Their aim was to be as faithful to the Arabic text as possible, to correct the errors of earlier translations (while profiting from their insights) and to use simple, readable English idiom. Fakhry himself is, of course, known better for his work in Islamic philosophy, but he provides no particular explanation of what brought him to this project other than stating that it started as a joint effort with the late Mahmud Zayid who was a professor of History and Archaeology at the American University of Beirut. Majid Fakhry's An Interpretation of the Qur'an comes with the impressive stamp of approval from al-Azhar. So, it is with some surprise and, indeed, pleasure that these two new translations must be greeted.

And it is an audacious act for anyone to take on, given the number of translations which already exist and the constant nagging question concerning whether there is a market (and thus a publisher) for a new version. For the translator, such a project can only be brought to fruition after years of work, consideration, consultation, editing, and revision. The appearance of a new Qur'an translation in English must be recognized as a special event. Published on H-Mideast-Medieval (December, 2004) Reviewed by Andrew Rippin (Department of History, University of Victoria) New York: New York University Press, 2002. An Interpretation of the Qur'an: English Translation of the Meanings.

Abdel haleem quran online