in 1959 and worked variously including senior advisor in Agriculture and Biochemistry for the United Nations.   He developed a cultist following during his tenure a Imam of a Tucson Mosque.  Over the course of revising his translation, his name crept in (i.e. 25:56).  In 1979, he plead no contest to a harassment charge of a 16 year old woman.  He published works on numerology, 19 as a signature in the Quran, and rejection of  Hadeeth.  Clealy, Rashad is a colorful character.  His translation reflect this.  This translation is included in the parallel Quran available here: http://www.clay.smith.name/Parallel_Quran.htm .

~Khan             Author: Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali (1893- 1987) and Muhammad Muhsin Khan (1926 - );   Title: A Study of the Noble Quran, Word-for-Word from Arabic to English;   Publisher: Darussalam http://www.dar-us-salam.com;  This 3 volume set is dated 1999.  This interlinear presentation  juxtaposes each Arabic word with its English translation.  For non-Arabic literate, there is a sense of cadence reading in a word-for-word fashion that is unavailable elsewhere.  Moreover, as an interlinear, one may compare with other more wordy translations to learn where extra words are added to those other translation.  In parallel with the interlinear presentation, Khan’s translation (1977) is included a few verses at time.  Khan’s translation is an “amplified” translation.  That is, he parenthetically includes comments, amplifying the meaning beyond the scope of the local text (however, the meaning he chooses is within the scope of understanding gleaned from Hadeeth.  Khan does not mince words, so the anti-Hadeeth Orientalists deprecate Khan’s unnecessary bluntness).   Hilali was born in Fidah Morocco, memorized the Quran at age 12.  He received degrees Egypt and Berlin University, and taught at Universities in England, Baghdad University, and Islamic University in Medina.  Khan was born in Punjab Province in Pakistan, though his family emigrated from Afghanistan.  H studied medicine at University of Punjab and University of Wales. He worked as both a medical doctor, as Minister of Health in Saudi Arabia, and later as department director at Kings Hospital, then Al-Medina University Clinic.

                        Title: Explanatory English Translation of the Holy Qur'an in 9 Volumes;   Published in 1977. Explanations are from Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi , and Ibn Kathir Tafsir and from Sahih Al-Bukhari. 

                        Title: The Noble Quran; Published 1977.  A summarized single volume of the 9 volume set.  I have a 1985 edition sanctioned by Sheikh Umar Fullata, General Secretary of Islamic University Saudia Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Bin Baz, Dar-ul-Ifta (Presidency of Islamic Research, Ifta, Call and Propagation), Riyadh, Professor M Amin Al-Misri of Cambridge University England, and Professor V Abdur Rahim Cairo University Egypt. Thou doth protest too much.  A copy of this translation is included in the Parallel Quran, http://www.clay.smith.name/Parallel_Quran.htm

                        ~Title: Ibn Kathir;  Published in 2000.  A derivative of Khan’s translation was used as the base English Quran within the 10 volume translation of Ibn Kathir Abridged Tafsir in English.

Khan               Author: Mohammad Abdul Hakim Khan;  Title: The Holy Qur'an: with Short Notes Based on the Holy Quran and the Authentic Traditions of the Prophet.  Published in 1905 in Patiala Punjab India.  Reviews I have seen are positive, saying consistent with hadeeth and avoided improper innovations.  Also, there were some references to his recanting Qadyani.  Khan was a physician.  Some spell his name Mohammed.

!Khan              Author: Muhammad Ayyub Khan;  Title: The Holy Quran with English Translation;  Published date unknown.  Doctor Colonel Muhammad Ayub Khan was born in 1923 in Northern Punjab.  He served in Pakistan army from 1949 to 1975 as a medical doctor.  I found a copy of this translation on line at http://www.quranweb.com/ .  There were a few places where his social engineering was a bit retro.  Otherwise, it is a clever translation in its frugality.

~Khan             Author: Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, 1971 (1893-1985); Title: The Quran: Arabic Text and English Translation; Published in 1970.  After founding the Ahmadiyya Muslim Movement in 1904 in Lahore,  he made allegiance to the Promised Messiah of the Qadiyani, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1907.  Khan graduated from the Government College, Lahore, in 1911, went to England later that year and remained there until 1914, studying at Kings' College, London.  Khan practiced law and help various government appointments till he was made Foreign Minister of Pakistan in 1947, serving that post till 1954. Later, her served as Judge, then president, of the International Court of Justice, The Hague. Interestingly, Khan lived to see the 1984 Pakistan order outlawing Qadiyanis.  Some spell his name Muhammed Zafarullah Khan or Mohammad Zafrallah Khan.  The 1981 reprint had as ISBN of 0700701486.

Khatib             Author: M M Khatib; Title: The bounteous Koran: A Translation of Meaning and Commentary; Published in London 1986 by Palgrave Macmillan.  The University Al-Azhar in Egypt sanctioned this translation.  Additional information on the translation eludes me (Though found reference to isbn 0333347382 or 0333435109 and an indication it was also published with Royal Cairo Arabic edition and available from St Martin's Press).  So, the one review is a follows (without confirmation).

                        An authentic and faithful translation of the Qur'an in readable, fluent English. Free from irksome use of archaic Biblical English as in Pickthall, Yusuf Ali and Daryabadi. Contains a historically based 'Introduction' discussing Islam, the Quran and Sirah, and brief yet insightful notes on the circumstantial setting and the meaning of certain Quran allusions and expressions. Suffers from a few inaccuracies in translation. For example al-Furqan XXV:16, 29, 46 and 62, al-Maidah V:67 and Maryam X1X:26 and 34, etc. (For details see A.R. Kidwai's review on it in Muslim World Book Review (Spring 1988), Vol. 8, No.3, pp. 11-13.

~Lane              Author: Edward William Lane, Stanley Lane-Pool, and A H C Sarwar; Title: The Koran: an Edition Prepared for English Readers: being an arrangement in chronological order;  (Re)Published in 1979, I guess, by Peter Pauper Press.  Lacking numbering on individual verses, using this as a reference work is difficult.  I speculate this is a vanity publication (published at authors expense).  Perhaps there is value in a straight read through.  Better yet, this maybe a translation of last resort.

Latif                Author: Syed Abdul Latif (?-1967);  Title:  Al Quran: Rendered into English; Published 1969. Latif was Professor of English at Osmania University in Hyderabad.  Latif was working with Maulana Abul Kalam Azad to translate to English Azad’s Urdu work The Tarjuman Al-Quran.  Azad died in the middle of that work in 1958.  Latif continued, but in a new direction, translating the Quran from Arabic.  Latif’s translation is straight forward, but lacked a period of critical review that would have improved its precision.

~Latif              Title:  The Tarjuman Al-Quran;  Published between 1962-68 in 3 volumes.  The first 23 chapters are all the Latif translated of Azad’s work.  Azad (1888-1958) born in Mecca and moved to Calcutta in 1890.   He supported Gandhhiji’s Salt Satyagraha, and was jailed in 1930 for 18 months in Meerut jail.  He was jailed on several other occasions in support of India’s independence. Azad adopted his pen name to signify his freedom from traditional Muslim ways.

~Malik             Author: Muhammad Farooq-i-azam Malik (1943 - );  Title: English Translation of the Meaning of Al-Quran, The Guidance for Mankind.  Published in 1997 by Institute of Islamic Knowledge of Houston Texas www.al-quraan.org with an online copy.  Malik was born in Punjab Province in Pakistan and was educated in Islamic Law and Economics prior to emigrating to USA in 1970 where he did accounting.  This translation was created from 1992 to 1994 and revised for another 3 years. This version is amplified by about 10% italics and parenthetical remarks. Though the readability is high, sometimes the amplifications are hyper-specific or a misdirection.

Maududi         Author: Abul Ala Maududi (Urdu) and Zafar Ishaq Ansari (translator);  Title: Towards Understanding the Qur'an, a translation of Mawdudi's Tafhim al-Qur'an; Published in 1988-present in London.  This is a partial translation in its present 7 volumes.  I located a copy at http://www.icnabookservice.com .

~Maududi       Author: Abul Ala Maududi (Urdu) and Muhammad Akbar (translator); Title: The Meaning of the Quran;  Published in 1964 in 16 volumes.  When looking up verses to compare translation or commentary, this is lowest priority.  Perhaps because of its pejorative tone of the commentary.  Sorry, but I find little above any other translation in this one.

!Moeinian        Author: Bijan Moeinian; Title: Glorious Quran, An Easy to understand English Translation; Published on the internet in about 2001 and presently at http://infoabcd.com/koran/ .  Dr Moeinian completed BS in Economics from Pahlavi University of Shiraz Iran in 1971 and a Ph.D. in International Business and Economics from Sorbonne of Paris France in 1978.   This highly readable translation regularly carries parenthetical amplifications and regularly uses either narrowed or broadened wordings.  This translation is available only online.

~Muhammad   Author: Umm Muhammad;  Title: The Quran, Arabic Text with Corresponding English Meaning;  Published 1995 by Abul-Qasim.  This is published under the pseudonym of Saheeh International.  This is a derivative work of Muhammad Muhsin Khan.  Born in the USA in 1940, Umm became Muslim in 1974 while in Syria following an intensive study of Arabic.  In 1981 she moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where she continues to teach tafseer and fiqh and edit English copy for this publisher.  Parenthetical remarks are largely removed from Khans translation.  I was a little surprised to find Umm choosing wordings that limit women’s rights to a greater extent than Khan, but perhaps the Saudi influence was strong in this case.  Otherwise, based on limited review, Umm’s translation is attractive and useable.  The proper use of square brackets […] to indicate an addition by the translator is attractive.

~Murad           See Uzunoglu.

~Nikayin         Author: Fazlollah Nikayin (1938 - ); Title: Quran, A Poetic Translation from the Original.  The author was born in Tehran Iran, taught at Cambridge England and Islamic Azad University in Tehran.  He worked on this translation full time from 1989 till 1999.  I see significant beauty in this careful construction.  There is certain success in this effort to capture the poetry of the Quran in a way adding to the translation conclusively.  Although this translation is expensive, I am happier with it than Rodwell or Dawood translations.  The web site for this translation is www.TheUltimateBook.com and it is available through http://www.bn.com

~Nooruddin    See Omar.

~Omar             Author: Amatul Rahman Omar (? – 1990) and Abdul Mannan Omar;  Title: The Holy Quran;  Publisher: Noor Foundation International, 1997;  This translation was completed in 1990.  Sometimes, Omar is called by alternative spelling of Omer.  Allamah Nooruddin (1840 - ?) was the teacher of Amatul Omar, and his notes were a base for this work.  Amatul was the daughter in law of Nooruddin and daughter of  Shir Ali (another Quran translator).  Amatul taught Arabic and English after receiving a masters degree in Arabic from University of Punjab.   I find this translation to be a  particularly fast reading of the translation (I find implied logic errors from poorly chosen English wordings and insufficient English wordings are fundamental to slowing me down).  This version is about 15% amplified using parenthetical.  Habitually, these amplifications are balanced and useful commentary.  Recently, an on-line copy appeared at http://www.islamusa.org/OnlineTrans/index.html .

(note by timbuktu: Allam Nooruddin is the first so-called Khalifa of Ghulam Ahmed Qadiani. This translation carries the misguidance of the Qadinis).

~ Ozek            See Uzunoglu.

!Palmer            Author: Edward Henry Palmer  (1840 – 1882); Title: The Quran, English Translation;  Published 1880.  Palmer was born an orphan in England and taught Arabic at Saint John Collage in Cambridge from 1871 till his murder in Egyptian desert while on leave.  Palmer was regarded as Christian, not Muslim. Palmer said that Quran “language is noble and forcible, but not elegant in the sense of literary refinement”, and likewise wrote in a strenuous style. To Palmer’s credit, he abandoned chronological ordering of his contemporaries.

Peer                 Author: Salahuddin Peer;  Title: The Wonderful Koran;  Published in 1960 in Lahore or Aminabad.  Few comments were included with the translation. Peer was considered to be Ahmadiyya Muslim.

~Pickthall        Author: Muhammad Marmaduke William Pickthall (1875 – 1936);  Title: The Meaning of the Glorious Quran; Published 1930 from London and Lohore.  After his conversion to Islam in 1917, he served as acting imam in the Notting Hill London Mosque.  His use of chased English somehow has failed to prevent this translation from receiving wide use.  A few notes introduce each chapter.  The translation seems carefully worded to correspond tightly with the Arabic.  He studied with both Egyptian and sub-continent scholars.  A copy of this translation is included in the Parallel Quran, http://www.clay.smith.name/Parallel_Quran.htm

~Poole             See Lane.

!Progressive     Author: Unknown;  Title: The Message : A Modern Literal Translation of the Quran; Published 2003 by www.ProgressiveMuslims.org.  This work is genteel in its tone an egalitarian doctrine.  The publisher sought to limit interference from footnotes and imbedded comments in the translation.  Further, the publisher sought to use lexical analysis of over tradition when interpreting the Arabic.  A companion organization has posted a copy at http://www.free-minds.org/quran/quran.htm .  Non-Arabic speaking folks will benefit from the range of meaning opened by this translation.

Qaribullah       Author: Professor Hassan Qaribullah and Sheik Ahmad Darwish;  Title: The Meaning of the Glorious Koran;  Published: Umm Durman University, Cairo 2001.  After a brief look though, I found straight forward English and no indications of an agenda.  In a brief biography, the author is described as leader of Sudanese Sufi and is quoted “The Sufi should do good for people and follow the way of the Prophet Mohammed. He should be tolerant with his family, neighbors and all others in the world.”

Rizvi                Author: Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi; Title: Al-Mizan: An Exegesis of the Qur'an by Allamah Sayyed Muhammad Hussain at-Tabatabai; Published 1989 to present, 12 of 40 volumes from Tehran.  Rizvi is the Chief Missionary of Bilal Muslim Mission of Dar es salaam, Tanzania. Details are available at http://www.almizan.org .

~Rodwell        Author: Reverend John Medows Rodwell (1808 - 1900); Title: The Koran; Originally Published in 1861.  Republished in 1876.  Certainly, this non-Muslim tried to bring his sense of order to the Quran by publishing it in rough chronological order.  In Rodwell’s original introduction, Rodwell requested his missionaries to critique the prophet’s revelation as resulting from self-deception, catalepsy, or hallucination.  Some reviewers are critical of Rodwell’s translation: he rendered 74:39 as “they of God’s right hand” (maybe their objection is to the word “hand” or “of”).  108:2 is rendered “Pray therefore to the Lord and slay the victims” (most translations say “and sacrifice”). 

Ross                Author: Alexander Ross.  Title: Alcoran of Mahomet;  First published 1649. Most recently published in 1856.  This Scotsman worked from a French translation, L’Alcoran de Mahomet, by Sieu du Ruyer.  I have not confirmed a report that in “The Translator to the Christian Reader”, Ross specifies his purpose: 'I thought good to bring it to their colours, that so viewing thine enemies in their full body thou must the better prepare to encounter...his Alcoran'.  Ross was not considered Muslim.  There are copies on the net for sale from 900 to 1900 us  dollars.  Too much.  So, I am left to hope someone scans one onto the net, as Ross’s appendix, “A needful Caveat” piques curiosity.

~Sale               Author: George Sale (1697 - 1736);  Completed in 1734.  Most recently published in 1975.  Sale was a lawyer.  (Unconfirmed), in the preface to the 1836 edition, Sale describes the Quran as “manifest forgery”, saying his interest was to “effectually expose the imposture”.  Sale based his translation on the Latin translation by Maracci, the confessor of Pope Innocent XI. This work too was (unconfirmed) dedicated to discrediting Islam. I verified one reviewer’s claim that Sale omitted 3:98 from his translation.

~Shaikh           Author: Abdul Karim Shaikh;  Title: Dawatul Quran, Arabic Text, Translation, and Commentary;  Published 1991-94 in Bombay in 3 volumes.  Janab Shams Pirzada Seheb (?-1999) made an Urdu Tafseer from 1976 to 1994.  I am surprised how little review of this translation and commentary was required for me to see it as off the main stream and subject to egregious cultural bias, obscuring Quran’s middle nature.  I hope to get back to this translation and give it a more considered review.

~Sarwar           See Lane.

Sarwar             Author: Al-Hajj Hafiz Ghulam Sarwar; Title: Translation of the Holy Quran ; Publication is 1929, but some say Singapore 1920; Yusuf Ali’s introduction indicates 1929 [Lahore] with the spelling Gulam.  One reviewer thought the only residual value to this illusive translation is the quote about the translation he referenced when making his: “There is no other translation or commentary of the Holy Quran in the English language to compete with Maulvi Muhammad Ali’s Masterpiece”.  Some consider Ghulam to be an Ahmadiyya Muslim.  The mystery about this translation broadened on learning of A H C Sarwar contributed to another translation in this biography under the translators name of Lane.

!Sarwar            Author: Sheikh Muhammad Sarwar; Title: The Holy Quran: Arabic Text and English Translation;  Published by Elmhurst, 1981.   Sarwar was a student of the Islamic Seminary of Najaf, Iraq and Qum, Iran.  He relied on Al-mizan By Allama Taba Taba'i and Mujma'ul Bayan by Allama Tabasi for commentary and linguistics.  One reviewer thought this translation was typical of errors found in most translations, like 21:63, where the translator accidentally makes Ibrahim by poor choice of English.  Another reviewer says:  “without any notes this explanatory translation paraphrases the contents of the Quran in a lucid style.”  At some point, Sarwar was connected to Islamic Institute of New York and seemingly still lives and teaches in the New York area.  At time of publication, the author was the Imam of al-Khoei Islamic Center.  This translation is included in the parallel Quran available here: http://www.clay.smith.name/Parallel_Quran.htm .

~Shakir            See Habib.

~Siddiqui        Author: Abdul Hameed Siddiqui;  Title: The Holy Quran, English Translation and Explanatory Notes;  Published 1974 in Lahore Pakistan.  Only 8 of 30 parts were produced prior to Siddiqui’s death.  Siddiqui also wrote The Life of Muhammad and translated Sahih Muslim.  I am sad Siddiqui died prior to completing this, as the quality of the translation and the commentary are not unlike Muhammad Asad.  That is, particularly rational without being diminutive.  I found my copy at www.kazi.org .

Tariq                Author: Abdur Rahman Tariq and Ziauddin Gilani; Title: The Holy Qur'an Rendered into English; Published 1966 in Lahore.  Seems hard to find a copy.  One reviewer considered this orthodox translation contained brief notes lack luster wording.

~Turner           Author: Colin Turner;  Title: A New Interpretation; Published 1997.  Colin is a member of the staff at Centre of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and connected to the University of Durham, both in England.  This is certainly the most amplified translation I have read.  These clarifications and layers are from a base exegesis by Muhammad Baqir Behbudi.  Even though Colin risks an abundance of words that are not present in the Arabic, he is thrives at rendering a suitable scope of meaning.  Well, almost.  Sometimes, he takes a tact that is out of proportion to the original Arabic, as in 19:17-21.  Be sure you have an orthodox translation at hand to double check against.

~Unal              Author: Ali Unal;  Title: The Qur’an with Annotated Interpretation in Modern English; Published 2007.  Unal is a student of the scholar Fethullah Gülen, who is a reference point for revival of Islam among Muslims.  This translation deals with the full depth and breadth of the meanings of the Qur’an as understood from the classical scholars and sources.  Unal managed to present these meanings, which can be subtle, strong or startling, and yet remain polite.  The translation is available at www.antstores.com in soft and hard back. 

~Uzunoglu      Authors: Nurettin Uzunoglu, Tevfik Rustu Topuzoglu, Ali Ozek, Mehmed Maksudoglu;  Title: The Holy Quran with English Translation; Published 1992 in Istanbul.  My copy is a third revision from 1996 and I found it at www.halalco.com .  After a brief review, I find the writing clean and straight, having character of a direct map to today’s pros.    There is considerable commentary between the verses.  These comments ranges from adroit to historical.  Although this translation describes itself as a committee work, the authors each had their focus.  Nurettin translated Surahs 1 to 8; Tevfik, 9 to 20; Ali, 21-39; Mehmed, 40 to 114.   Nurettin is Professor and author of International Law and Islamic Studies in Nebraska.  Nurettin played a broad role in the second revision of this translation.  Tevfik teaches Arabic at the Faculty of Arts in Istanbul University, and works as a writer and editor of Arabic Language and Literature in DIA (The Turkish Religious Foundation Encyclopedia of Islam) in Turkiye.  Ali teaches interpretation of Holy Quran at the faculty of Theology in Marmara University, which is in Istanbul.  Mehmet teaches Islamic History at the Faculty of Theology in Marmara University.   In 2000, a fourth edition was edited by Abdal Hakim Murad, Mostafa al-Badawi and Uthman Hutchinson and titled “The Majestic Quran, An English Rendition of its Meanings”.  This fourth edition dropped some spare amplifying words, enriched its English vocabulary, regulated word selection, and augmented it with contemporary terms (i.e. Muslim rather than “those who have surrendered”).  Commentary has been moved from between verses to the bottom of the page.  The proper use of square brackets […] to indicate an addition by the translator is attractive.  However, at 4 times the price for the 4^th edition, better get the 3^rd edition and 3 other translations too for the same money.

Wherry            Author: Elwood Morris Wherry;  Title: A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran;  Published 1882-1886.  This 4 volume work include a copy of George Sale translation and discourse.  Wherry was not considered Muslim.

~Zayid            Author: Mahmud Y Zayid;  Title:  The Qur'an: An English Translation of the Meaning of the Quran;  Published in 1980 in Lebanon by Dar al Choura.  Mahmud is Emeritus Professor of History and Archaeology at American University of Beirut and also a visiting professor at University of Texas, 1966-67.  In the introduction, Zayid indicates this translation is a revision of Dawood’s translation.  Assisting with translation were Umar Farrukh, Majid Farkhri, and Ali Aqil (Later, Fakhry made his own translation, using this work as a base).  Religious practices and law are included as a 16 page appendix.  This text has blessings from both Lebanon Sunni group (IFTA) and a Lebanon Shii group.

Zindani            Author: Shaykh Abdul-Majeed Az-Zindani;  Title: Holy Qur'An: English Translation Of The Meanings & Commentary;  Published 1985.  The translation itself is a direct derivative of Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s translation. One reference indicates Zindani penned the commentary. Another reference indicates that the commentary is from four committees of scholars under the “Presidency of Islamic Research, IFTA, Call and Guidance” with the blessing of The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz Al- Saud, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  Yet another reference labels this work “Holy Quran, Mushaf Al-Madinah An-Nabawiyah” in the title.  In any event, the lack of clear authorship reduces it authority. 

                        A 2002.01.23 Wall Street Journal article, “Western Scholars Play Key Role In Touting Science of the Quran”, written by Daniel Golden reads as follows: Sheikh Abdul Majeed Zindani, a charismatic Yemeni academic and politician…. Mr. Zindani also is a friend and mentor to another Bucailleism devotee of Yemeni descent: Osama bin Laden. The world's most wanted man has regularly sought Mr. Zindani's guidance on whether planned terrorist actions are in accord with Islam, says Yossef Bodansky, biographer of Mr. bin Laden and staff director of a U.S. congressional task force on terrorism. “Zindani is one of the people closest to bin Laden,” says Mr. Bodansky, who attributes the book's findings to interviews with various intelligence agencies, current and former terrorists and others.

A brief list of reviews of Quran translations are as follows.

Tadrus             Compiled by Fawzi Mikhail Tadrus.  The Holy Koran in the Library of Congress : a bibliography.  Washington : Library of Congress : For sale by the U.S. G.P.O., Supt. of Docs., 1993. (Z 7835 .M6 T321 1993)

Kidwai            Written by A.R. Kidwai.  Translating the Untranslatable, A Survey of English Translations of the Quran , English Translations of the Holy Quran: An Annotated Bibliography, 1649-1986 http://www.quran.org.uk/ieb_quran_untranslatable.htm

Kidwai            Written by A. R. Kidwai.  English Translation of the Holy Quran, An Annotated Bibliography

Sefercioglu      Compiled by M. Nejat Sefercioglu.  Edited and introduction by
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.  “World Bibliography of Translations of the Holy Quran, in Manuscript Form”.  Istanbul, 2000 (in English).  Bibliography covering the translations and exegeses of the Holy Quran in manuscript form which are found in libraries, archival institutions, public and private collections all over the world. The first volume comprises bibliographic entries for 293 translations in 58 languages and dialects excluding Turkish, Persian and Urdu. The other three volumes will include the translations in Turkish, Persian and Urdu, respectively. The Turkish edition of this work is in preparation. Price: US$ 50, including post  ISBN 92-9063-102-3. http://www.ircica.org/siparis.html

Eren                 Prepared by Ismet Binark, Halit Eren.  Edited and preface by Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.  “World Bibliography of Translations of the Meanings of the Holy Quran, Printed Translations 1515-1980”.  Istanbul, 1986 (in English).  This bibliography provides information about 2672 works which are the originals, copies and different editions of 551 complete and 883 incomplete translations and selections in 65 different languages. The introduction is a study on the history of Qur'an translations from the advent of Islam to our time.  Price: US$ 50, including post.  ISBN 92-9063-111-2.  http://www.ircica.org/siparis.html

Notes are for translations without a proper reference – perhaps some day I will properly cite.

Noble Qur'an, The (Tafseer-E-Usmani) (3 Vols.) ;   Ashfaq Ahmad / Shabir Usmani ;  800.00rs; http://www.idara.com/quran/eng.htm 2002.12.22

Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi is referenced, in English (a couple of verses), as another translation of the Quran in the introduction of Faridul Haque translation. Could not find 2002.12.22.  Other folks indicate there is only an Urdu translation.

Maariful Qur'an Complete (8 Volume Set)  Stock Number: 0360.  Language: English Author: Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi    Price: $125.00   Publisher: Maktaba Darul-Uloom Karachi     Mufti Muhammad Shafi wrote Maariful Quran in Urdu, reference. Now its English translation supervised by his son Mufti Taqi Usmani, brings this to the English-speaking world. Currently only available for destinations outside North America and Germany.

Holy Quran by M. Sher Eli; Our Price: CDN$ 15.57; from amazon.ca 2002.11.18.

Mufasir Mohammad Ahmed, 1979 – Could not find 2003.01.05

Ahmad, Muhammad Mofassir, The Koran: The First Tafsir in English (London, 1979). 1 edn. One reviewer thought “Explanatory notes have been interpolated into the translated text. It marks a serious deviation from the norms of the Qur'anic exegesis in that it would open the floodgate for presenting any material as the translation of the Text itself. Grossly misinterprets several Qur'anic terms. For example, al-Ghayb (the Unseen) is rendered as the 'consequence of one's action'.”  Another reviewer thought “It carries the strange claim that it is "the first Tafsir in English", presumably meaning that it is the first commentary in English. The work has no notes but the author's interpretation is liberally written into the text itself which reads something like the Amplified Version of the Bible.”   Could not find any copies of this 2002.08 and 2002.12.

Syed Anwer Ali -- http://www.halalco.com/quran_ot.html has a copy of the 16 volumes for 225$.

Abu Muhammad Muslih, Hyderabad [n.d.]. Could not find on 2002.11.18

Athar Hussain, Lahore: Islamic Books Foundation 1974, p. 298. http://www.karachibazar.com/books/quran.html Maybe this is a copy? 2002.11.18.  Powels.com has a used copy of “message of the Quran” by Athar Husain.  Seemingly just a partial tranrlation.

Kamal ud-Din & Nazir Ahmad, A Running Commentary of the Holy Qur'an, London [n.d.]. Khwajah Kamal al-Dan's work was completed by his son Khwajah Nazir Ahmad.  Could not find on 2002.11.18.

Muhammad al-Akili, Philadelphia: Pearl Publishing House 1993, p. 240. Could not find on 2002.11.18.  Seemingly just a partial translation.

S. M. Abdul Hamid, 3 vol. 1st ed.. Dacca: Islami Tabligh Mission 1962-1968\ 3 vol.. 2nd ed. Dacca 1965-1968. Could not find 2002.11.20

Altaf Gauhar (1923-2000)  is repeatly believed to have made a translation of the Quran, but other than his obituary saying so, I see little evidence.  “Translations from the Quran” – from the title, it seems it is a partial translation.  The publisher seems to be Haider Ali Muljee "TAHA"  Alamgir Road Karachi. 2002.12.05

The Holy Quran with English translation and commentary. Alhaj Mirza Bashir ud Din Mahmud Ahmad. Tilford, England: Islam International, 1988. 5 vols.  Information Center BP109.A45 1988.  Later, I saw a reference with same title, but Author spelled as Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad at http://store.alislam.org/holqurwitent.html .

1915 : Ahmadiyya Anjuman of Qadian, Punjab First Sipara (India). Could not find 2002.12.

 (i) Kamaluddin and Nazir Ahmad, A Running Commentary of the Holy Qur'an (London, 1948). Could not find 2002.12.08.

Dr Allama Khadim Rahmani Nuri, The Running Commentary of the Holy Qur'an, (Shillong: Sufi Hamsaya Gurudwar 1964, p. xvi+1144).  Has under-bracket comments. One review saw Sufi and Ahmadayya influences.  Could not find a copy 2002.11.18 , but plenty of references.

Firozuddin Ruhi, The Qur'an (Karachi, 1965) – Could find no copy 2002.12.05.

What The Koran Really Says: Language, Text And Commentary By: Editor Warraq, Ibn; Paperback; 600 pages; Prometheus Books; Language: English; ISBN: 157392945X; 2002.12.08

Abu Shabanah, Abdel Khalek Himmat, Cairo, 1993 – One verse quoted from this translation seemed a bit verbose, but okay – Could not find 2003.01.05

Mohammed Aqib Farid Qadri, http://aqibfarid.tripod.com/holyquran.htm has a copy.  Seems to also go by the name Mohammed Aqib Qadri.  He translated the Urdu book titled "Kanzul Iman" which was authored by great Islamic scholar Ahmed Raza Khan. Kanzul Iman was the Urdu translation of the Qur'an. 

THE KORAN: A NEW TRANSLATION AND PRESENTATION BY Henry Mercier; translated from the French by Lucien Tremlett; illustrated by Si Abdelkrim Wezzani – 1956 publication and 1975 reprint –

“Al-Muntakhab" -- Written by a group of Scholars -- English Translation of The Holy Qur'an, based on the Al-Muntakhab Tafsir written by a group of Scholars. – 2004.06.11

2005.05.29 – I received a report of a translation by G. A. Parwez titled: “Mafhoom-ul-Quran”.  I found what seems like his biography at http://tolueislam.com/Parwez/parwez.htm  and his work seems to be posted here: http://tolueislam.com/Parwez/expo/exposition.htm ?

2006.11.25 – A Brother told me to look for an English translation with commentary on the Quran by Mufti Naeem from Pakistan some time in the near furute.

2006.09 – Ali Unal has his Quran (under the auspices of Fethullah Gülen) published and at the printer.

2008.08.15 – one volume of 20 … http://www.theascendantquran.com -- made with a fellow that has a sense of humor.

test reference to Nikayin

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