Review of Al-Qur'an: A Contemporary Translation by Ahmed Ali
(Background: Over a couple of decades' time I planned to read the scriptures of the world's great religions/philosophies. I started with my own, reading the Bible in two different translations--first the Hebrew-Greek Word Study Bible by Spiros Zodhiates, and then the KJV/NIV--to gain a better grasp on my spirituality and to think critically about why and what I believed. I also wanted to get a better understanding of the world's major religions so that I could be more in tune with people, their language and their culture, and current events. Next I turned to Islam and Al-Quaran. After that The Bhagavad Gita and the Analects of Confucius. Lastly the Tao Te Ching. Every reading is helping me go a bit deeper and wider into man's search for God and, through that, meaning in this life. More books and reviews to come.)
Sacred texts say a lot about the people who hold them sacred.
I'd heard about the supposedly many problems with translating the Koran. I do not speak a word of Arabic, but I have read that it is a rich language--it tends to hyperbole and also lengthy expressions--and the words can have subtle and different meanings. Some scholars have even called it an "exaggerated language." Idioms are difficult to translate. Also, I've read that the original language is nearly musical in its beauty. This goes back centuries when, some say, people might greet one another using poetry. That's a lot of pressure to put on any English translation of this book!
Still, translations are made into other languages, all the time. So with all that in mind, I wanted to read "the best" translation of the Koran available, one that was well respected among the community of scholars and readers and one that had stood the test of time.
I think I found that in Ahmed Ali's work in Al-Qur'an. The text is simple and easy to follow and understand. There is the occasional footnote to explain meanings, interpretations, and translation problems of some verses. He provides an index, which is helpful. And I found myself taking voluminous notes to compare to verses and stories as told in the Old and New Testaments in the Bible. Al-Quaran is a derivative work, obviously (Islam is an offshoot of the Judeo-Christian tradition). References abound to biblical accounts and characters. It was composed by one man sometime in the early 600s (From the Wikipedia article: "Muslims believe the Quran was verbally revealed by God to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel (Jibril), gradually over a period of approximately 23 years, beginning on 22 December 609 CE, when Muhammad was 40, and concluding in 632, the year of his death."), while the Bible was written by dozens of men over a period of 2,000 years.
Reading Al-Quaran completely through has enriched my understanding of Islam historically, and it's given me a better understanding of its place among the two monotheistic religions it descended from (Judaism and Christianity). It also helped me have a deeper appreciation for its place in current events on the world stage and for the fruits of this religion. If you're not a Muslim, or a native speaker of Arabic, I still can highly recommend this translation for how it presents the religion of Islam to us. (I know there are many volumes of hadith--collections of reports claiming to be what the prophet Muhammad spoke--but I have not read any of these.)
This is a sufficient translation of Islamic scripture for the English-speaking world. Highly recommended.
***
Now, I have to add: As a Christian, after reading Al-Quaran, my understanding of the God of Islam remains in line with two quotes from the Christian philosopher and theologian William Lane Craig:
"[T]he Muslim concept of God is rationally objectionable. Now in claiming this, I'm not trying to put anybody down or attack someone personally. I'm just saying that it seems to me that the Islamic conception of God has real problems which render it rationally objectionable. Let me share just one of those deficits, namely: Islam has a morally deficient concept of God."
(Craig is using that term in a theological and philosophical construct, of course. To read the full article, see http://www.reasonablefaith.org/is-the....)
"The God of the Koran is not the greatest conceivable being.... The God of the Koran is partial, his love is conditional--you have to earn it--and it is not universal. He does not love sinners. Over and over again the Koran says God loves not the unbelievers, he loves not sinners, he loves not the hard necked. He only loves believers. And so for that reason I could not be a Muslim. I think that the concept of God in Islam is morally inadequate."
("How the Muslim Concept of God Fails," YouTube video, accessed December 5, 2015; source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJK3i...).
***
For the reader interested in contextualizing Islam in the modern world from a reputable source, see the 2013 Pew Research Center report "The World's Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society". In this report you'll see attitudes on support for making sharia the law of the land, the death penalty for those who leave Islam, stoning for unfaithful spouses, and justification for attacking civilians in defense of Islam. You'll also find information on attitudes on abortion, homosexuality, honor killings, wives obeying husbands, polygamy, interfaith relations, and popular culture. The report also includes information on Muslim Americans surveyed (for example, 8% think violence such as suicide bombings are "often/sometimes justified").
For the reader interested in a Christian theologian's view of the differences between the concept of God in Christianity and Islam, I recommend William Lane Craig's presentation on the topic. See "The Concept of God in Islam and Christianity National Religious Broadcasters Convention," YouTube video, accessed December 8, 2015; source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcYd7.... He provides an excellent summary of each belief.
Sacred texts say a lot about the people who hold them sacred.
I'd heard about the supposedly many problems with translating the Koran. I do not speak a word of Arabic, but I have read that it is a rich language--it tends to hyperbole and also lengthy expressions--and the words can have subtle and different meanings. Some scholars have even called it an "exaggerated language." Idioms are difficult to translate. Also, I've read that the original language is nearly musical in its beauty. This goes back centuries when, some say, people might greet one another using poetry. That's a lot of pressure to put on any English translation of this book!
Still, translations are made into other languages, all the time. So with all that in mind, I wanted to read "the best" translation of the Koran available, one that was well respected among the community of scholars and readers and one that had stood the test of time.
I think I found that in Ahmed Ali's work in Al-Qur'an. The text is simple and easy to follow and understand. There is the occasional footnote to explain meanings, interpretations, and translation problems of some verses. He provides an index, which is helpful. And I found myself taking voluminous notes to compare to verses and stories as told in the Old and New Testaments in the Bible. Al-Quaran is a derivative work, obviously (Islam is an offshoot of the Judeo-Christian tradition). References abound to biblical accounts and characters. It was composed by one man sometime in the early 600s (From the Wikipedia article: "Muslims believe the Quran was verbally revealed by God to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel (Jibril), gradually over a period of approximately 23 years, beginning on 22 December 609 CE, when Muhammad was 40, and concluding in 632, the year of his death."), while the Bible was written by dozens of men over a period of 2,000 years.
Reading Al-Quaran completely through has enriched my understanding of Islam historically, and it's given me a better understanding of its place among the two monotheistic religions it descended from (Judaism and Christianity). It also helped me have a deeper appreciation for its place in current events on the world stage and for the fruits of this religion. If you're not a Muslim, or a native speaker of Arabic, I still can highly recommend this translation for how it presents the religion of Islam to us. (I know there are many volumes of hadith--collections of reports claiming to be what the prophet Muhammad spoke--but I have not read any of these.)
This is a sufficient translation of Islamic scripture for the English-speaking world. Highly recommended.
***
Now, I have to add: As a Christian, after reading Al-Quaran, my understanding of the God of Islam remains in line with two quotes from the Christian philosopher and theologian William Lane Craig:
"[T]he Muslim concept of God is rationally objectionable. Now in claiming this, I'm not trying to put anybody down or attack someone personally. I'm just saying that it seems to me that the Islamic conception of God has real problems which render it rationally objectionable. Let me share just one of those deficits, namely: Islam has a morally deficient concept of God."
(Craig is using that term in a theological and philosophical construct, of course. To read the full article, see http://www.reasonablefaith.org/is-the....)
"The God of the Koran is not the greatest conceivable being.... The God of the Koran is partial, his love is conditional--you have to earn it--and it is not universal. He does not love sinners. Over and over again the Koran says God loves not the unbelievers, he loves not sinners, he loves not the hard necked. He only loves believers. And so for that reason I could not be a Muslim. I think that the concept of God in Islam is morally inadequate."
("How the Muslim Concept of God Fails," YouTube video, accessed December 5, 2015; source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJK3i...).
***
For the reader interested in contextualizing Islam in the modern world from a reputable source, see the 2013 Pew Research Center report "The World's Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society". In this report you'll see attitudes on support for making sharia the law of the land, the death penalty for those who leave Islam, stoning for unfaithful spouses, and justification for attacking civilians in defense of Islam. You'll also find information on attitudes on abortion, homosexuality, honor killings, wives obeying husbands, polygamy, interfaith relations, and popular culture. The report also includes information on Muslim Americans surveyed (for example, 8% think violence such as suicide bombings are "often/sometimes justified").
For the reader interested in a Christian theologian's view of the differences between the concept of God in Christianity and Islam, I recommend William Lane Craig's presentation on the topic. See "The Concept of God in Islam and Christianity National Religious Broadcasters Convention," YouTube video, accessed December 8, 2015; source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcYd7.... He provides an excellent summary of each belief.
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