Holy Quran In Modern English Part3

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The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an
By Abdullah Yusuf Al more

The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an
By Abdullah Yusuf Ali

* Publisher: Amana Corporation
* Number Of Pages: 1762
* Publication Date: 2001-01-02
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0915957760
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780915957767

High quality Scan JPGs created to a PDF. Page 1 of PDF is similar to Page 1 of Index. So you can use the index to find special subjects

images of the book

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/3889/1763zh8.jpg

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/6382/0020nd6.jpg

Product Description:

PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION

It has been more than half a century since the first appearance of 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali's superlative work, The Holy Qur’an: Text, Translation and Commentary. Since that time, there have been innumerable reprinting and millions of copies distributed throughout the world. It is, by far, the best known, most studied, and most respected English translation of the Qur'an. It was the first monumental and authoritative work of its kind and it subsequently inspired many such similar endeavors. The eloquent poetic style of the translation and the authenticity of the extensive commentaries and explanatory notes, have, no doubt, contributed greatly to its much deserved reputation as the English translation of the meaning of the Qur'an.

The tremendous impact that this work has made upon the English-reading Muslims (as well as, many non-Muslims) of the world, has never been greater than it is today and shall continue-insha'a Allah (Allah willing)-for generations to come. It has enabled interested readers of English, who do not have a proficiency in reading and comprehending Qur'anic Arabic, to greatly enrich their understanding of the meaning and the incomparable beauty and perfection of the Glorious Qur'an. It has given them a more authentic and reliable translation and commentary from which they could make a serious study.

‘A. Yusuf 'All was quick to point out that there can be no absolute or perfect rendition of the meaning of the Qur'an and, at best, only an interpretation of its understood meaning can be offered. Probably, he never envisaged how universal his work would someday become, for he was primarily attempting to explain his understanding of the Qur'an to his fellow-countrymen-both Muslims and no Muslims alike. Therefore, he was apt to occasionally use references, which could not be easily appreciated outside the milieu of the Indian Subcontinent.

Although it may not have been the intention of the author to reach such a wide range of readers as exists today, there nevertheless has long been a need for a revised new edition reflecting the needs and demands of today's enthusiastic readership. In response to this need, the present edition represents the first major revision since the initial printing over fifty years ago.

Revisions have been made in both the content and form of the original work. Where necessary, the content has been brought up-to-date and within the current understanding and interpretation of the Qur'an. In the translation, the Surah introductions, and the commentaries, such changes were relatively few and infrequent and have been noted as having been revised. The reader will however, find such notable changes as the use of the name 'Allah' for the word 'God' (as used in previous editions) since it was felt that the use of this Most Glorious Name is more widely understood and accepted by the general reader today. In addition, the word 'Messenger' has been given preference over the word 'Apostle' for the meaning of the original Qur'anic word in Arabic 'Rasul'. The reason being, it was felt, that the former term more clearly expresses the Islamic usage of the term without any negative connotations, which may be associated with the latter term resulting from inaccuracies in its use by other religious or historical works.

The explanatory footnotes and the appendices, however, were subject to more frequent, and occasionally more substantial, changes than those in the translation and the commentaries. The reason being there was a greater need of general updating of information and clarification of certain explanations, which were subject to misinterpretation. There were also a few instances in which certain portions of the material were deleted, either due to its out datedness or due to its proneness to misinterpretation.

The form of this newly revised edition has undergone a more dramatic change in style and has been vastly improved in order to facilitate its readability and study. The type for the English text has been completely reset for the first time, thereby making the character definition more legible after many years of reprinting.

In addition, the spelling has been modernized and the system of transliteration of Arabic into English has been modernized and standardized. For reasons of practicality, the title of each Surah appears in its transliterated form at the head of each page within the Surah. This should enable the non-Arabic reader to not only become more familiar with the names of the Surahs in Arabic but also to begin to associate the content of what he/she is reading with the name of the Surah in which he/she is reading. In addition, the 'Abbreviated' Letters (or al Muqatta'at) have been transliterated as they are spelled out in Arabic to make it possible to learn their pronunciation.

Furthermore, anew system of Qur'anic notation of the Surah and Ayah numbers used in the English text has been adopted. The Roman numerals used in the original system have been converted to Arabic numerals thus making it easier for most readers to readily understand the notations and to encourage them to investigate the frequent references and cross-references found in the Table of Contents Index, and Footnotes. In this edition (1416/1995), anew and comprehensive index for the translation and the commentary has been added to the book to facilitate its use and maximize the benefits of the work. Finally the method of indicating each Juz' (or 1/30th part of the Qur'an) has been modified in order to incorporate the more conventional method of notation commonly used today and thereby reduce the potential for confusion to the reader.

In sum, the editors have acted out of a sincere desire to improve upon this great work. It is hoped that this will-insha a Allah- help in furthering the aim of 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali by enhancing the usefulness and relevance of his work to the ever-changing needs and demands of the countless readers of today. May Allah bless him for his truly extraordinary efforts in producing this invaluable work of translation and commentary.

International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

Herndon, Virginia U.S.A.

Jumada al Akhirah,1409 A.H./January,1989 A.C.

Herndon, Virginia U.S.A.

Summary: Don't get impressed with this revised version. Why...
Rating: 1

Don't get impressed with the publicity and advertisement of Amana version of revised Quran. I have purchased other versions of Abdullah Yusuf Ali's work by other publishers including Amana USA, IPCI UK&the original publisher Sh Muhammad Ashraf of Lahore Pakistan. I have earlier printed copies of Abdullah Yusuf Ali's Quran text translation and commentary published by the original publisher Sh Muhammad Ashraf of Lahore. One copy is published in 1937, second printed before 9/11 and I bought another one recently.

I am extremely disappointed that all recent versions published after 9/11 have many changes in the translation and commentary, all made in the name of modernization and revision. But unfortunately these changes are in such key topics e.g. women dress code and usury that do not do justice with the open mindedness of the Quranic Arabic text. Abdullah Yusuf Ali's commentary was already very modern, comprehensive and open minded and hence there was no reason for his commentaries to be revised or modernized by any publisher. There was no reason to add the cultural and Muslim native land's influence into these revised editions by the publishers after 9/11.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali had benefited from the Muslim historians and Quran commentators belonging to the 8th till 14th century CE and written an exceptionally versatile translation and commentary that tries to match the Superior Quranic Arabic text and its wider meaning. Unfortunately new publishers have revised and deleted the portions in the commentary where Abdullah Yusuf Ali had mentioned key facts of the historical background for better understanding of the context of verses. These versions misguide the new generation by brain washing them into cultural influence and neglecting the original historical background. These historical backgrounds mentioned by Abdullah Yusuf Ali are the context of the verses which were often revealed in response to a crisis or a question that had arisen in the community of Prophet Muhammad in Madina and Makkah at that time. Abdullah Yusuf Ali had laid the principle of extracting the understanding of Quran from these historical incidences. This was practiced by him and various early generation Muslim scholars.

These revisions are pure dishonesty with the work of this great scholar who has translated Arabic Quran into English keeping the universal nature of message in mind regarding people of different nations, cultures and faiths. The biographer of Abdullah Yusuf Ali has also mentioned this problem with revised editions. Check Wikipedia to confirm.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali died in 1952. Until his death, none of the publisher changed anything in his manuscript. I can confirm this since I have another copy of his work published by Hafner Publishing Company New York USA, just before his death. After a long search for a new published copy of Abdullah Yusuf Ali's original work, I found that there is only one original version available now published by Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an. This version is the best available and minimally adulterated version of Abdullah Yusuf Ali's work in the market. As far as I can check from the 3rd edition published in 1937 (which I have one copy), only one phrase is missing in the commentary of Chapter 33 verse 59 in note 3764 where the following phrase is missed out "The times were those of insecurity (See next verse No. 60)". Fortunately rest of the Quranic translation and commentary is free of such adulterations and I congratulate that company for keeping the originality of the work. The above mentioned omission has been reported to the company. The Tahrike Tarsile Version is available on Amazon.com,here is the link The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary

Summary: Excellent Book
Rating: 5

For anyone planning on seriously studying the Qur'an and Islamic religion, this book is a wonderful read.

Summary: The best book preserved on record
Rating: 5

If you are looking for an English translation of the of the Holy Quran, or just want to know what the Quran or Islam and Muslims are about this book is for you. the word QURAN literally translated to READ and it's to ALL mankind. Could be? might be?! JUST what you've been missing!!!
I highly recommend it to everyone that are "hungry for knowledge" muslim or not Muslim.
PS. Hardcove, Arabic and English with detail explanation of same verses

knowledge is power
Sharmarke
The Meaning Of The Holy Quran: Holy Quran

Summary: An excellent translation and commentary
Rating: 5

Contains the text of the Quran and commentary - about half the page is commentary. This is not verse by verse commentary; the difficult passages are explained.
An example of commentary: "If the object of a Message is to make things clear, it must be delivered in the language current among the people to whom the Messenger is sent. Through them it can reach all mankind."
My understanding of this comment is: The Jews received the Message in Hebrew; the Romans in Greek (which was the literary language of Rome) and the Arabs in Arabic.
The translation is very good and agreeable to read.

Summary: The BEST English translation of the Quran.
Rating: 5

An excellent English translation of the Quran by a reknown Muslim scholar. This translation also contains historical commentary to make it easier to understand the history and context of much of what is written, and helps to eliminate many common misunderstandings and misconceptions. A common misconception of Islam in the west is that it teaches hatred and religious intolerance. In truth this is not the case in real Islam. The portions that would seem at first glance to deliver such a message are shown clearly through the commentary not to be doing so, but rather is more of a historical commentary in much the same way as the wars in the Old Testement of the Bible are described. All in all an excellent translation for a native English speaker wishing to understand the core concepts of true Islam, and to also eliminate the common misconceptions surrounding it. Beyond this excellent commentary, the translation itself is very good, if perhaps using a vocabulary a bit more in line with more educated readers. All in all an excellent translation, and a must read for anyone interested in Islam. If you are only going to buy one translation of the Quran - make it this one. less