Islam

Daniel Brown
Perspec1ve: leaving more ques1ons than answers
What to read: pages 3-126 + xi-xv
Resources: pages xiii-xv
The Encyclopaedia of Islam

RRE perspec1ve

Late An1que context

Rela1ons to Jewish and Chris1an cultures
Culture
Literate and cultural memory

The Quran (the Recita1ons)

Revela1on
Received by the prophet
God speaks
But some srahs have another speaker (Gabriel, Muhamad, )

Muhammad illiterate
But literacy presupposed

Memoriza1on
Great linguis1c dierences

Unity
Evolu1on, abroga1on

The making of the Quran

Early independent transmissions of suwar
Oral transmission
Wri]en ?

Crea1on of collec1ons of suwar

Zayd ibn Thbit (scribe of Muhammad)
Abu Bakr (aaer ba]le of Yamma 632 C.E)
Uthmn and the making of a single model ca. 650
Oldest copy: Sana palm palimpsest, ca. 670

Revisionists

John Wansborough, The Sectarian Milieu (1978)

Form cri:cism

Fragmentary character
Variants, reports on abroga1on
Logia/sayings
Elabora1on and standardiza1on

Angelica Neuwirth, Studie zur Komposi:on der mekkanischen Suren (1981)

Redac:onal cri:cism

Changes in rhyme, style, speaker

Each srah must be analyzed as an independent text, not as chapter
Careful composi1on, most likely by the Prophet
Evolu1on of material already composed

Gnter Lling, ber den Ur-Koran (1974)

Christoph Luxenberg, Die syro-aramische Lesart des Koran (2000)
Source cri:cism

Linguis1c analysis
Chris1an model
Syriac language

Sources I
Pre-islamic rhyme prose
Oral culture
Heroic, pessimis1c, bravery and loss
Communal genealogical iden1ty
Classical rhetorical Arabic

Sources II
Jewish tradi1on
Jewish communi1es
Prophe1c heritage as iden1ty
Reading of divine words
qaraa to read: iqra (impera1ve)

Claiming the heritage

Restora1on of origin
Unica1on of the dispersed

Sources III
Chris1anity
Debated
Non-orthodox Chris1anity
Evidence for Chris1an communi1es ?
Chris1an monks of the desert ?

Irfan Shahid

John Wansborough,
Michael Cook,
Patricia Crone

Sources III
Chris1anity
Chris1an communi1es,
Makka, Ukaz, Najran

Chris1an poetry - hagiography - preaching

Jewish-Chris1an Apocrypha
Chris1an sayings tradi1ons

Characteris1cs

Inimitability: ijz alQurn

Arabic poe1c tradi1on

Arabic associa1ve seman1cs
Poetry as divine inspira1on
Recital as ritual performance
Beauty of language: content and form

"Qur'anic Manuscript - Maghribi

script" by Unknown calligrapher
- The Chester Bea]y Library.
Licensed under Public domain
via Wikimedia Commons -

"Muhammad ibn Mustafa Izmiri - Right Side of

an Illuminated Double-page Incipit - Walters
W5771B - Full Page" by Walters Art Museum:
Home page Info about artwork. Licensed
under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
- h]p://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
"4.8-17-1990-Guld-koranside-recto-og-verso" by Unknown - [1] [2]. Licensed under Public domain via
Wikimedia Commons - h]p://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/

Not possible to translate

every transla1on is a commentary

Transla&ons into English

The Alcoran, Translated out of Arabic into French. By the Sieur du Ryer, Lord of Malezair, and Resident for the French King, at ALEXANDRIA. And Newly Englished, for the sa1sfac1on of all that desire to look into the
Turkish Vani1es London, Printed Anno Dom. 1649 The earliest known transla1on of the Qur'an into the English Language was The Alcoran of Mahomet in 1649 by Alexander Ross, chaplain to King Charles I. This,
however, was a transla1on of the French transla1on L'Alcoran de Mahomet by the Sieur du Ryer, Lord of Malezair. L'Alcoran de Mahomet.[cita1on needed].

Koran, commonly called the Alcoran of Mohammed, tr. into English immediately from the original Arabic; with explanatory notes, taken from the most approved commentators. To which is prexed a preliminary
discourse by George Sale London; Printed by C. Ackers... 1734. The rst scholarly transla1on of the Qur'an based primarily on the La1n transla1on of Louis Maracci (1698).[1] George Sale's transla1on was to remain
the most widely available English transla1on over the next 200 years, and is s1ll in print today, with release of a recent 2009 edi1on[cita1on needed].

The next major English transla1on of note was by John Rodwell, Rector of St. Ethelburga, London, released in 1861, en1tled The Koran. It was soon followed in 1880 with a 2-Volume edi1on by E.H. Palmer, a
Cambridge scholar, who was entrusted with the prepara1on of the new transla1on for Max Muller's Sacred Books of the East series[cita1on needed].

The Qur'an (1910) by Mirza Abul Fazl, Arabic Text and English Transla1on Arranged Chronologically with an Abstract (Allahabad). Mirza Abul Fazl (18651956), was a na1ve of Allahabad, India. He was the rst
Muslim to present a transla1on of the Qur'an in to English along with the original Arabic text.

The Holy Qur'an (1917, 4th rev. ed. 1951) by Maulana Muhammad 'Ali, an Ahmadi Muslim scholar of the Qur'an, Hadith and religion of Islam, and author of several widely read books on these topics. 'Ali gives
copious explanatory notes, introduc1ons to each chapter, and a general preface-introduc1on of nearly 70 pages.

The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930) by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall. An English convert to Islam penned this transla1on at the behest of the Emir of Hyderabad while on a sojourn in India. Pickthall's
widely printed transla1on was regarded as "an important milestone in the long course of Koranic interpreta1on" by later esteemed Qur'an translator A.J. Arberry, who also noted a few problems with Pickthall's verse
numbering, which deviated in places from what had by then become the standard Arabic edi1on by Gustav Fluegel.

The Holy Qur'an: Transla1on and Commentary (1934) by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. This transla1on is widely used in many English-speaking countries and was the most popular transla1on before the Interpreta1on of the
Meanings of the Noble Qur'an was published in 1999.

The Holy Quran - Arabic Text and English transla1on (1936) is a parallel text edi1on of the Quran compiled and translated by Maulvi Sher Ali, an Ahmadi Muslim missionary at the Fazl Mosque in London and
companion of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.

The Qur'an: Translated, with a Cri1cal Re-arrangement of the Surahs (193739) by Richard Bell. Published by Edinburgh University Press. A. J. Arberry, in the preface to his own transla1on of the Qur'an, notes: "Dr
Bell was a most erudite scholar of Arabic, and had devoted many years to his 'cri1cal re-arrangement of the Surahs [chapters]'.... He quite literally took the Koran to pieces and put it together again, his me1culous
reconstruc1on extending as far as individual verses and even parts of verses. As he set up his transla1on in a kind of tabular form to indicate his views of how the discourse originally ran, it is virtually unreadable;
certainly one needs to have some detailed knowledge of the text in order to benet by the arduous exercise of studying his hard-laboured pages."

The Koran Interpreted (1955) by Arthur Arberry. The rst English transla1on by an academic scholar of Arabic, Islam and Susm. For many years the scholarly standard for English transla1ons, this rendering of the
Qur'an makes a special a]empt to reproduce something of the rhythms and cadence of the Arabic original.

The Koran (1956) by N. J. Dawood is published by Penguin. Dawood, a na1ve Arabic speaker from Iraq's now defunct Jewish community, is said to have preferred comprehensibility to literalism in transla1on, making
his version compara1vely easy to read. The rst edi1on of the Dawood transla1on rearranged the chapters (suras) into more or less chronological order, but later edi1ons restored the tradi1onal sequence.

Tafsir-ul-Quran (1957) by the Indian scholar Abdul Majid Daryabadi is a transla1on with commentary. Daryabadi cri1cizes the scriptures of other religions, such as the Chris1an Bible, claiming they have not been
transmi]ed faithfully.

The English Commentary of the Holy Quran (1963) An English transla1on and interpreta1on by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

The Running Commentary of the Holy Qur-an with Under-Bracket Comments (1964). Dr. Khadim Rahmani Nuri of Shillong, India.

The Message of the Qur'an: Presented in Perspec1ve (1974) by Dr. Hashim Amir Ali. The suras are presented in chronological order.

The Message of the Qur'an (1980) by Muhammad Asad. Wri]en by a Jewish convert to Islam.

Al-Qur'an, A Contemporary Transla1on (1984) by Ahmed Ali. Published by Princeton University Press.

The Qur'an: The First American Version (1985); by Dr. Thomas Ballantyne Irving / T.B. Irving (Al Hajj Ta'lim Ali Abu Nasr), Dr Irving is a Canadian Muslim who is an author, professor, translator (Arabic, Spanish) and
ac1vist. His English-only edi1on uses a North American vernacular. Published by Amana Books, Bra]leboro, Vermont.

The Holy Qur'an (1988) by Syed V. Mir Ahmed Ali. A transla1on used by English-speaking Shi'ite Muslims.

Quran: The Final Testament (1992; revision of work rst published in 1981) is the work of the controversial teacher and computer scien1st Rashad Khalifa. Khalifa claimed that he had used mathema1cs and
computers to nd hidden meanings in the Qur'an.

The Noble Qur'an (1992); by Dr. T. B. (Thomas Ballantyne) Irving (Al Hajj Ta'lim Ali Abu Nasr). Arabic text with English transla1on and commentary by Dr. Irving. Published by Amana Books, Bra]leboro, Vermont.

The Glorious Qur'an (1993), a joint transla1on by the Egyp1an-born UK resident Dr. Ahmad Zidan and the Bri1sh Muslim convert Mrs. Dina Zidan.

A Simple Transla1on of The Holy Quran (1993), by Dr. Mir Aneesuddin. This transla1on uses Simple English, also called Basic English. It is published by the Islamic Academy of Sciences, Hyderabad, India.

The Glorious Qur'an (1999 through 2013), by Dr. Syed Vickar Ahamed, is a simple transla1on meant for young adults seeking divine and eternal guidance to live a healthy, honest, complete and pious life. Published
by the New York based publisher Tahirke Tarsile Qur'an. Transla1on is approved by Al-Azhar, Islamic Research Academy, Cairo, Egypt (1998, and again in 2004) and by Pusat Islam, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1999, See
KDN.Q.03/913/1.2/0/65/1999). First published in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1999 in full color by TR Group of Companies (ISBN 983-40085-03). Since then, there are eight edi1ons and numerous prin1ngs by in the US
by Al-Furqaan Founda1on, Lombard, Illinois (ISBN 0-9773009-2-7, 978-9773009-2-1) and by Tahirke Tarsile Qur'an, Elmhurst, New York (ISBN 978-1879402-68-3). It is available throughout the world.

The Holy Qur'an (1997) by Saheeh Interna1onal is a transla1on by three American women converts. It is published by the Dar Abul Qasim Publishing House, Saudi Arabia.

 Interpreta1on of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an (1999) by Darussalam (rst published 1977) is translated by Muhammad Muhsin Khan and Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali. This transla1on is among the most
widely read transla1ons in the world, primarily because it is the ocially promoted transla1on of the Saudi Government.

The Qur'an (1999) by Mohammedali Habib Shakir is an English transla1on directed towards Shia Muslims. It is published in New York by Tahirke Tarsile Qur'an.

The Noble Qur'an: A New Rendering of Its Meaning in English (1999) by Abdalhaqq Bewley and Aisha Bewley. The husband-and-wife team behind this transla1on are disciples of Abdalqadir as-Su. They have also
translated the Muwa]a of Imam Malik, Tafsir al-Qurtubi, and the Ash-Shifa of Qadi Iyad.

The Quran: A Poe1c Transla1on (1999), a recent work by the Iranian-born lecturer, translator and linguist Fazlollah Nikayin, a]empts a poe1c rendering of the Qur'an.

Transla1on and Commentary on The Holy Quran (2000), a 1,256 page work by the Indian-Bengali translator Dr. Zohurul Hoque.

The Majes1c Qur'an: An English Rendi1on of Its Meanings (2000) was translated by a commi]ee that included the Cambridge professor Timothy Winter, the American Muslim writer Uthman Hutchinson, and
Mostafa al-Badawi. It is published by Starlatch Press.

The Qur'an in Persian and English (Bilingual Edi1on, 2001) features an English transla1on by the Iranian poet and author Tahere Saarzadeh.

The Qur'an (2002), by the UK-based Afghan-born writer M. J. Gohari, is an Oxford Logos Society imprint.

The Tajwidi Qur'an (2003) is a transla1on by an American Muslim convert, Nooruddeen Durkee. It presents the Arabic text using a romanized translitera1on system that allows English-speaking readers to
pronounce the Arabic. The English transla1on is an amalgama1on of other transla1ons.

The Quran with an English Paraphrase (2003), a transla1on by Indian-born Sayyid Ali Quli Qara'i, is an imprint of the Iranian Centre for Transla1on of the Holy Qur'an.

The Qur'an: A New Transla1on (2004) by a well-known California-based translator of numerous Buddhist works, Dr. Thomas Cleary. Based on an earlier, par1al transla1on, which was highly praised by the famous
American Muslim scholar Hamza Yusuf
The Qur'an (2004), by M.A.S. Abdel-Haleem, is published by Oxford World Classics.

The Quran: A Reformist Transla1on (2007), is a recent transla1on by the team of Edip Yuksel, Layth Saleh al-Shaiban, and Martha Schulte-Nafeh. They claim to oer a non-sexist understanding of the text.

The Sublime Qur'an (2007) is by the Chicago-based scholar Laleh Bakh1ar, an American Shi'a.

The Qur'an (2007), a recent transla1on by the re1red Oxford University lecturer and Arabist Alan Jones.

The Qur'an with Annotated Interpreta1on in Modern English (2007) by Ali nal. The translator is a member of the Glen Movement, a Turkish Islamic group.

Quran Made Easy (2007) is a transla1on by Muai Afzal Hoosen Elias.

The Meaning of the Noble Qur'an (with Explanatory Notes in two volumes) (2007) is a transla1on by Jus1ce Maulana Muhammad Taqi Usmani.

The Gracious Qur'an: A Modern Phrased Interpreta1on in English (2008) by Dr. Ahmad Zaki Hammad, of Egypt's Al-Azhar University.

The Message - A Transla1on of the Glorious Qur'an (2008) was translated by the Monotheis1c Group, which claims to be a group of progressive Muslims.

The Qur'an: A New Transla1on (2008) by Tarif Khalidi, a professor of Islamic Studies at the American University of Beirut. The transla1on is published by Penguin Classics.

The Generous Quran (2009) is a transla1on by Usama Dakdok.

The Quran: Transla1on and Commentary with Parallel Arabic Text (2009) by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Published in India.

Irfan ul Quran (2009) is a transla1on by the Pakistani scholar Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri. It was released together with an Urdu transla1on of the same name by Minhaj-ul-Quran Publica1ons.

The Holy Qur'an: Guidance for Life (2010) is a transla1on by the American Muslim writer Yahiya Emerick, who has also published the Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Islam.

The Qur'an (2011), translated into American English by the Bangalore resident Nazeer Ahmed.

The Glorious Qur'an (2011) is a transla1on by the Pakistani scholar Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri. It was published in the UK by Minhaj-ul-Quran Publica1ons.

The Qur'an as It Explains Itself (5th edi1on, Mar 2012) is a transla1on by Dr. Shabbir Ahmed that a]empts to explain Qur'anic verses by cross-references within the Qur'an.[2]

The Wise Qur'an: A Modern English Transla1on (2012) is a transla1on by the Chicago-based writer and lecturer Dr. Assad Nimer Busool.

Quran in English: Clear and Easy to Read (2012). Translated by Talal Itani. Published by ClearQuran.

What is in the Quran? Message of the Quran in Simple English (2013). Translated by Professor Abdur Raheem Kidwai, Aligarh Muslim University. Published by Viva Books, New Delhi, India. ISBN 978-81-309-2363-5.

Surah Yusuf (tr. Yusf Ali)

Alif Lam Ra. These are the Symbols
(or Verses) of the Perspicuous Book.






(1) We have sent it down as an
Arabic Qur'an in order that ye may
learn wisdom.

(2) We do relate unto thee the most
beau1ful of stories, in that We
reveal to thee this (por1on of the)
Qur'an: before this, thou too wast
among those who knew it not.



(3) Behold Joseph said to his father:
"O my father! I did see eleven stars
and the sun and the moon: I saw
them prostrate themselves to me!"

(4) Said (the father): "My (dear)
li]le son! Relate not thy vision to
thy brothers, lest they concoct a
plot against thee: for Satan is to
man an avowed enemy!


(5) "Thus will thy Lord choose thee
and teach thee the interpreta1on of
stories (and events) and perfect His
favour to thee and to the posterity
of Jacob even as He perfected it
to thy fathers Abraham and Isaac
afore1me! For thy Lord is full of
knowledge and wisdom."

XII JOSEPH (tr. Arberry)

12:1 Alif Lam Ra. Those are the
signs of the Manifest Book.






We have sent it down as an Arabic
Koran; haply you will understand.


We will relate to thee the fairest of
stories in that We have revealed to
thee this Koran, though before it
thou wast one of the heedless.




When Joseph said to his father,
'Father, I saw eleven stars, and the
sun and the moon; I saw them
bowing down before me.'

He said, 'O my son, relate not thy
vision to thy brothers, lest they
devise against thee some guile.
Surely Satan is to man a manifest
enemy.


So will thy Lord choose thee, and
teach thee the interpreta1on of
tales, and perfect His blessing upon
thee and upon the House of Jacob,
as He perfected it formerly on thy
fathers Abraham and Isaac; surely
thy Lord is All-knowing, All-wise.'

Surah 12, Yusuf, (tr. Daryabadi)

Alif. Lam. Ra. These are the verses
of a Book luminous.






(1) Verily We! We have sent it
down, an Arabic Recita1on, that
haply ye may reect.

(2) We! We recount unto thee the
best of stories, by Revealing unto
thee this Ouran, although thou wast
before that of the unaware ones.




(3) Recall what 1me Yusu said
unto his father:, y father! verily
have seen eleven stars and the sun
and the moon; I have seen them
prostra1ng themselves unto me.

(4) He said: O my son! recount not
thine vision unto thy brethren, lest
they plot a plot against thee; verily
the Satan is unto man an enemy
manifest.

(5) And Thus will thy Lord choose
thee and teach thee of the
interpreta1on of discourses, and
will full His favour upon thee and
upon the house of Yaqub even as
He fullled it upon thy fathers,
Ibrahim and Ishaq afore1me; verily
thy Lord is Knowing, Wise.

Sura Yusufu (tr. Muhsin Khan)

Alif-Lam-Ra. [These le]ers are one of
the miracles of the Quran, and none
but Allah (Alone) knows their
meanings]. These are the Verses of the
Clear Book (the Quran that makes clear
the legal and illegal things, legal laws, a
guidance and a blessing).

1) Verily, We have sent it down as an
Arabic Quran in order that you may
understand.

2) We relate unto you (Muhammad
SAW) the best of stories through Our
Revela1ons unto you, of this Quran.
And before this (i.e. before the coming
of Divine Inspira1on to you), you were
among those who knew nothing about
it (the Quran).

3) (Remember) when Yusuf (Joseph)
said to his father: "O my father! Verily, I
saw (in a dream) eleven stars and the
sun and the moon, I saw them
prostra1ng themselves to me."

4) He (the father) said: "O my son!
Relate not your vision to your brothers,
lest they arrange a plot against you.
Verily! Shaitan (Satan) is to man an
open enemy!

5) "Thus will your Lord choose you and
teach you the interpreta1on of dreams
(and other things) and perfect His
Favour on you and on the ospring of
Ya'qub (Jacob), as He perfected it on
your fathers, Ibrahim (Abraham) and
Ishaque (Isaac) afore1me! Verily, your
Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise."

Characteris1cs

Inimitability: ijz alQurn

Arabic poe1c tradi1on

Arabic associa1ve seman1cs
Poetry as divine inspira1on
Recital as ritual performance
Beauty of language: content and form

Proclama1on

A message to be read and listened to

Verses to be memorized and repeated

Characteris1cs

Inimitability: ijz alQurn

Arabic poe1c tradi1on

Arabic associa1ve seman1cs
Poetry as divine inspira1on
Recital as ritual performance
Beauty of language: content and form

Proclama1on

Communal message

A message to be read and listened to

Verses to be memorized and repeated
Commandments: legal perspec1ve: no previous code of law!
Divine authority: a recita1on of a hidden Book (Sra 56:78) or clear book (Sra 43:1-4)

"Mosque lamp Met 91.1.1534" by Unknown (Egypt or Syria). Licensed under

Crea1ve Commons

"Mausoles du groupe nord (Shah-i-Zinda, Samarcande) (6016470147)" by

dalbera from Paris, France - Mausoles du groupe nord (Shah-i-Zinda,
Samarcande)Uploaded by russavia. Licensed under Crea1ve Commons

Characteris1cs

Inimitability: ijz alQurn

Arabic poe1c tradi1on

Arabic associa1ve seman1cs
Poetry as divine inspira1on
Recital as ritual performance
Beauty of language: content and form

Proclama1on

Communal message

A message to be read and listened to

Verses to be memorized and repeated
Commandments: legal perspec1ve: no previous code of law!
Divine authority: a recita1on of a hidden Book (Sra 56:78) or clear book (Sra 43:1-4)

Compila1on of individual texts

114 suwar of varying length, from 3 to 286 verses (ayat)

Headings indica1ng context and length
Titles based on specic important words or concepts, not a theme
A sra is not a chapter in a book
Each sra is its own: varia1on in style, theme and context
Later organized according to length
No chronological sequence
No thema1c or argumenta1ve sequence

No textual history, no revision, adapta1on or reformula1on

Sura 99-102

Major themes

One God
Unity: tawhd
Covenant
Submission (aslama = to submit)
Judgement
Ritual purity
Community
Stewardship and rule

Interpreta1on - tafsr
Three major forms

mathr: explana1ons handed down (cf. scholia)

bi-l-ray: ra1onal (theological) systema1za1on
mutazila controversy: Aristotelian inuence
Zamkhshar (1075-1144) Al-Kashshaaf
Fakhr ad-Din ar-Raz (1149-1209) Tafsr al-Kabr

tawl: symbolic (allegorical)

Su tradi1on
Shiite tradi1on

Legal implica1ons

The hadth
The legal schools

Sura 1
" % ' )*
(

In the name of Allah, the Benecent, the Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

" % ' )*
(

The Benecent, the Merciful.

Master of the Day of Judgment.

Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help.

Keep us on the right path.

The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down,
nor of those who go astray.

Sura 96

Sura 96 Al-Alaq (Laylat al-qadr)

Read in the name of your Lord Who created.
He created man from a clot.
Read and your Lord is Most Honorable,
who taught (to write) with the pen
Taught man what he knew not.
Nay! man is most surely inordinate,
Because he sees himself free from want.
Surely to your Lord is the return.
Have you seen him who forbids
a servant when he prays?
Have you considered if he were on the right way,
or enjoined guarding (against evil)?
Have you considered if he gives the lie to the truth and turns (his) back?
Does he not know that Allah does see?
Nay! if he desist not, We would certainly smite his forehead,
a lying, sinful forehead.
Then let him summon his council,
We too would summon the braves of the army.
Nay! obey him not, and make obeisance and draw nigh (to Allah).
h]p://quran.com/96