Baha'i Library Forum

Which English language translation of the Qur'an would you recommend? Are they available online? If so, where?

Many thanks!

There is this guidance from the House: http://bahai-library.com/quran_rodwell# ... 20RESEARCH and from the Writings: http://bahai-library.com/quran_rodwell# ... tions%20in

Those two copies (Sale and Rodwell) are available from http://bahai-library.com/quran_rodwell but other copies which may be worthwhile are not mentioned authoritatively. Pickthall's seemed interesting to me, as he was a Westerner who because a Muslim, and we have Yusufali's at http://bahai-library.com/writings/quran , though it seems this may be more of a "gentle" reinterpretation which, based on other translations, I am not sure is warranted by the original. I'm not really sure about other versions, but they may tend to endorse their own sect's viewpoint.

This isn't online, but if you'd like to obtain a large, beautifully-bound bilingual edition of the Qur'an (English and Arabic on facing pages)--the Yusif 'Ali translation, as I understand, except that all occurences of "God" have been changed to "Allah"--simply drop a postcard to the Saudi Arabian Embassy at 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037; and they'll be happy to send you a free copy!

Regards,

Bruce

Thanks, Bruce. The Yusuf Ali translation Bruce mentions is indeed a very handsome book: thick, well-bound, high-quality paper, lots of helpful footnotes. I used it in Arabic class in college. And free!

I personally find Muhammad Asad's translation to be the easiest to read, and the translation that best communicates spiritual realities to the Western mind. This Wiki about him has a link at the bottom to his translation on line, or look it up on Amazon and buy the book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Asad Brent