Which English translation of the Qur'an is the best or the most faithful to the original?
Which English translation of the Qur'an is the best or the most faithful to the original?
I have a translation I don't know too much about except it was once owned by Alex Haley. Translated by M. H. Shakir. The translator was apparently Pakistani. It was published in 1989 by Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Inc. of Elmhurst NY. It is side by side Arabic and English, and the book is arranged back to front, as would be typical of an Arabic book. I think I have also seen this same translation in used bookstores. I suspect that if Alex Haley had this it would be of better than average quality. It reads well.Which English translation of the Qur'an is the best or the most faithful to the original?
What 'original'? Uthman burned all the original materials, and kept the recension of Zaid ibn Thabit, but even his isn't the only one, there are over 31 different Arabic qur'ans with differing sentences, words, tenses, etc.Which English translation of the Qur'an is the best or the most faithful to the original?
You should read it in Arabic like Muslims do.Which English translation of the Qur'an is the best or the most faithful to the original?
That would be ideal. Reading it in English would be a start though.You should read it in Arabic like Muslims do.
Yeah, but Muslims won't take you seriously unless you read it in Arabic.That would be ideal. Reading it in English would be a start though.
Yeah, but Muslims won't take you seriously unless you read it in Arabic.
Yeah, but Muslims won't take you seriously unless you read it in Arabic.
I have a translation I don't know too much about except it was once owned by Alex Haley. Translated by M. H. Shakir. The translator was apparently Pakistani. It was published in 1989 by Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Inc. of Elmhurst NY. It is side by side Arabic and English, and the book is arranged back to front, as would be typical of an Arabic book. I think I have also seen this same translation in used bookstores. I suspect that if Alex Haley had this it would be of better than average quality. It reads well.
Haley had a few other Islamic books, including a few of the Hadith collections. I have his 'Forty Hadith' and 'Forty Hadith Qudsi' both translated by Ezzeddin Ibrahim, published in 1976 out of Damascus Syria. Those do appear to be of good quality. they read well. I would recommend if you are serious about studying Islam you look at some of the Hadiths as well as the Quran.
You will hear that translations of the Quran are all inadequate and that the only way to really read it is to read it in Arabic. People say that about the Bible too, that it has to be read in Hebrew or Greek. I ignore those folks.
There has been a flurry of interesting articles about the authorship of the Quran lately, summarized here: https://www.crisismagazine.com/2018/muhammad-didnt-write-the-quran
Basic idea is that a partial manuscript of the Quran appears to be older than Mohammad, and if true it means he 'borrowed' about half of it from existing sources and then added the more belligerent parts later on. Interesting theory that actually coincides with my theory that the Quran
has it's roots from an offshoot Christian sect that did not accept the Trinity and was radicalized some time after the councils of Nicea and Constantinople. I'm not staking my life on that but as more comes out the theory will either whither or go somewhere.
I commend you for wanting to study the Quran. I think it is important in witnessing to Muslims to have done so. You are in a much better position for them to listen to you quoting Jesus then.