Recorded Books Inc. - Towards Understanding the Quran

Towards Understanding

The Qurn

Abridged version of Tafhm al-Qurn

SAYYID ABUL AL MAWDD

Translated and edited by

Zafar Ishaq Ansari

THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION

Published by

THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION,

Markfield Conference Centre,

Ratby Lane, Markfield, Leicester LE67 9SY, United Kingdom

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Copyright The Islamic Foundation (English version) 2007/1428 H 2nd impression 2008/1429 H

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

Translated and edited by Zafar Ishaq Ansari

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Mawdudi, Sayyid Abul A la, 19031979

Towards Understanding the Quran

1. Koran Commentaries

I. Title II. Ansari, Zafar Ishaq

III. Islamic Foundation (Great Britain)

297.1 227

ISBN 13: 978-0-86037-657-6 (ebook)

Typeset by: N.A.Qaddoura

Cover design by: Nasir Cadir

Contents

Arabic Consonants

Initial, unexpressed medial and final:

Vowels, diphthongs, etc.

The Qurn is the foundation and mainstay of Islamic faith, life and culture. Islam and the Muslim ummah are unique in so far as their bedrock is primarily a Book the Qurn. This Book gave the Muslims their distinct worldview and vision of life. Historically speaking, the Qurn performed the great feat of transforming a motley group of warring tribes of seventh-century Arabia into the Muslim ummah which soon developed into a dynamic world community with a message for humanity at large. It not only fashioned the historical personality of the Muslims but also remained the main source of their inspiration and guidance throughout the fourteen centuries of their history.

The Qurn encompasses the totality of Gods Revelation to Muammad (peace be on him), the last in the distinguished series of Prophets raised for mankinds guidance. The uniqueness of the Qurn lies in its being the Final Revelation. It is precisely for this reason that it preserves and protects whatever was revealed prior to it. It also represents the culmination and zenith of the Divine Revelation which commenced with the birth of Adam and came to an end with the Prophets return to the Mercy of his Lord. Being the Final Revelation, God saw to it that the ravages of time would play no havoc with it: that nothing of it would be lost, nor any part of it altered, nor anything extraneous to it find its way to it. It was Gods Will that the Final Revelation should be preserved in its entirety exactly as it had been communicated to the Prophet (peace be on him) by Gabriel, and exactly as the Prophet (peace be on him) had communicated it to his contemporaries. All this was essential since this Last Book was meant to serve as a beacon light for the guidance of all humanity till the end of time.

The intrinsic value of the Qurn is evident to many perceiving eyes and reflecting minds. On the other hand is the heart-rending fact that human beings in large numbers are scarcely aware of the Qurns message and teachings. What is more, thanks to the strong Islamophobic media that presently holds sway over the world, multitudes of people are averse to it. Quite a few Muslims regard an accumulation of external factors as responsible for creating a deep-seated prejudice against Islam and the Qurn. The fact, however, is that it is we Muslims who are to blame more than anyone else for the present state of affairs in so far as we have failed to give this Book its due by making it widely available in a form that would enable our fellow beings to grasp its meaning.

For a number of historical reasons, however, the interaction between the Muslims and the rest of the world, especially with the West, has been on the increase in recent times. This development can prove a turning point in history, especially if the Muslims can have the same degree of concern to make the Qurns message and meaning accessible to all and sundry as they have for their mundane interests. Hence, instead of fruitlessly lamenting the sordid state of affairs of the present, vigorous efforts should be made to change it by building bridges of understanding across the religious, cultural and ethnic divide found in our world today.

The Qurn uncreated Word of God though it doubtlessly is was revealed and communicated through the medium of a human language Arabic. No wonder its original text remains a living miracle in a variety of ways. Hence those who know Arabic have access to a whole universe of meaning which is not easy for others to reach. For it is only by reading the Qurn in the original that one is exposed to its true beauty and grandeur. It is only the original Arabic Qurn that can make one appreciate that inimitable symphony the very sound of which moves man to tears and ecstasy, as Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall has aptly put it. Even the best translations can never transport the Qurns vast universe of meaning, or its astounding beauty and grandeur to their readers. The Qurn, in this sense, was always and will always remain untranslatable. Imperfect though all such translations are always bound to be, nevertheless the effort to translate the Qurn into other languages is absolutely essential to effectively communicate the substance of its meaning and message. Indeed it should be an ongoing activity of Muslim scholars for hopefully with the passage of time an increasingly better communication of the Qurns meaning would be possible.

Now every language, including Arabic in which the Qurn was revealed, has its own style, diction and ethos. The language of the Qurn is characterized by a unique mental and moral ambience: it has a distinct style, supported by a value-laden idiom, a multi-dimensional phrase-structure, a sequential inter-relatedness, all of which is expressed in a literary style of unsurpassable beauty and force. The language and style of the Qurn also reflect a set of values which are related to a number of concepts and ideas. All these go to make up an organic whole, a unique literary culture, and a self-sustaining spiritual and intellectual personality. In such a context it is evident that the translation needs to be really good to assist those who are not initiated to the ideas, values and spirit of this culture so that they are able to grasp the spirit and the meaning of the text. This is possible only if the translators have a good taste of the Arabic language, have remained immersed in the universe of the Qurnic meaning, and have the ability to express it with clarity, elegance and force.

The translations of the Qurn that are devoid of sympathy, understanding and reverence will fail to make their readers appreciate its message in any depth. It is unfortunate that several translations through which readers approach the Qurn lack empathy for the Qurn, and some even attempt, in our opinion, to distort and denigrate it. Even where a translation does not suffer from deliberate distortion or misrepresentation, it generally lacks an insightful understanding. Moreover, quite often these translations make a dull reading compared to the sparkling original. Since the ordinary reader of the Qurn is not familiar with the ethos of the Qurn and is not properly initiated into the culture of the Divine Word, he/she is often unable to taste its sweetness, to encompass its breadth, and fathom its depths, through many of these translations. Hence good translations in different languages, especially English, are a pressing need of the hour. It is heartening that a number of able scholars, who are respected by the Muslims as authentic spokespersons of Islam, have responded to this need of our times. Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, and Muhammad Asad are some of the most outstanding names that instantly come to mind from among a growing body of distinguished translators of the Qurn.