Calling all Muslims! What's a faithful literal translation of the Quran?

I'm almost done reading the New Testament, so I'm looking for a Quran. For the Old Testament, I used Artscroll, which is an orthodox translation. I.e., not quite literal. Luckily, I know a little Hebrew and was able to check the translation where I suspected departure from the actual text. For the New Testament, I used a KJV/NIV interlinear. Of course I'm somewhat familiar with Greek, plus it had a Greek-English alphabet key, so I could sound out some of the words to check. (Like "trance" sounded out in Greek is basically ecstasy, and "grace" is charity. Interesting stuff.)

I can't read Arabic at all though. So my ideal Quran would have the original Arabic text, a transliteration, and English translation. After reading this article on various translations, I'm leaning towards Arberry or Bewley. Any input is appreciated.

EDIT: Hm, just realized that website has an agenda. So I'll take their review of translations with a grain of salt and keep an open mind.

Speaking personally if I wanted a New Testament translation I would choose a Christian author, Old Testament or other religious Jewish text I would choose a Jewish author, and for a Quran I would choose a Muslim author.
Going further I would choose a Quran translation published prior to 1948 before the creation of the state of Israel to avoid political influence over the translation. Ask me how I know this? While I am not religious at all I do like to read religious texts once in a while to see what all the fuss is about so here goes my recommendation: "The Holy Quran" with Arabic text by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, published in 1934.

There is a ebook version on gutenberg that I partially read through after 9/11 happened, in an attempt to cut through all the noise in the news about what Muhammad really said or did not say, or what Islam did or did not espouse. It was one of the first English translations, made about 200-300 years ago if I remember correctly. I found the preface educational but did not read it through. One thing I think I learned is that Koran is not really Islam as it is practiced in some places today, in that many things which Muhammand said or did where captured after the initial conical form of the Koran was revealed.

Apologies if I got that all wrong, but I came away with the impression that things were complicated. Though same could be said about how the texts were collected together to form the Hebrew Bible and New Testament.

Am not Muslim, but I recommend The Sublime Quran. I read every word, and it is most certainly a holy book. Kudos to you for investigating.

You've got more reading stamina than I! As an atheist I kinda feel like I should read the various texts, but..

I immersed myself for several years reading and studying the texts of major world religions. I found one surprising constant. When inquiring with various Rabbis, Imams, and Priests of varying sects on the subject of correct translations they unanimously agreed that reading them in their original language was the only "true" pathway to understanding. That was far too foreboding...I have only one lifetime. I recommend caution as religious texts and their various translations can be incomplete, outright deceptive, and agenda based(even in their original language). I wish you well on your journey.

Yeah. Do be aware that any translation will give you less of a perfect understanding of the original intent of the author, compared to the original. The gist of it should be there, however. Any translation will be nuanced to some small degree. Sort of like hearing a story second or third hand. JM2C.

Of course, nearly the same thing could be said about learning Arabic as an adult just so you could read the original. Either way, you are relying on some sort of translation between the original and your perception of the meaning, and of course your perception will be very subjective.

I am betting that the Gutenberg Project will have a classically accepted translation in free ebook form. For the record, I am not Muslim, so YMMV.

Slash McCoy said:

Yeah. Do be aware that any translation will give you less of a perfect understanding of the original intent of the author, compared to the original. The gist of it should be there, however. Any translation will be nuanced to some small degree. Sort of like hearing a story second or third hand. JM2C.

Of course, nearly the same thing could be said about learning Arabic as an adult just so you could read the original. Either way, you are relying on some sort of translation between the original and your perception of the meaning, and of course your perception will be very subjective.

I am betting that the Gutenberg Project will have a classically accepted translation in free ebook form. For the record, I am not Muslim, so YMMV.

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For the record I am not Muslim either.

Is there any Muslim brothers on B&B in here?

YetiDave said:

You've got more reading stamina than I! As an atheist I kinda feel like I should read the various texts, but..

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I am right there with you, and I enjoy reading.

I am interested as well. Tried one translation that was not well organized. Jumped all over the place but I could not tell why...

I have the great pleasure and fortune of being a Muslim, and I am delighted to have stumbled upon this thread.

The Koran Interpreted by Arberry is certainly very good, and I would recommend it whole-heartedly.

Furthermore, I would also request you to read the articles, the links to which are given below, as it examines most of the Quran translations.

http://www.soundvision.com/Info/quran/english.asp

http://alhafeez.org/rashid/qtranslate.html


Please do feel free to PM me for any information you might need, or for any questions that you might have.

Any translation (of anything) will be a balancing act of compromises. Some languages are more different than others (Spanish, French and Italian, for example, all coming out of the same "Latin" heritage, are "less different" from each other than say Spanish, German and Cantonese.) It's not just about having different words for things, it's about vastly different sentence structures, ways of thinking, nuances, and lots of other "untranslatable" quirks.) Even within a language, ways of expressing one's self change over the centuries ... ever tried reading and understanding Shakespeare? Okay ... now try Chaucer in the original English ... and then try Beowulf in the original Old English ...

HWÆT, WE GAR-DEna in geardagum,
þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon!
oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas, syððanærest wearð
feasceaft funden; he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum weorðmyndum þah,
oð þæt him æghwylc ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan; þæt wæs god cyning!
Ðæm eafera wæs æfter cenned
geong in geardum, þone God sende
folce to frofre; fyrenðearfe ongeat,
þe hie ær drugon aldorlease
lange hwile; him þæs Liffrea,
wuldres Wealdend woroldare forgeaf,
Beowulf wæs breme --- blæd wide sprang---
Scyldes eafera Scedelandum in.
Swa sceal geong guma gode gewyrcean,
fromum feohgiftumon fæder bearme,

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... and you are now roughly in the same timeframe as when the Koran was written, give or take a century or two. Yowza.

Good luck in your search. Your best bet is to ask respected and level-headed Muslim clerics for recommendations.

StillShaving said:

...One thing I think I learned is that Koran is not really Islam as it is practiced in some places today, in that many things which Muhammand said or did where captured after the initial conical form of the Koran was revealed.

Apologies if I got that all wrong, but I came away with the impression that things were complicated. Though same could be said about how the texts were collected together to form the Hebrew Bible and New Testament.

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My understanding is that there is an ancillary book or collection of books (the Hadith?) whose purpose is to record the words and actions of The Prophet and some historical precedents of how these factoids were applied to everyday life by other (typically early) muslims.

Which interpretations and precedents are considered valid, and how they relate to modern life forms the basis of the religion's different sects.

I ended up with the translation + transliteration by Yusuf Ali. Seemed every translation has its proponents and detractors. I briefly looked at a few different translations and didn't find much difference at the end of the day.

Now the real dilemma: which Hadiths to get?

I suppose all of them, if I really want to see how Sunnis and Shias differ.

joshuasethcomposer said:

I ended up with the translation + transliteration by Yusuf Ali. Seemed every translation has its proponents and detractors. I briefly looked at a few different translations and didn't find much difference at the end of the day.

Now the real dilemma: which Hadiths to get?

I suppose all of them, if I really want to see how Sunnis and Shias differ.

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This is what I would expect. I imagine that a translator of significant religious text would have an excellent grasp of the original language of the text being translated. Therefore, although some points of debate may exist in a given translation, it is hard for me to believe that the major thrust or focus of a portion of the text is misconstrued to any significant extent.