OXFORD WORLD’S CLASSICS (cid:2) The Qur an A new translation by M. A. S. ABDEL HALEEM 1 3 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6dp Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan South Korea Poland Portugal Singapore Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York © M. A. S. Abdel Haleem 2004, 2005 The moral rights of the author have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published 2004 First published, with corrections, as an Oxford World’s Classics paperback 2005 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organizations. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Koran. English. The Qur(cid:2)an / a new translation by M. A. S. Abdel Haleem. p. cm. –– (Oxford world’s classics) Originally published: 2004. Includes bibliographical references and index. I. Abdel Haleem, M. A. II. Title. III. Oxford world’s classics (Oxford University Press) BP109 2005 297.1′22521––dc22 2004030574 ISBN 0–19–283193–3 1 Typeset in Ehrhardt by RefineCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk Printed in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc CONTENTS Introduction ix The Life of Muhammad and the Historical Background x (cid:2) The Revelation of the Quran xiv (cid:2) The Compilation of the Quran xv (cid:2) The Structure of the Quran: Suras and Ayas xvi Stylistic Features xix Issues of Interpretation xxi A Short History of English Translations xxvi This Translation xxix A Chronology of the Qur(cid:2)an xxxvii Select Bibliography xxxix Map of Arabia at the Time of the Revelation xliii (cid:2) THE QUR AN 1. The Opening (Al-Fatiha) 3 2. The Cow (Al-Baqara) 4 3. The Family of (cid:3) Imran (Al-(cid:3)Imran) 34 4. Women (Al-Nisa(cid:2)) 50 5. The Feast (Al-Ma(cid:2)ida) 67 6. Livestock (Al-An(cid:3) am) 80 7. The Heights (Al-A(cid:3) raf) 94 8. Battle Gains (Al-Anfal) 110 9. Repentance (Al-Tawba) 116 10. Jonah (Yunus) 128 11. Hud (Hud) 136 12. Joseph (Yusuf) 145 13. Thunder (Al-Ra(cid:3)d) 153 14. Abraham (Ibrahim) 158 15. Al-Hijr (Al-Hijr) 162 16. The Bee (Al-Nahl) 166 17. The Night Journey (Al-Isra(cid:2)) 175 18. The Cave (Al-Kahf) 183 19. Mary (Maryam) 191 vi Contents 20. Ta Ha (Ta Ha) 196 21. The Prophets (Al-Anbiya(cid:2)) 203 22. The Pilgrimage (Al-Hajj) 209 23. The Believers (Al-Mu(cid:2)minun) 215 24. Light (Al-Nur) 220 25. The Differentiator (Al-Furqan) 227 26. The Poets (Al-Shu(cid:3) ara(cid:2)) 232 27. The Ants (Al-Naml) 239 28. The Story (Al-Qasas) 245 29. The Spider (Al-(cid:3) Ankabut) 252 30. The Byzantines (Al-Rum) 257 31. Luqman (Luqman) 261 32. Bowing down in Worship (Al-Sajda) 264 33. The Joint Forces (Al-Ahzab) 266 34. Sheba (Saba(cid:2)) 272 35. The Creator (Fatir) 277 36. Ya Sin (Ya Sin) 281 37. Ranged in Rows (Al-Saffat) 285 38. Sad (Sad) 290 39. The Throngs (Al-Zumar) 295 40. The Forgiver (Ghafir) 301 41. [Verses] Made Distinct (Fussilat) 307 42. Consultation (Al-Shura) 311 43. Ornaments of Gold (Al-Zukhruf) 316 44. Smoke (Al-Dukhan) 321 45. Kneeling (Al-Jathiya) 324 46. The Sand Dunes (Al-Ahqaf) 327 47. Muhammad (Muhammad) 331 48. Triumph (Al-Fath) 334 49. The Private Rooms (Al-Hujurat) 338 50. Qaf (Qaf) 340 51. Scattering [Winds] (Al-Dhariyat) 343 52. The Mountain (Al-Tur) 345 53. The Star (Al-Najm) 347 54. The Moon (Al-Qamar) 350 55. The Lord of Mercy (Al-Rahman) 353 56. That which is Coming (Al-Waqi(cid:3) a) 356 57. Iron (Al-Hadid) 359 58. The Dispute (Al-Mujadala) 362 Contents vii 59. The Gathering [of Forces] (Al-Hashr) 365 60. Women Tested (Al-Mumtahana) 368 61. Solid Lines (Al-Saff) 370 62. The Day of Congregation (Al-Jumu(cid:3) a) 372 63. The Hypocrites (Al-Munafiqun) 374 64. Mutual Neglect (Al-Taghabun) 376 65. Divorce (Al-Talaq) 378 66. Prohibition (Al-Tahrim) 380 67. Control (Al-Mulk) 382 68. The Pen (Al-Qalam) 384 69. The Inevitable Hour (Al-Haqqa) 387 70. The Ways of Ascent (Al-Ma(cid:3) arij) 389 71. Noah (Nuh) 391 72. The Jinn (Al-Jinn) 393 73. Enfolded (Al-Muzzammil) 395 74. Wrapped in his Cloak (Al-Muddaththir) 397 75. The Resurrection (Al-Qiyama) 399 76. Man (Al-Insan) 401 77. [Winds] Sent Forth (Al-Mursalat) 403 78. The Announcement (Al-Naba(cid:2)) 405 79. The Forceful Chargers (Al-Nazi(cid:3) at) 407 80. He Frowned ((cid:3) Abasa) 409 81. Shrouded in Darkness (Al-Takwir) 411 82. Torn Apart (Al-Infitar) 412 83. Those who Give Short Measure (Al-Mutaffifin) 413 84. Ripped Apart (Al-Inshiqaq) 415 85. The Towering Constellations (Al-Buruj) 416 86. The Night-Comer (Al-Tariq) 417 87. The Most High (Al-A(cid:3) la) 418 88. The Overwhelming Event (Al-Ghashiya) 419 89. Daybreak (Al-Fajr) 420 90. The City (Al-Balad) 422 91. The Sun (Al-Shams) 423 92. The Night (Al-Layl) 424 93. The Morning Brightness (Al-Duha) 425 94. Relief (Al-Sharh) 426 95. The Fig (Al-Tin) 427 96. The Clinging Form (Al-(cid:3) Alaq) 428 97. The Night of Glory (Al-Qadr) 429 viii Contents 98. Clear Evidence (Al-Bayyina) 430 99. The Earthquake (Al-Zalzala) 431 100. The Charging Steeds (Al-(cid:3) Adiyat) 432 101. The Crashing Blow (Al-Qari(cid:3) a) 433 102. Striving for More (Al-Takathur) 434 103. The Declining Day (Al-(cid:3) Asr) 435 104. The Backbiter (Al-Humaza) 436 105. The Elephant (Al-Fil) 437 106. Quraysh (Quraysh) 438 107. Common Kindnesses (Al-Ma(cid:3) un) 439 108. Abundance (Al-Kawthar) 440 109. The Disbelievers (Al-Kafirun) 441 110. Help (Al-Nasr) 442 111. Palm Fibre (Al-Masad) 443 112. Purity [of Faith] (Al-Ikhlas) 444 113. Daybreak (Al-Falaq) 445 114. People (Al-Nas) 446 Index 447 INTRODUCTION he ur(cid:2) an T Q is the supreme authority in Islam. It is the funda- mental and paramount source of the creed, rituals, ethics, and laws ff of the Islamic religion. It is the book that ‘di erentiates’ between right and wrong, so that nowadays, when the Muslim world is dealing with such universal issues as globalization, the environ- ment, combating terrorism and drugs, issues of medical ethics, and feminism, evidence to support the various arguments is sought in (cid:2) the Quran. This supreme status stems from the belief that the (cid:2) Quran is the word of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad via the archangel Gabriel, and intended for all times and all places. (cid:2) The Quran was the starting point for all the Islamic sciences: (cid:2) Arabic grammar was developed to serve the Quran, the study of Arabic phonetics was pursued in order to determine the exact pro- (cid:2) nunciation of Quranic words, the science of Arabic rhetoric was developed in order to describe the features of the inimitable style of (cid:2) the Quran, the art of Arabic calligraphy was cultivated through (cid:2) (cid:2) writing down the Quran, the Quran is the basis of Islamic law and fi theology; indeed, as the celebrated fteenth-century scholar (cid:2) and author Suyuti said, ‘Everything is based on the Quran’. The entire religious life of the Muslim world is built around the text of (cid:2) (cid:2) the Quran. As a consequence of the Quran, the Arabic language moved far beyond the Arabian peninsula, deeply penetrating many other languages within the Muslim lands––Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Indonesian, and others. The first sura (or section) of the Qur(cid:2)an, al-Fatiha, which is an essential part of the ritual prayers, is learned and read in Arabic by Muslims in all parts of the world, and many other verses and phrases in Arabic are also incorporated into the lives of non-Arabic-speaking Muslims. (cid:2) Muslim children start to learn portions of the Quran by heart in (cid:2) their normal schooling: the tradition of learning the entire Quran by heart started during the lifetime of the Prophet and continues to the present day. A person attaining this distinction becomes known as a hafiz, and this is still a prerequisite for admission to certain religious (cid:2) schools in Muslim countries. Nowadays the Quran is recited a number of times daily on the radio and television in the Muslim x Introduction world, and some Muslim countries devote a broadcasting channel for long hours daily exclusively to the recitation and study of (cid:2) (cid:2) the Quran. Muslims swear on the Quran for solemn oaths in the lawcourts and in everyday life. The Life of Muhammad and the Historical Background 570 ce Muhammad was born in Mecca in about the year . The religion of most people in Mecca and Arabia at the beginning of Muhammad’s lifetime was polytheism. Christianity was found in places, notably in Yemen, and among the Arab tribes in the north under Byzantine rule; Judaism too was practised in Yemen, and in and around Yathrib, later renamed Madina (Medina), but the vast majority of the population of Arabia were polytheists. They believed in a chief god Allah, but saw other deities as mediators between (cid:2) them and him: the Quran mentions in particular the worship of idols, angels, the sun, and the moon as ‘lesser’ gods. The Hajj (cid:3) (cid:2) pilgrimage to the Ka ba in Mecca, built, the Quran tells us, by Abraham for the worship of the one God, was practised but that too had become corrupted with polytheism. Mecca was thus an important centre for religion, and for trade, with the caravans that travelled via Mecca between Yemen in the south and Syria in the north providing an important source of income. There was no cen- tral government. The harsh desert conditions brought competition for scarce resources, and enforced solidarity within each tribe, but fi there was frequent ghting between tribes. Injustices were practised against the weaker classes, particularly women, children, slaves, and the poor. Few hard facts are known about Muhammad’s childhood. It is known that his father Abdullah died before he was born and his 6 mother Amina when he was years old; that his grandfather Abdul Muttalib then looked after him until, two years later, he too died. At 8 the age of , Muhammad entered the guardianship of his uncle Abu Talib, who took him on a trade journey to the north when he was 12 years old. In his twenties, Muhammad was employed as a trader fi by a wealthy and well-respected widow fteen years his senior named Khadija. Impressed by his honesty and good character, she proposed fi marriage to him. They were married for over twenty- ve years until 49 Khadija’s death when Muhammad was some years old. Khadija Introduction xi was a great support to her husband. After his marriage, Muhammad lived in Mecca, where he was a respected businessman and peacemaker. Muhammad was in the habit of taking regular periods of retreat fl and re ection in the Cave of Hira outside Mecca. This is where the fi (cid:2) 610 ce rst revelation of the Quran came to him in , when he was 40 years old. This initiated his prophethood. The Prophet was instructed to spread the teachings of the revelations he received to his larger family and beyond. However, although a few believed in him, the majority, especially the powerful, resented his calling them to abandon their gods. After all, many polytheist tribes came to Mecca on the pilgrimage, and the leaders feared that the new religion would threaten their own prestige and economic prosperity. They also felt it would disturb the social order, as it was quite outspoken in its preaching of equality between all people and its condemnation of the injustices done to the weaker members of the society. The hostility of the Meccans soon graduated from gentle ridicule fl to open con ict and the persecution of Muhammad’s followers, fi many of whom Muhammad sent, from the fth year of his preaching, to seek refuge with the Christian king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia). The remaining Muslims continued to be pressurized by the Meccans, who instituted a total boycott against the Prophet’s clan, refusing to allow any social or economic dealings with them. In the middle of this hardship, Muhammad’s wife, Khadija, and his uncle, Abu Talib, died, so depriving the Prophet of their great sup- port. This year became known as the Year of Grief. However, events were soon to take a change for the better. The Prophet experienced the event known as the Night Journey and Ascension to Heaven, during which Muhammad was accompanied by Gabriel from the fi sanctuary of Mecca rst to Jerusalem and then to Heaven. Soon 400 afterwards, some people from Yathrib, a town some km north of Mecca, met Muhammad when they came to make the pilgrimage and some of these accepted his faith; the following year more returned from Yathrib, pledged to support him, and invited him and his community to seek sanctuary in Yathrib. The Muslims began to migrate there, soon followed by the Prophet himself, narrowly escap- ing an attempt to assassinate him. This move to Yathrib, known as the Migration (Hijra), was later adopted as the start of the Muslim xii Introduction fi calendar. Upon arrival in Yathrib, Muhammad built the rst mosque in Islam, and he spent most of his time there, teaching and remould- ing the characters of the new Muslims from unruly tribesmen into (cid:2) a brotherhood of believers. Guided by the Quran, he acted as fi teacher, judge, arbitrator, adviser, consoler, and father- gure to the new community. One of the reasons the people of Yathrib invited the Prophet to migrate there was the hope that he would be a good arbitrator between their warring tribes, as indeed proved to be the case. Settled in Yathrib, Muhammad made a pact of mutual solidarity between the immigrants (muhajirun) and the Muslims of Yathrib, known as the ansar––helpers. This alliance, based not on tribal but on religious solidarity, was a departure from previous social norms. Muhammad also made a larger pact between all the tribes of Yathrib, that they would all support one another in defending the city against attack. Each tribe would be equal under this arrangement, including the Jews, and free to practise their own religions. Islam spread quickly in Yathrib, which became known as Madinat al-Nabi (the City of the Prophet) or simply Medina (city). This was the period in which the revelations began to contain legislation fi on all aspects of individual and communal life, as for the rst time the Muslims had their own state. In the second year at Medina ah 2 (cid:2) ( ) a Quranic revelation came allowing the Muslims to defend 22 38 41 themselves militarily ( : – ) and a number of battles against the Meccan disbelievers and their allies took place near Medina, starting with Badr shortly after this revelation, Uhud the following ah 5 (cid:2) year, and the Battle of the Trench in . The Quran comments on these events. ah 6 In the Meccans prevented the Muslims from undertaking a pilgrimage to Mecca. Negotiations followed, where the Muslims accepted that they would return to Medina for the time being but fi come back the following year to nish the pilgrimage. A truce was ah 8 agreed for ten years. However, in a Meccan ally broke the truce. The Muslims advanced to attack Mecca, but its leaders fi accepted Islam and surrendered without a ght. From this point onwards, delegations started coming from all areas of Arabia to meet the Prophet and make peace with him. ah 10 In the Prophet made his last pilgrimage to Mecca and gave a farewell speech on the Mount of Mercy, declaring equality and