THE Holy Qur’an has enchanted geniuses of all time. No other book in the world has been served with so much love, respect, diligence and intelligence. Without knowing the history of the translations and interpretation of the Qur’an, one would not be able to understand its real importance. In the history of the English translations of the Holy Qur’an in the 20th century, two names illuminate our memory.
Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall (1875-1936) and Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1872-1953) have preserved their place in this domain. Pickthall was born William Pickthall in London. He converted to Islam in 1917 and soon became a leader of British Muslims. His knowledge of Islam and Islamic civilization clearly shows in his eight Madras Lectures. Like all sincere Muslims, Pickthall felt the need for a good English translation of the Holy Qur’an.
Pickthall being British and a convert was of the opinion that since the Qur’an is the “Word of God” it could not be translated. 16 years later Abdullah Yusuf Ali, the son of a wealthy Indian merchant, who had memorized the Qur’an in his early childhood and had studied English literature at several European universities, including the University of Leeds, joined Pickthall in this realm. Abdullah Yusuf Ali, a marvelous genius and a sincere soul, was right in observing that, “The Qur’anic literature is so voluminous that no single man can compass a perusal of the whole…the new Renaissance of Islam, which is just beginning , will, it is hoped, sweep away cobwebs and let in the full light of reason and understanding.”
The famous early interpretations of the Holy Qur’an were those of Ibn Kathir and Tabri. These renowned interpreters of the Holy Qur’an presented a great many details of the Sunnah, Arabic traditions and history. Due to these features, their translations and interpretations have an encyclopedic touch.
Muhammad ibn Jarir Al-Tabari (838-923) was one of the earliest, most prominent and famous Persian and Muslim historians. His Tafsir Al-Tabari is a classic Sunni exegesis of the Qur’an by a Persian scholar. The voluminous size of this work seem to have prevented it from wide circulation, but noted scholars such as Baghawi and Suyuti, to a great extent, used this invaluable exegesis in their works. Ibn Kathir too used it in his Tafsir ibn Kathir. In regard to Tafsir ibn Kathir, it linked certain Hadith, or the sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the sayings of the Sahaba (the Prophet’s Companions) to the explanation of the verses of the Qur’an. Tafsir ibn Kathir had been very popular all over the Muslim world and even among Muslims in the Western world, and is one of the most widely used explanations of the Qu’ran today.
“Reflections” is the interpretation of the Qur’an by Dr. Irfan Ahmad Khan, the founder of the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations (WCMIR). Dr. Khan — who served as chair of the Interreligious Engagement Project (IEP21), obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in Chicago and taught Western and Islamic philosophy at various institutions — is a renowned Qur’anic scholar and philosopher, with a long history of commitment to interreligious understanding and cooperation.
How can conscientious people in the Islamic world and in the West work together for common ideals to save the world from self-destruction, is Khan’s main concern. According to him “all the progress in science, technology, art, literature, philosophy, law and, in fact, in all the fields of human life comes also from God. God continues to improve our abilities and skills to understand and live by Divine Guidance. And God still has high expectations of humankind — in spite of all the continuing bloodshed and corruption, which continues in the human world.”
In his own words, this book is “an effort to understand the Qur’an with a modern mind.” Tabari and Ibn Kathir are his models but in his interaction with the West and Western values he has found a real and profound tone. His knowledge of Arabic and Oriental and Western philosophy gave him a universal appeal. His knowledge of different value systems gave him deep insight. The Qur’an has helped him in understanding the complex human psychology and its place in the universe.
Each chapter or portion of the Qur’an is called a Surah. The selection of Surah Al-Fatihah and Surah Al-Baqarah for the study and the detailed interpretation show the writer’s depth of knowledge as well as his inclination. Surah Al-Fatihah (The Opening Chapter) is the first Surah of the Holy Qur’an. This Surah shows man’s relation with his Creator. In fact, when one goes through words such as “Cherisher, Sustainer of the Worlds, Most Gracious, Most Merciful and Master of the Day of Judgment,” one realizes God’s care for mankind through His names. Surah Al-Fatihah shows us not only the attributes of God, but also the way to pray to Him aright. The seven verses of Surah Al-Fatihah contain the essence of the Holy Qur’an in them. In this Surah, one finds the light of His grace that illuminates the righteous.
Surah Al-Baqarah is the second Surah of the Qur’an and has 286 verses. These verses contain all the teachings of the Holy Qur’an. The story of the creation of man, his high place among other creatures and later his fall are described in this Surah. The Surah also explains the difference of the nature of Adam and Satan, and that Adam, after committing a mistake, repents and is later pardoned by God. But Satan argues with God. His arrogance becomes the reason for his permanent banishment from Heaven.
The history of the Israelites, their tribes, and the Israelites’ general nature and attitude toward the prophets, including even minute details, are in this Surah. The prophets, the chosen ones, who wanted to guide the degenerated children of Israel through God’s teachings, their sacrifices and the Israelites’ obstinacy and hard-heartedness are also detailed in this Surah.
There is a basic difference between history and the narration of the Holy Qur’an. History deals with a narration of events, including both the bright and dark aspects. But the Qur’an specially deals with the lessons that the history of an individual, community or nation provides. This Surah sheds light on the rewards a nation receives when it obeys God and at the same time the self-destruction that befalls on it after going astray from the true path. This Surah ends with earnest advice relating to faith, obedience, personal responsibility and prayer.
After going through the text and commentary of both Surahs, one can easily understand the objective of Dr. Khan for the selection of these Surah for study. In his own words, “The comments — including addition as well as subtractions — of other students of the Qur’an with further lead the progress of Qur’anic understanding. In fact, if the present enterprise succeeds in initiating a Qur’anic movement — the readers of the Qur’an continuing their reflections together on still higher planes — the author will not mind his findings being left behind as less authentic.”
These lines show that Dr. Khan is honest and sincere. He believes in the supremacy of the Qur’anic movement more than his personal obsessions.
Reflections on the Qur’an was published by the Islamic Foundation, United Kingdom, which is famous for its academic research work and efforts in building bridges between Muslims and others.