THE QUR’ªN THE QUR’ªN With a Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation Translated by ‘Al¢ Qul¢ Qar¡’¢ ICAS Press Second (Revised) Edition 2005 First Edition 2004 ISBN 1-904063-20-9 © ICAS PRESS, 2004 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, without written permission of the publisher. Published by Islamic College for Advance Studies Press (ICAS) 133 High Road, Willesden, London NW10 2SW Distributed by The Centre for Translation of the Holy Qur’¡n [email protected]; [email protected] Website: www.cthq.ir Contents Publisher’s Note ix Translator’s Preface xi Sources Consulted xxiii Transliteration of Arabic Words xxvi Prayer for Recitation on Commencing a Reading of the Qur’¡n xxvii The Qur’¡n No. S£rah Name Order & Place of Revelation Page 1 S£rat al-F¡ti¦ah (The Opening) 1 Makkah 1 2 S£rat al-Baqarah (The Heifer) 77 Mad¢nah 2 3 S£rat ªl-i ‘Imr¡n (Family of Imran) 80 Mad¢nah 69 4 S£rat al-Nis¡’ (Women) 85 Mad¢nah 105 5 S£rat al-M¡’idah (The Table) 110 Mad¢nah 144 6 S£rat al-An‘¡m (Cattle) 44 Makkah 172 7 S£rat al-A‘r¡f (The Elevations) 28 Makkah 204 8 S£rat al-Anf¡l (The Spoils) 79 Mad¢nah 240 9 S£rat al-Tawbah (Repentance) 109 Mad¢nah 253 10 S£rat Y£nus (Jonah) 40 Makkah 280 11 S£rat H£d (H£d) 41 Makkah 300 12 S£rat Y£suf (Joseph) 42 Makkah 321 13 S£rat al-Ra‘d (Thunder) 90 Mad¢nah 340 14 S£rat Ibr¡h¢m (Abraham) 60 Makkah 350 15 S£rat al-°ijr (°ijr) 43 Makkah 360 16 S£rat al-Na¦l (The Bee) 58 Makkah 368 17 S£rat al-Isr¡’ (The Night Journey) 39 Makkah 388 18 S£rat al-Kahf (The Cave) 57 Makkah 401 19 S£rat Maryam (Mary) 33 Makkah 423 20 S£rat ±a °¡ (±¡ H¡) 103 Mad¢nah 434 21 S£rat al-Anbiy¡’ (The Prophets) 61 Makkah 449 22 S£rat al-°ajj (The Pilgrimage) 95 Mad¢nah 462 23 S£rat al-Mu’min£n (The Faithful) 62 Makkah 475 v Contents 24 S£rat al-N£r (Light) 86 Mad¢nah 487 25 S£rat al-Furq¡n (The Criterion) 31 Makkah 501 26 S£rat al-Shu‘ar¡’ (Poets) 35 Makkah 511 27 S£rat al-Naml (The Ant) 37 Makkah 525 28 S£rat al-Qa¥a¥ (The Story) 38 Makkah 538 29 S£rat al-‘Ankab£t (The Spider) 72 Makkah 554 30 S£rat al-R£m (Byzantium) 71 Makkah 565 31 S£rat Luqm¡n (Luqm¡n) 46 Makkah 573 32 S£rat al-Sajdah (Prostration) 63 Makkah 579 33 S£rat al-A¦z¡b (The Confederates) 81 Mad¢nah 583 34 S£rat Saba’ (Sheba) 47 Makkah 597 35 S£rat al-F¡§ir (The Originator) 32 Makkah 606 36 S£rat Y¡ S¢n (Y¡ S¢n) 30 Makkah 614 37 S£rat al-¯aff¡t (The Ranged Ones) 45 Makkah 623 38 S£rat ¯¡d (¯¡d) 27 Makkah 634 39 S£rat al-Zumar (Throngs) 48 Makkah 644 40 S£rat al-Gh¡fir (The Forgiver) 49 Makkah 657 41 S£rat Fu¥¥ilat (Elaborated) 36 Makkah 670 42 S£rat al-Sh£r¡ (Counsel) 50 Makkah 679 43 S£rat al-Zukhruf (Ornaments) 51 Makkah 689 44 S£rat al-Dukh¡n (Smoke) 52 Makkah 699 45 S£rat al-J¡thiyah (Crowling) 53 Makkah 703 46 S£rat al-A¦q¡f (A¦q¡f) 54 Makkah 708 47 S£rat Mu¦ammad 89 Mad¢nah 715 48 S£rat al-Fat¦ (Victory) 102 Mad¢nah 721 49 S£rat al-°ujur¡t (Apartments) 98 Mad¢nah 727 50 S£rat Q¡f (Q¡f) 23 Makkah 731 51 S£rat al-Dh¡riy¡t (The Scatterers) 55 Makkah 735 52 S£rat al-±£r (The Mount) 64 Makkah 740 53 S£rat al-Najm (The Star) 114 Mad¢nah 744 54 S£rat al-Qamar (The Moon) 26 Makkah 748 55 S£rat al-Ra¦m¡n (The All-beneficent) 91 Mad¢nah 752 56 S£rat al-W¡qi‘ah (The Imminent) 34 Makkah 758 57 S£rat al-°ad¢d (Iron) 88 Mad¢nah 763 58 S£rat al-Muj¡dilah (The Pleader) 97 Mad¢nah 769 59 S£rat al-°ashr (The Banishment) 94 Mad¢nah 775 60 S£rat al-Mumta¦anah (The Woman Tested) 84 Mad¢nah 780 vi Contents 61 S£rat al-¯aff (Ranks) 100 Mad¢nah 784 62 S£rat al-Jumu‘ah (Friday) 101 Mad¢nah 787 63 S£rat al-Mun¡fiq£n (The Hypocrites) 96 Mad¢nah 789 64 S£rat al-Tagh¡bun (Dispossession) 105 Mad¢nah 791 65 S£rat al-±al¡q (Divorce) 92 Mad¢nah 794 66 S£rat al-Ta¦r¢m (The Forbidding) 99 Mad¢nah 797 67 S£rat al-Mulk (Sovereignty) 65 Makkah 800 68 S£rat al-Qalam (The Pen) 3 Makkah 803 69 S£rat al-°¡qqah (The Besieger) 66 Makkah 807 70 S£rat al-Ma‘¡rij (Lofty Stations) 113 Mad¢nah 810 71 S£rat N£¦ (Noah) 59 Makkah 813 72 S£rat al-Jinn (The Jinn) 29 Makkah 815 73 S£rat al-Muzzammil (Enwrapped) 5 Makkah 818 74 S£rat al-Muddaththir (Shrouded) 4 Makkah 820 75 S£rat al-Qiy¡mah (Resurrection) 21 Makkah 823 76 S£rat al-Ins¡n (Man) 107 Mad¢nah 825 77 S£rat al-Mursal¡t (The Emissaries) 22 Makkah 828 78 S£rat al-Naba’ (The Tiding) 67 Makkah 831 79 S£rat al-N¡zi‘¡t (The Wresters) 68 Makkah 833 80 S£rat al- ‘Abasa (He Frowned) 78 Mad¢nah 835 81 S£rat al-Takw¢r (The Winding Up) 7 Makkah 837 82 S£rat al-Infi§¡r (The Rending) 69 Makkah 839 83 S£rat al-Mu§affif¢n (The Defrauders) 74 Mad¢nah 840 84 S£rat al-Inshiq¡q (The Splitting) 70 Makkah 842 85 S£rat al-Bur£j (The Houses) 16 Makkah 843 86 S£rat al-±¡riq (The Nightly Visitor) 25 Makkah 845 87 S£rat al-A‘l¡ (The Most Exalted) 75 Mad¢nah 846 88 S£rat al-Gh¡shiyah (The Enveloper) 56 Makkah 847 89 S£rat al-Fajr (The Dawn) 8 Makkah 848 90 S£rat al-Balad (The Town) 24 Makkah 850 91 S£rat al-Shams (The Sun) 15 Makkah 851 92 S£rat al-Layl (The Night) 76 Mad¢nah 852 93 S£rat al-®u¦¡ (Morning Brightness) 9 Makkah 853 94 S£rat al-Shar¦ (Opening) 111 Mad¢nah 853 95 S£rat al-T¢n (The Fig) 17 Makkah 854 96 S£rat al- ‘Alaq (The Clinging Mass) 2 Makkah 855 97 S£rat al-Qadr (The Ordainment) 107 Mad¢nah 856 vii Contents 98 S£rat al-Bayyinah (The Proof) 93 Mad¢nah 856 99 S£rat al-Zalzalah (The Quake) 87 Mad¢nah 858 100 S£rat al-‘ªdiy¡t (The Chargers) 103 Mad¢nah 858 101 S£rat al-Q¡ri‘ah (The Catastrophe) 19 Makkah 859 102 S£rat al-Tak¡thur (Rivalry) 11 Makkah 860 103 S£rat al-‘A¥r (Time) 10 Makkah 860 104 S£rat al-Humazah (The Scandal-monger) 21 Makkah 861 105 S£rat al-F¢l (The Elephant) 14 Makkah 861 106 S£rat Quraysh (Quraysh) 18 Makkah 862 107 S£rat al-M¡‘£n (Aid) 12 Makkah 862 108 S£rat al-Kawthar (Abundance) 108 Mad¢nah 863 109 S£rat al-K¡fir£n (The Faithless) 13 Makkah 863 110 S£rat al-Na¥r (Help) 112 Mad¢nah 864 111 S£rat al-Masad (Palm Fibre) 6 Makkah 864 112 S£rat al-Ikhl¡¥ (Monotheism) 73 Mad¢nah 865 113 S£rat al-Falaq (Daybreak) 82 Mad¢nah 865 114 S£rat al-N¡s (Humans) 83 Mad¢nah 866 Appendices Prayer for Recitation on Completing a Reading of the Qur’¡n 867 Index of Subjects, Names and Terms 877 Key to the Signs Used in the Arabic Text 941 The Signs of Waqf 944 viii Publisher’s Note ãΠuθø%r& }‘Ïδ ÉL¯=Ï9 “ω÷κu‰ tβ#uö(cid:1)à)ø9$# #x‹≈yδ ¨βÎ) #[(cid:2)(cid:19)Î6x. #X(cid:1)ô_r& öΝçλm; ¨βr& ÏM≈ysÏ=≈¢Á9$# tβθè=yϑ÷ètƒ tÏ%©!$# tÏΖÏΒ÷σßϑø9$# ã(cid:2)Åe³u;ãƒuρ Since the first translation of the Holy Qur’¡n into English in 1648, there have appeared more than 60 other English translations by Muslim and non-Muslim translators. Why, then, should the Islamic College for Advanced Studies ven- ture to publish a new translation? Moreover, does not the very number of these translations confirm the traditional belief that the Qur’¡n is untranslatable? It is true that no literary masterpiece is ever fully translatable into another lan- guage, let alone the Qur’¡n. The Holy Qur’¡n, according to Pikthall, is a scripture “the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy.” How could a text which, in the memorable words of A. J. Arberry, is “neither prose nor poetry, but a unique fusion of both,” ever surrender its mysteries to a ren- dering in another language? The Qur’¡n, of course, is a book of innumerable merits, but many of them can, to various degrees, be transposed into other lan- guages to inform and enlighten peoples of different cultures. The most impor- tant feature of the Qur’¡n, aside from its literary excellence, is its divine guid- ance, as it is a scripture meant for human enlightenment—enlightenment con- cerning the most urgent and vital questions of deep concern to every human being. It answers such questions as lie beyond the purview of mere human find- ing: Where do we come from? Where do we stand? Where do we go from here? Hence it describes itself as a scripture meant for reflection (12:2; 38:29). It is, in its own words, a Book for reflective minds (ulu al-alb¡b), for those who value knowledge (‘¡lim£n), for those who exercise their rational faculties (qawmin ya‘qil£n), and for those who possess reason and perceptive minds (ulu al-nuh¡ and mutawassim£n). Every translation of the Qur’¡n has its merits and shortcomings. The publica- tion of this translation does not by any means imply that other translations have been efforts of no value. However, some novel merits in this new translation make it unique among the existing ones. The translator, Sayyid ‘Al¢ Qul¢ Qar¡’¢, is a scholar who has dedicated his ef- forts to translation of the classics of Islamic literature into English, which makes him the most reliable authority for such an undertaking. Furthermore, for such a rendering he has consulted major classical commentaries of the Qur’¡n, by both Sunn¢ and Sh¢‘¢ commentators, which offer the reader a broader understanding of some controversial verses in the Qur’¡n. Moreover, his innovative approach in translating Arabic idioms, as explained in his intro- ix Publisher’s Note duction, allows a smoother reading of the text. However, the most outstanding feature of this translation is its new “phrasal approach,” which is most useful for those who are eager to collate the Arabic text with the English translation. With the painstaking efforts of the translator and a group of international experts on Qur’¡nic sciences the reader would find each phrase of the translation exactly opposite the corresponding Arabic phrase, an arrangement of the source text and its translation that makes possi- ble direct access to the Arabic verses. The Islamic College for Advanced Studies is honoured to publish this transla- tion of the Holy Book. We pray to God Almighty to give us the insight and inner purity for understanding His message. ICAS Press Mu¦arram 1424 March 2003