Allah created the universe and prescribed certain laws for
the peaceful existence of everything.
Quran, the final Divine Revelation, is a book of guidance for the
peaceful and meaningful existence of the whole humanity; therefore, it has to be
thoroughly understood for its correct implementation. Most of the Indian
Muslims understand the Quran through Urdu translations, but presently, many
youngsters do not find time to learn Urdu because of the heavy load of work at
school and college. English
translations pose a different problem altogether. Many of the popular translations in English were published during
the period 1649 to 1934. This was the
period when the majority of Muslims did not know English. It is therefore evident that these translations
were more or less addressed to English knowing non-Muslims rather than to
Muslims, consequently the language was Biblical and the terms used were not
only of a very high standard but also those which were relevant during that
period. The present generation finds it
difficult to understand most of these translations without the help of a
dictionary, and continuous use of a dictionary makes the reading rather
tedious. The result is obvious: The
young Muslim is losing touch with the Quran, drifting away from the right path
and thereby becoming a problem for himself, his family and the society.
Our Prophet
(PHB) and his Companions have proved that the only way of achieving peace and
success in this life and the life hereafter, is to practically implement the
Quran in our lives and to do this one has to understand it either in Arabic or
a language in which he is well-versed.
English
being one of the languages understood by many Muslims (in India and abroad),
and effort has been made to compile a translation of the Quran in the simplest
possible language. Many Arabic words
have been translated by projecting the classical meaning through terms
representing modern concepts. Explanatory notes on topics of science dealt with
in more than 700 verses have been provide at the end so as to make the
translation of the concerned verses on science relevant to the present state of
knowledge. Compilation of such a
translation was not as great a task as translating the whole Quran directly
from Arabic to English because of the existing translations, consequently many
of the verses in this work are just a simplified reproduction from earlier
popular translations by : Geroge Sale (1734), J.M. Rodwell (1861), E.H.Plamer
(1876), Muhammed Ali (1917), M.M. Pickthall (1930) and Abdullah Yousuf Ali
(1934).
There have
been some adverse comments by non-Muslim scholars on the style of compilation
of the Quran and on the repetition and mixing up of topics. The Quran was revealed by Allah to Prophet
Muhammed (PHB) through the holy spirit, Jibraeel, in the form of small portions
of speech in a span of 23 years. It was
not sent down to him in the form of a written book. This might be an important reason for the difference in the style
of presentation compared to books written by human beings. One normally reads the Quran in portions and
takes a number of days to complete it, therefore repetition of important topics
would keep on reminding the reader about their importance, as in the case of
salt (worship). If topics were
not mixed but dealt with under separate headings, then people might have
repeatedly read topics of their interest leaving off other topics. In our daily reading of the Quran we come
across a variety of subjects which makes the reading interesting and not monotonous. Therefore with respect to the style,
repetition and mixing up of topics, the Quran is unique compared to any other
book written by human beings and every aspect of it has a set purpose provided
one brothers to know with a good intention.
This work
would remain incomplete if I do not mention the names of Mr. Syed Tameem,
secretary, Islamic Academy of Sciences, Hyderabad, and Mr. Syed Khutubuddin
Ahmed Hussaini of Beacon Advertising & Marketing, Hyderabad, in connection
with the organization of the publication of this work. If I mention the names of my relatives and
friends who helped me in various ways to complete this work, I would have to
add another page. I am grateful to
Allah for His help, without which nothing could have been done. I humbly pray to Him to accept this work as
service unto Him, to forgive me for the unintentional mistakes committed by me,
to reward me and reward all those who helped me, as well as the readers, and to
fulfil my desire to make this work a source of guidance for the Muslim
community for achieving peace and success both in this life and in the
hereafter, Aameen.
Mir
Aneesuddin
Address:
Flat No. 116, Metro Classique Apartment
10-2-8,
A.C.Guards,
Hyderabad
500004
India. Phone No. +91- 40 – 2331 4483