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Abdel
Haleem was approached by Oxford University Press to do the new
translation in a contemporary idiom
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By
Angy Ghannam, IOL Staff
CAIRO,
May 9 (IslamOnline.net) – Responding to the increasing need of
native speakers to fully understand the meanings of the Glorious
Qur'an, a new English translation by a British-Egyptian professor will
be launched on Thursday, May 13 and published by Oxford University.
"I
was inspired by feelings 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written in a language that was outdated, difficult to follow,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," Muhammad Abdel
Haleem told IslamOnline.net over the phone from London.
And
in some cases, such translations do not give an accurate rendering of
the meaning of the Arabic, added Abdel
Haleem, a Professor of Islamic
Studies and Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies
(SOAS), London University.
"The
new translation is written in contemporary English, free from Arabism,
easy to follow and based on principles that are vital for determining
the meaning of the words in the original, things that are sometimes
overlooked in earlier translations."
Giving
examples to some of the points overlooked by earlier translations,
Abdel Haleem mentioned the context, which is crucial in understanding
the verses of the Qur'an and determining the meaning of certain terms
in their specific context.
Another
flaw, according to Abdel Haleem, is that existing translations have
mistakenly used modern meanings of some words rather than their
classical ones, which in many cases caused misinterpretation.
He
also cited "inability to highlight the cross-referencing in
accordance with the rule that certain parts of the Qur'an explain each
other".
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The
book's cover |
The
professor was approached by Oxford University Press to do a new
translation of the Qur'an in a contemporary idiom that remains
faithful to the original while making it easy to read.
"I
was pleased to accept this as they are the most prestigious
international academic publisher based in Britain," he said.
In
Abdel Haleem's translation "archaisms and cryptic language are
avoided, and the Arabic meaning preserved by respecting the context of
the discourse," said Oxford University Press in a press release.
"The
message of the Qur'an was directly addressed to all people, and this
translation is equally accessible to everyone," it added.
"Tested"
The
translation was tested several times to see the reaction of
undergraduate and postgraduate students, in particular to the clarity,
style and level of language, Abdel Haleem said, adding that several
revisions were undertaken over a period of about seven years.
An
introduction to the translation sets out the history of the revelation
and the compilation of the Qur'an and explains aspects of its style,
and what is new about this translation. There is also a detailed index
that enables the readers to locate recurrent themes.
The
translation will be launched on Thursday, May 13, at the School of
Oriental and African Studies, the Brunei Gallery.
Speakers
are HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan and Professor David Ford,
Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge.
The
Director and Principal of SOAS will welcome all the guests.
The
audience will consist of academics from London and other universities,
ambassadors of Arab and Muslim countries and other dignitaries.
Professor
Abdel Haleem was born in Sharqiyya, Egypt, and learned the Qur'an by
heart in his early age.
He
has as a BA in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Cairo University and
PhD from the University of Cambridge.
Abdel
Haleem has been teaching Arabic at Cambridge and London universities
since 1966, including courses in advanced translation and the Qur'an.
