One might ask whether yet another rendition of the Qur'an into English can contribute anything new to the already existing wealth of interpretations of its meaning available to the Anglophone reader. However, with the impressive work to be published by Oxford University Press , Dr. Mohammed Abdel Haleem, director of the Centre of Islamic Studies at the School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, is unquestionably opening up a new space in the field of Qur'anic translation. The Qur'an, fruit of a life of engagement with Islam's primary text and almost a decade of committed labor, aspires to pioneer in comprehensively conveying the substance of the Qur'an in lucid contemporary English while remaining faithful to the meaning and spirit of the original. Furthermore, through the rigorous application of contextualization and cross-reference in determining the semantic value of ambiguous terms, Abdel Haleem has endeavored to avoid the semantic inaccuracies to be found in earlier translations.

Before the celebrations surrounding the official launch of the new translation, IslamOnline had the honor to speak to the man behind the project:

IOL: Please tell us something about your academic background and your early acquaintance with the Qur'an.

I was born in Sharqiyya, Egypt, where I learned the Qur'an by heart in the village. I studied at the primary and secondary religious schools of Al-Azhar in Zagazig and acquired a BA in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Cairo and a PhD from the University of Cambridge. I have been teaching Arabic and Islamic Studies for many years, first in Cambridge and then at the School of Oriental and African Studies in the University of London. Since 1995 I am working as a Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of London, Director of the Centre of Islamic Studies at SOAS, and Editor in Chief of the Journal of Qur'anic Studies (published by Edinburgh University Press). My most recent publications include Understanding the Qur'an: Themes and Style (I.B. Tauris, 2001) and The Qur'an: a New Translation (Oxford University Press, 2004). I am currently working on A Dictionary of Qur'anic Usage together with Elsaid Badawi.

My experience with the Qur’an goes back a very long way to my early childhood when I had to learn it at the village kuttab. After I completed it successfully, it was expected, as it was in many other villages, that I should go to study at Al-Azhar. Before I applied to Al-Azhar, however, I was sent to a Qur’an reciter, a blind lady, to train me further in the recitation. This experience has left a lasting impression on me. I went to the Al-Azhar school in Zagazig, where one of the entry qualifications was to learn the Qur’an by heart. We were orally examined on the Qur’an every year for nine years, by which time it becomes well ingrained in one's memory. Additionally, my late father made me promise him that I would read part of the Qur’an every day of my life. I now read my daily quota while sitting in the London metro.

I have taught the Qur’an to undergraduate and postgraduate students for many years, and a few years ago I introduced a new MA in Islamic Studies that included two new courses: the Qur’an, Language, Style, and Translation into English; and the Hadith, Language, Style and Translation into English. The first one in particular made me more aware of the characteristic features of the language of the Qur’an and how to render certain features unfamiliar to the English language into English. I think that Muslim scholars still have a long road ahead of them in examining the language and style in the Qur’an and writing about it in English and other European languages. This exercise actually helped me in the process of translating the Qur’an.

I recall the wise words of an eminent scholar and head of department in London when I first arrived as a young lecturer. She advised us to ask research students to translate some of the passages they quoted in their research from Arabic and other Islamic languages into English and she said that only by doing that would they come to realize how much they really understood of it. Translation is one of the best exercises in getting down to a very careful examination of what is actually expressed in the source language and then trying one’s best to render it idiomatically into the target language. It is during such a process that one comes to realize how difficult it is to translate the Qur’an into another language: however hard one tries, it is impossible to attain anything near to the grandeur and eloquence of the original Arabic. This must be the feeling of anyone who tries to translate the Qur’an into any other language. However, it has been a challenging, enjoyable, and humbling experience

IOL: What inspired you to undertake this translation?

Firstly, the feeling expressed by my BA, MA and PhD students, who are native speakers of English, that the existing translations were written in a language that was outdated, difficult to follow, foreign-sounding and unattractive to the reader. Also a feeling that, in some cases, the existing translations do not give an accurate rendering of the meaning of the Arabic.

IOL: In what ways do you think this translation improves upon the already existing renderings of the Qur'an in English?

This translation, it is hoped, is written in contemporary English, free from Arabisms, easy to follow, and based on principles that are vital for determining the meaning of the words in the original-aspects that were sometimes overlooked in earlier translations.

For example,

1. the context, which is crucial in understanding the verses of the Qur'an and determining the meaning of certain terms in their specific context, as they belong to a phenomenon known in Qur’anic studies as wujuh al-qur’an’

2. understanding the Arabic words in their classical senses, not in the modern meanings that some words have acquired

3. cross-referencing in accordance with the rule that certain parts of the Qur'an explain each other

These guiding principles are all illustrated by examples in the introduction to the translation.

IOL: What methodology did you apply in the translation process? And how long did it take to complete this project?

The translation was tested several times to see the reaction of undergraduate and postgraduate students, in particular with regard to the clarity, style, and level of language. Several revisions were undertaken over a period of about seven years. Many have shared in the making of this work, and I want to express my gratitude to all those students who helped, and above all my wife for her patience and hard work over the years.

IOL: What are your feelings after completing the translation project?

Satisfaction for having done something people think useful. However, when one compares the translation to the original, one can only feel disappointed. The Arabic with its matchless power and eloquence, its richness and complexity of meaning, and its rhythm and music is certainly untranslatable.

IOL: What are your plans for the future in terms of academic endeavors?

More work on the language and style of the Qur'an. I am also working with Professor Elsaid Badawi on a major dictionary of Qur'anic usage. These are immediate concerns.