The Koran Interpreted
Encyclopedia
The Koran Interpreted is a translation
of the Qur'an
(the Islam
ic religious text
) by Arthur John Arberry
. The translation is from the original Arabic
into English
. First published in 1955, it is one of the most prominent written by a non-Muslim
scholar. The title acknowledges the orthodox view that the Qur'an cannot be translated, merely interpreted.
Khaleel Mohammed
writes that "the translation is without prejudice and is probably the best around," while M. A. S. Abdel Haleem, himself a translator of the Qur'an, writes that:
Originally published in two volumes, the first containing sura
s 1-20, the second containing 21-114, the text continues to be printed to this day, normally in one single volume.
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
(the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic religious text
Religious text
Religious texts, also known as scripture, scriptures, holy writ, or holy books, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred, or of central importance to their religious tradition...
) by Arthur John Arberry
Arthur John Arberry
Arthur John Arberry was a respected British orientalist. A most prolific scholar of Arabic, Persian, and Islamic studies, he was educated at Portsmouth Grammar School and Pembroke College, Cambridge...
. The translation is from the original Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. First published in 1955, it is one of the most prominent written by a non-Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
scholar. The title acknowledges the orthodox view that the Qur'an cannot be translated, merely interpreted.
Khaleel Mohammed
Khaleel Mohammed
Khaleel Mohammed is associate professor of Religion at San Diego State University , in San Diego, California, and a core faculty member of SDSU's .- Specialties and research interests :...
writes that "the translation is without prejudice and is probably the best around," while M. A. S. Abdel Haleem, himself a translator of the Qur'an, writes that:
- Arberry shows great respect towards the language of the Qur'an, particularly its musical effects. His careful observation of Arabic sentence structure and phraseology makes his translation very close to the Arabic original in grammatical terms ... [however] this feature, along with the lack of any notes or comments, can make the text seem difficult to understand and confusingly unidiomatic.
Originally published in two volumes, the first containing sura
Sura
A sura is a division of the Qur'an, often referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided, as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura has only three ayat while the longest contains 286 ayat...
s 1-20, the second containing 21-114, the text continues to be printed to this day, normally in one single volume.