# Acurate english translation of koran



## Brother John (Nov 27, 2009)

What is the most acurate english translation of the koran? I want to read it for my self and share what it really says with family and friends. I have read that some of the english translations are watered down. I would like to avoid getting the korans version of the message. Thanks for yalls help.


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## Guido's Brother (Nov 27, 2009)

I can't read Arabic, so I can't vouch for how faithful a "translation" it really is, but I know that Abdullah Yusuf Ali's "The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an" is widely accepted by many in the Islamic world.


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## Pergamum (Nov 27, 2009)

Assessing English Translations of the Qur'an :: Middle East Quarterly

Blackhirst - The English Koran Project


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## wookie (Nov 28, 2009)

You can go to Zekr Quran and download the open source software for Windows, Linux, or Mac. There are a number of free English translations you can use for comparison. In addition, there are a couple of free resources I would like to recommend. To understand the historical and literary context and structure of each chapter, I recommend Maududi's The Meaning of the Qur'an. Also, I will recommend the classical commentary Tafsir Ibn Kathir for your study.


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## Brother John (Nov 28, 2009)

*Thanks*

Thanks for all the links. I have started looking at them. Does anyone know of an acurate translation that I could pickup at a big store like barnes and noble or will I have to order it from a specialty online store?


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## Pergamum (Nov 28, 2009)

Yusuf Ali is readily available in the US.


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## Skyler (Nov 28, 2009)

I've been told by a former Muslim (Kamil Solomon) that the Oxford translation was, in his experience, the most accurate. He came from Egypt and speaks Arabic, so I'd assume he'd know...


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## VilnaGaon (Nov 30, 2009)

An excellent English translation of the koran would be the 2 vol one by Dr Richard Bell, a British Arabic Scholar. He concluded from his years of study of the koran , that the standard arrangement of the koran is unintelligible, so he rearranged the surahs in a more orderly manner in his translation. I have and use his translation. The former Muslim Ibn Warraq in his many books recommends Bell's Translation as the best. May be hard to find though.


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## LawrenceU (Nov 30, 2009)

The Oxford translation is good. But, in all frankness, any Muslim worth his salt will tell you that no translation of the Q'ran is accurate. The Q'ran exists only Arabic. It can only be understood in Arabic. Anything else is a perversion.

Yeah, right


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## VilnaGaon (Nov 30, 2009)

LawrenceU said:


> The Oxford translation is good. But, in all frankness, any Muslim worth his salt will tell you that no translation of the Q'ran is accurate. The Q'ran exists only Arabic. It can only be understood in Arabic. Anything else is a perversion.
> 
> Yeah, right



Just like Orthodox Jews who tell you that the Old Testament can only be understood in Hebrew and by Orthodox Rabbis only!!! What an interesting way to shut down any meaningful debate.


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