1. Home
  2. Religion & Spirituality
  3. Islam

Top 4 English Translations of the Qur'an

By Huda, About.com

The Qur'an was revealed in the Arabic language, and any translation, at best, is an interpretation of the meaning. Some translators are more faithful to the original, while others are more loose with the rendering into English. Many readers prefer to look at more than one translation to get an idea of the true intended meaning of the words.

1. The Holy Qur'an, King Fahd Holy Qur'an Printing Complex

An updated version of the Abdullah Y. Ali translation, revised and edited by a committee at The Presidency of Islamic Researches, IFTA, Call and Guidance (in Madinah, Saudi Arabia). Available without charge from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, D.C.

2. The Noble Qur'an, translated by Hilali and Khan

This popular translation by Dr. Muhsin Khan and Dr. Muhammad Al-Hilali is beginning to surpasse Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation as the most popular English rendering of the Qur'an. Some readers, however, are distracted by the extensive notes contained in the body of the English text itself, rather than in footnotes.
Compare Prices

3. The Qur'an, translated by Abdullah Y. Ali

This translation has until recently been the most popular English translation of the Qur'an. Ali was a civil servant, not a Muslim scholar, and some more recent reviews have been critical of his footnotes and interpretations of some verses. Nevertheless, the English style is more fluent than in previous translations.
Compare Prices

4. The Qur'an with Transliteration

Designed for those who want to be able to "read" the Arabic original without having to read Arabic script. The entire Qur'an is translated into English, and also transliterated into the English alphabet to aid in pronunciation of the Arabic text.
Compare Prices

Explore Islam

More from About.com

  1. Home
  2. Religion & Spirituality
  3. Islam
  4. Quran & Hadith
  5. Quran
  6. Quran Translations
  7. Top English Translations of the Qur'an

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.