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The Holy Quran, English Translation, “Text Only”
Maulana Muhammad Ali's English translation of the Holy Quran, text only, with an extensive index.
648 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2011
47 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 19, 2021
سوره حمد
بسم ا... الرحمن الرحیم
In the name of God, Most Gracious , Most Merciful
الحمد لله رب العالمین
Praise be to God, Lord of the universe
الرحمن الرحیم
Most Gracious , Most Merciful
مالک یوم الدین
Master of the day of judgment
ایاک نعبد و ایاک نستعین
we worship you only , We ask you for help only
اهدنا صراط المستقیم
Guide us in the right path
صراط الذین انعمت علیهم غیر المغضوب علیهم والضالین
The path of those whom you blessed ,not of those who have deserved wrath,nor of the strayers
سوره ی توحید
بسم ا... الرحمن الرحیم
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
قل هو ا... احد
proclaim,"He is the one and only God"
ا... الصمد
"The absolute God"
لم یلد و لم یولد
"Never did he beget,nor was begotten"
ولم یکن له کفوا احد
"None equals him"
بسم ا... الرحمن الرحیم
In the name of God, Most Gracious , Most Merciful
الحمد لله رب العالمین
Praise be to God, Lord of the universe
الرحمن الرحیم
Most Gracious , Most Merciful
مالک یوم الدین
Master of the day of judgment
ایاک نعبد و ایاک نستعین
we worship you only , We ask you for help only
اهدنا صراط المستقیم
Guide us in the right path
صراط الذین انعمت علیهم غیر المغضوب علیهم والضالین
The path of those whom you blessed ,not of those who have deserved wrath,nor of the strayers
سوره ی توحید
بسم ا... الرحمن الرحیم
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
قل هو ا... احد
proclaim,"He is the one and only God"
ا... الصمد
"The absolute God"
لم یلد و لم یولد
"Never did he beget,nor was begotten"
ولم یکن له کفوا احد
"None equals him"
January 7, 2018
The greatest book ever! Need comfort, read the Quran.
April 27, 2019
I read the Quran after an online argument.
My only knowledge of the book was from the crap people used to forward in chain Emails, yes it was that long ago.
Anyhow I was on a chat forum arguing with a guy over Islam and he said "you do not know what you are talking about"
Hard point since I had never read the book.
So I sat down that night and began reading, by Morning when I had finished it I knew one thing was sure, neither me or the fellow I was arguing with had a clue.
The Quran is a much, much easier read than the Bible and many people feel it plagiarized the Bible.
Interesting take considering both are supposed to be Gods word, should they not be similar or at least the same?
Nevertheless things are explained better, obviously since I read it in a night where as the bible took me years I would say it is a bridge from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
If you are a scared "Christian" before you comment go ahead and read it.
Christ is in the Quran as well and even if you do not agree with the book, it does not mean you will suddenly be a Muslim.
Just use it as a reference point.
It is a part of History which Is why it should be read.
My only knowledge of the book was from the crap people used to forward in chain Emails, yes it was that long ago.
Anyhow I was on a chat forum arguing with a guy over Islam and he said "you do not know what you are talking about"
Hard point since I had never read the book.
So I sat down that night and began reading, by Morning when I had finished it I knew one thing was sure, neither me or the fellow I was arguing with had a clue.
The Quran is a much, much easier read than the Bible and many people feel it plagiarized the Bible.
Interesting take considering both are supposed to be Gods word, should they not be similar or at least the same?
Nevertheless things are explained better, obviously since I read it in a night where as the bible took me years I would say it is a bridge from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
If you are a scared "Christian" before you comment go ahead and read it.
Christ is in the Quran as well and even if you do not agree with the book, it does not mean you will suddenly be a Muslim.
Just use it as a reference point.
It is a part of History which Is why it should be read.
July 17, 2017
During the holy month of Ramadan, I started reading the Quran - as I do every year - however, this year, for whatever reason, I felt myself become very engrossed in it. So much so, that I was swimming in deep with all the words, the beautiful Arabic language, the meanings, the interpretations, the stories, the morals and so on.
I truly believe that this is the most perfect book to ever exist.
I truly believe that this is the most perfect book to ever exist.
April 8, 2022
I get the appeal and I see the problems.
Reading this book was a serious undertaking considering the extensive notes and research material provided by translator Mualana Muhammad Ali accounted for more pages than the Quran itself. To my surprise, I ended up learning more about the foundational precepts of the Bible in the Quran, and the cross references between the Torah, the Bible and the Quran helps the reader to understand the purpose and intentions of the Quran.
As a relatively young Abrahamic religion, the intent of the Quran was to take the lessons learned from the Bible and the Torah, to acknowledge any and all prophets who were preaching monotheism and to unify/codify the teachings of one supreme ruler under the banner of Islam as to avoid the pitfalls, failings and horrors as documented by the Christians and Jews in their own holy books. This message of peace and unity did help to unite the Arab tribes/countries who were constantly at war with each other, but the proclamation that this new religion was the last and truthfully testimony of the one supreme ruler does put itself violently at odds with other religious institutions.
As a historical narrative, the Quran reads more like a book that was written by men of a burgeoning merchant class transitioning from a subsistence agriculture society into a money economy collective. The specific time period references makes it obvious that men, (with the luxury of free time), sat around re-imagining the past, present and future in order to justify their privilege and their accumulation of wealth, women and property. The lifestyle advice dispensed throughout the Quran is geared more towards curbing the avaricious pursuits of the merchant class with constant pleas for them to humble themselves and to submit to a greater god that is bigger than money, to pay the “poor rate,” (wealth redistribution), to not engage in usury and to interrupt their personal pursuits with mandatory prayers throughout the day, fasting, abstinence from sex and alcohol etc.
Building upon this perspective, it’s easy to understand why these men would want to install a regimented top-down command structure, whereby they are of the privileged class with privileged knowledge of the almighty creator who can then dominate society with unquestionable authority. By instilling constant fear in their subjects, demanding absolute submission to “religious” authority and demanding peace and unity under one religious banner, (especially amongst the Arabs), it’s undeniable the transformative effect the Quran had in elevating the Arab nations, their economies and their religious ideologies onto the world stage. For me, reading the Quran in this context seems fair and most reasonable, but when the Quran leans on the supernatural to justify the privileges of the ruling class, this is where the Quran becomes problematic.
For instance, when the Quran makes specific claims of Allah providing an abundance of pomegranates and dates to eat, fresh water and wine to drink, camels to carry men and their merchandise etc, it callously disregards thousands of years of domestication, cultivation, harvesting, husbandry, trial and error, hardships, droughts, poisoning and starvation. Upon reading about these “convenient abundances,” the cassava root instantly comes to mind. This root, which is of critical importance to desperately impoverished people around the world, just happens to contain lethal amounts of cyanide if not processed property, and it is unfathomable how many people died as a result. Why would an almighty god create such an abundant yet potentially lethal food source, and how hard would it be for an almighty creator to write down instructions on how to prepare the cassava root safely? This and the fact the Quran says little or nothing with regards to bacteria, viruses, medicine, biology, chemistry, physics, navigation, cosmology, sanitation, geography etc. speaks to the primitive mindset of the authors of the Quran who didn’t know any better; not the great mind of an almighty creator who knows EVERYTHING of the past, present and future!
I hoped I had purchased a faithful English translation/explanation of the Quran, but the editor had a tendency to betray his overt bias whenever the Quran spoke kindly towards other religions and women. In these instances, Ali is certain to add an notation proclaiming it is OBVIOUS the Quran is the truthful and last testament of a supreme ruler as no other religion shows reverence for other prophets and also elevates women to the equal status of men!
OKAY…
But as the Quran progresses and starts to contradict itself, it was amusing to see the mental gymnastics Ali would perform in his desperate attempts to disregard the words quoted in the Quran. For example:
* Polygamy and the treatment of women as property…
- Editor’s note: Obviously a real Muslim would ignore these passages and focus on the parts that treat women as equals.
* Kill the non-believers…
- Editor’s note: Obviously Allah means to kill the enemies with kindness or only in self defense as a last resort.
* Conquer the nations of non-believers…
- Editor’s note: Obviously Allah means to conquer the hearts of your enemies with kindness and compassion.
* The devil will lead Muslims off the righteous path…
- Editor’s note: Allah never created the devil to mislead his followers. Obviously this is a stupid Arab superstition that somehow found its way into the Quran.
* Noah and the great flood…
- Editor’s note: Obviously this was a regional flood and not a worldwide catastrophe.
* When the math doesn’t add up…
- Editor’s note: Obviously “such & such” event didn’t transpire within 10 days, but if you interpret 1 day to mean 100 days or 1000 days, then the Holy Quran makes perfect sense!
Of course when I raised Maulana Muhammad Ali’s interpretations with my religious friends, they remarked that this Maulana fellow OBVIOUSLY doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and therein lies the problem!
Try as I may, I cannot reconcile the fact that the supreme ruler of the universe and his prophets somehow struggle with illiteracy and speech impediments. Although this is used as a convenient way to excuse the contradictions in the Quran and in the Bible, I just don’t buy it and therefore I’m left with 2 ugly propositions:
A. The supreme god of the universe knew his words would be mistranslated and used to justify atrocities in the future but couldn’t be bothered to clarify himself THEN, or…
B. The supreme god of the universe is aware of mistranslations and atrocities justified in his name and couldn’t be bothered to clarify himself NOW.
As much as the Quran speaks of peace and love, it was disheartening to read over and over the eagerness of Allah to roast people in the flames of a painful chastisement while demonstrating an unwillingness to clarify his path of righteousness. The Quran points to every natural object claiming they are “signs” of a supernatural supreme ruler, but nowhere does the Quran speak of “evidence” of a supreme ruler.
Although I didn’t feel any soul stirring emotions while reading the Quran, I do appreciate that it was a more coherent, less gruesome and less tiresome read than the Bible, and I remain impressed as to how much the Quran revered the prophets, angels and saints of the other Abrahamic religions.
Reading this book was a serious undertaking considering the extensive notes and research material provided by translator Mualana Muhammad Ali accounted for more pages than the Quran itself. To my surprise, I ended up learning more about the foundational precepts of the Bible in the Quran, and the cross references between the Torah, the Bible and the Quran helps the reader to understand the purpose and intentions of the Quran.
As a relatively young Abrahamic religion, the intent of the Quran was to take the lessons learned from the Bible and the Torah, to acknowledge any and all prophets who were preaching monotheism and to unify/codify the teachings of one supreme ruler under the banner of Islam as to avoid the pitfalls, failings and horrors as documented by the Christians and Jews in their own holy books. This message of peace and unity did help to unite the Arab tribes/countries who were constantly at war with each other, but the proclamation that this new religion was the last and truthfully testimony of the one supreme ruler does put itself violently at odds with other religious institutions.
As a historical narrative, the Quran reads more like a book that was written by men of a burgeoning merchant class transitioning from a subsistence agriculture society into a money economy collective. The specific time period references makes it obvious that men, (with the luxury of free time), sat around re-imagining the past, present and future in order to justify their privilege and their accumulation of wealth, women and property. The lifestyle advice dispensed throughout the Quran is geared more towards curbing the avaricious pursuits of the merchant class with constant pleas for them to humble themselves and to submit to a greater god that is bigger than money, to pay the “poor rate,” (wealth redistribution), to not engage in usury and to interrupt their personal pursuits with mandatory prayers throughout the day, fasting, abstinence from sex and alcohol etc.
Building upon this perspective, it’s easy to understand why these men would want to install a regimented top-down command structure, whereby they are of the privileged class with privileged knowledge of the almighty creator who can then dominate society with unquestionable authority. By instilling constant fear in their subjects, demanding absolute submission to “religious” authority and demanding peace and unity under one religious banner, (especially amongst the Arabs), it’s undeniable the transformative effect the Quran had in elevating the Arab nations, their economies and their religious ideologies onto the world stage. For me, reading the Quran in this context seems fair and most reasonable, but when the Quran leans on the supernatural to justify the privileges of the ruling class, this is where the Quran becomes problematic.
For instance, when the Quran makes specific claims of Allah providing an abundance of pomegranates and dates to eat, fresh water and wine to drink, camels to carry men and their merchandise etc, it callously disregards thousands of years of domestication, cultivation, harvesting, husbandry, trial and error, hardships, droughts, poisoning and starvation. Upon reading about these “convenient abundances,” the cassava root instantly comes to mind. This root, which is of critical importance to desperately impoverished people around the world, just happens to contain lethal amounts of cyanide if not processed property, and it is unfathomable how many people died as a result. Why would an almighty god create such an abundant yet potentially lethal food source, and how hard would it be for an almighty creator to write down instructions on how to prepare the cassava root safely? This and the fact the Quran says little or nothing with regards to bacteria, viruses, medicine, biology, chemistry, physics, navigation, cosmology, sanitation, geography etc. speaks to the primitive mindset of the authors of the Quran who didn’t know any better; not the great mind of an almighty creator who knows EVERYTHING of the past, present and future!
I hoped I had purchased a faithful English translation/explanation of the Quran, but the editor had a tendency to betray his overt bias whenever the Quran spoke kindly towards other religions and women. In these instances, Ali is certain to add an notation proclaiming it is OBVIOUS the Quran is the truthful and last testament of a supreme ruler as no other religion shows reverence for other prophets and also elevates women to the equal status of men!
OKAY…
But as the Quran progresses and starts to contradict itself, it was amusing to see the mental gymnastics Ali would perform in his desperate attempts to disregard the words quoted in the Quran. For example:
* Polygamy and the treatment of women as property…
- Editor’s note: Obviously a real Muslim would ignore these passages and focus on the parts that treat women as equals.
* Kill the non-believers…
- Editor’s note: Obviously Allah means to kill the enemies with kindness or only in self defense as a last resort.
* Conquer the nations of non-believers…
- Editor’s note: Obviously Allah means to conquer the hearts of your enemies with kindness and compassion.
* The devil will lead Muslims off the righteous path…
- Editor’s note: Allah never created the devil to mislead his followers. Obviously this is a stupid Arab superstition that somehow found its way into the Quran.
* Noah and the great flood…
- Editor’s note: Obviously this was a regional flood and not a worldwide catastrophe.
* When the math doesn’t add up…
- Editor’s note: Obviously “such & such” event didn’t transpire within 10 days, but if you interpret 1 day to mean 100 days or 1000 days, then the Holy Quran makes perfect sense!
Of course when I raised Maulana Muhammad Ali’s interpretations with my religious friends, they remarked that this Maulana fellow OBVIOUSLY doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and therein lies the problem!
Try as I may, I cannot reconcile the fact that the supreme ruler of the universe and his prophets somehow struggle with illiteracy and speech impediments. Although this is used as a convenient way to excuse the contradictions in the Quran and in the Bible, I just don’t buy it and therefore I’m left with 2 ugly propositions:
A. The supreme god of the universe knew his words would be mistranslated and used to justify atrocities in the future but couldn’t be bothered to clarify himself THEN, or…
B. The supreme god of the universe is aware of mistranslations and atrocities justified in his name and couldn’t be bothered to clarify himself NOW.
As much as the Quran speaks of peace and love, it was disheartening to read over and over the eagerness of Allah to roast people in the flames of a painful chastisement while demonstrating an unwillingness to clarify his path of righteousness. The Quran points to every natural object claiming they are “signs” of a supernatural supreme ruler, but nowhere does the Quran speak of “evidence” of a supreme ruler.
Although I didn’t feel any soul stirring emotions while reading the Quran, I do appreciate that it was a more coherent, less gruesome and less tiresome read than the Bible, and I remain impressed as to how much the Quran revered the prophets, angels and saints of the other Abrahamic religions.
March 6, 2019
Although the commentary does a very good job of explaining it, some of the words are from the "older" English language and I had to search google for their meaning (hence the 4 star). Of course being a non-native English speaker didn't help.
As for the book, of course that it is one of the most important Holy books in the world and I din't expect to understand much of it (people devote their life to studying it). The hard part is trying to "catch" the meaning of the metaphors . You learn something new every time you read it.
As for the book, of course that it is one of the most important Holy books in the world and I din't expect to understand much of it (people devote their life to studying it). The hard part is trying to "catch" the meaning of the metaphors . You learn something new every time you read it.
April 28, 2019
Good book....
Message
Same as The Holy "Geeta"-----be a good human being
I had good knowledge abt Muslim invaders who came in india......I was impressed with ghaznavi,babar,malik kafur etc
But after reading I came to know about the fundamental rituals of Muslim religion...like in Hindu sun plays vital role ..moon is for Muslims...
One should read it,but only if u have ample time.....aur agr nhi pd paaye to apne Budaape mai jarur padna.....
La ilah illaAllah Muhammad rasool Allah ........'आमीन'
Message
Same as The Holy "Geeta"-----be a good human being
I had good knowledge abt Muslim invaders who came in india......I was impressed with ghaznavi,babar,malik kafur etc
But after reading I came to know about the fundamental rituals of Muslim religion...like in Hindu sun plays vital role ..moon is for Muslims...
One should read it,but only if u have ample time.....aur agr nhi pd paaye to apne Budaape mai jarur padna.....
La ilah illaAllah Muhammad rasool Allah ........'आमीन'
April 16, 2018
Blasphemy as its Best.
November 11, 2018
Most outstanding, rememberable, secure, compound of knowledge Book of the World
July 8, 2019
Spiritual
May 3, 2018
Read for the first time Arabic when I was 7. Didn't know much of what I was reading until I started reading the English translation as an adult.
February 17, 2018
Rated the edition, not the text.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews