The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an (English, Arabic and Arabic Edition),Used

PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITIONIt has been more than half a century since the first appearance of 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali's superlative work, The Holy Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary. Since that time, there have been innumerable reprinting and millions of copies distributed throughout the world. It is, by far, the best known, most studied, and most respected English translation of the Qur'an. It was the first monumental and authoritative work of its kind and it subsequently inspired many such similar endeavors. The eloquent poetic style of the translation and the authenticity of the extensive commentaries and explanatory notes, have, no doubt, contributed greatly to its much deserved reputation as the English translation of the meaning of the Qur'an.The tremendous impact that this work has made upon the Englishreading Muslims (as well as, many nonMuslims) of the world, has never been greater than it is today and shall continueinsha'a Allah (Allah willing)for generations to come. It has enabled interested readers of English, who do not have a proficiency in reading and comprehending Qur'anic Arabic, to greatly enrich their understanding of the meaning and the incomparable beauty and perfection of the Glorious Qur'an. It has given them a more authentic and reliable translation and commentary from which they could make a serious study.A. Yusuf 'All was quick to point out that there can be no absolute or perfect rendition of the meaning of the Qur'an and, at best, only an interpretation of its understood meaning can be offered. Probably, he never envisaged how universal his work would someday become, for he was primarily attempting to explain his understanding of the Qur'an to his fellowcountrymenboth Muslims and no Muslims alike. Therefore, he was apt to occasionally use references, which could not be easily appreciated outside the milieu of the Indian Subcontinent.Although it may not have been the intention of the author to reach such a wide range of readers as exists today, there nevertheless has long been a need for a revised new edition reflecting the needs and demands of today's enthusiastic readership. In response to this need, the present edition represents the first major revision since the initial printing over fifty years ago.Revisions have been made in both the content and form of the original work. Where necessary, the content has been brought uptodate and within the current understanding and interpretation of the Qur'an. In the translation, the Surah introductions, and the commentaries, such changes were relatively few and infrequent and have been noted as having been revised. The reader will however, find such notable changes as the use of the name 'Allah' for the word 'God' (as used in previous editions) since it was felt that the use of this Most Glorious Name is more widely understood and accepted by the general reader today. In addition, the word 'Messenger' has been given preference over the word 'Apostle' for the meaning of the original Qur'anic word in Arabic 'Rasul'. The reason being, it was felt, that the former term more clearly expresses the Islamic usage of the term without any negative connotations, which may be associated with the latter term resulting from inaccuracies in its use by other religious or historical works.The explanatory footnotes and the appendices, however, were subject to more frequent, and occasionally more substantial, changes than those in the translation and the commentaries. The reason being there was a greater need of general updating of information and clarification of certain explanations, which were subject to misinterpretation. There were also a few instances in which certain portions of the material were deleted, either due to its out datedness or due to its proneness to misinterpretation.The form of this newly revised edition has undergone a more dramatic change in style and has been vastly improved in order to facilitate its readability and study. The type