The Quran Beheld: An English Translation from the Arabic Paperback – January 1, 2022

Great work and easily laid out and very clear meaning.

Beautiful translation. I've compared at least 15 major English translation and really none capture the power and poetic beauty of the Quran the way this new translation does. The meanings of the Quranic verses are communicated with precise accuracy. However, it is important to note that this is not a literal word for-word translation. The author derived the meanings of each verse from an intense study of Quranic exegesis (tafsir) and Arabic rhetoric (balagha) to capture the meaning correctly in translation, even if that means using extra words or descriptors to do so. There is also no commentary in the book to explain many of the interpretive choices made (though some Arabic commentary is provided online). Overall highly recommend. The hardcover version with Arabic on facing pages is even more highly recommended, with beautiful typesetting that makes it a joy to read.

Sheikh Nuh Keller’s Reliance of the Traveler has been unarguably the best translation of an Islamic jurisprudence text in the English language for over thirty years. It served as a catalyst to highlight the importance of seeking traditional, qualitied Islamic knowledge and inspired the likes of Imam Zaid Shakir (Making of a Muslim, 2000) and Sheikh Gibril Haddad (Gibril Haddad, Wikipedia) - and his Quran Beheld will surpass this, Allah willing. The Quran Beheld is the crystallization of almost 40 years of experience in translation, 26 years as a sheikh in the science of tasawwuf (classical sufism), 17 years of intense study of the Quran, and decades of access to the latest resources and technology (compared to the Reliance of the Traveler which was first composed on a typewriter!)His translation is monumental due to the 'talaqqi' (one-on-one instruction) method employed during the 17 years of his work. He sat with a traditional sheikh in the field of 'tafsir' (Qur’anic exegesis) and synthesized 19 of its major works into his translation. Every single “word, letter, preposition, inflection, and case-ending” was considered (Quran Beheld, p.xii).The result is what Sheikh Gibril Haddad recently said in his review of the Qur’an Beheld: “…[T]his effort might come nearer than all previous attempts and form the prime orthodox reference and best planche de salut yet for the English-speaking public to peruse the Healing as closely as they would without fear of misguidance, opacity or disappointment.”By relying on the traditional Islamic method of 'talaqqi' throughout, the translator was able to bring forth seven key areas of meaning from the original Arabic not captured in previous translations, and it made a huge difference. These meanings are not just in a few places of the Quran, but form its very fabric, and add to the beauty, clarity, and argumentative force of its verses.As literature, it is sublimely beautiful, and the translator has drawn inspiration from giants like Milton, Austen, Irving, Coleridge, Wordsworth, and Scott for style (Quran Beheld, p.xxxii) AND rare grammatical formulations (Highest Signs: Translating the Quran Beheld). While some may prefer a translation written in simple English, the Quran is no simple text, and it is well known that even the companions of the Prophet (Allah be well pleased with them) did not know the meaning of every word in it. When an edict is brought from the king, it is in his speech, not that of common folk – so what about the King of Kings? And should the translation of His edict be any different?This work is so pivotal that future translations will incorporate these areas of meaning by referring to the Quran Beheld or adopting the 'talaqqi' method – and to neglect doing so would be a violation of a Muslim’s trust to faithfully convey the message.To see just how different it is, look at the attached photos comparing translations. I drew these examples from the introduction to the Quran Beheld and added comparative translations. This is in no way to disparage the great effort put forth by these translators – they are considered by many (including me) to be the giants of their field. Each example represents an area of meaning the Quran Beheld brought into English. I have included a column explaining the effect achieved by each inclusion, which has also been gleaned (mostly) from the introduction. After reading it, I am confident that you, too, will see just what difference it makes.*To understand why and how these areas of meaning arise, and for many examples, please read the complete introduction which can be found by conducting an Internet search for ‘Quran Beheld Introduction’.*

Upon holding this beautiful production, one can immediately see the labor of love, years of meticulous research and immense effort that has gone in to this remarkable and lucid translation by Sheikh Nuh Keller.It is a known fact about the copious Quran Translalations that we currently have, that they either struggle to encapsulate the essence and the eloquence of the original Arabic, are riddled with ideological issues such as one would find in the Study Qur’an or else the translators themselves don’t have a good grasp of either English (Malik et al) or Arabic (Cleary). This has led to numerous misunderstandings by Muslims and non Muslims alike.As the description clearly states, the author studied with a master of the Quranic sciences for over 17+ years going through verse by verse, asking questions and then using his profound knowledge of his native English to render each verse in a way that would capture the essence of the ‘balagha’ (eloquence) of the native language of the Quran. One can see examples of this in numerous verses that have been translated in a way that I’ve not seen in any other translation. An example of this is seen in the very first chapter of the Qur’an (Al-Fatihah) wherein the translation for ‘na’budu’ has almost always been rendered with a rote, formulaic translation of ‘You alone do we worship.’ Sheikh Nuh Keller has instead brought out the essence of worship whilst remaining true to the English etymology by translating this verse ‘You alone we humbly adore.’ Adoration according to the original meaning of the word found in the Merriam Webster dictionary is a synonym for worship of the Divine. There are countless examples like this which have truly helped one in understanding and appreciating the Divine writ of Islam and for that we can only praise Sheikh Nuh for his tremendous effort in opening the door for English speakers in having colloquy with the Divine as the Qur’an encourages it’s readers to do.It would also behove one to mention that in our times, reading skills are not what they might have been some years ago. I would posit that negative reviews of this work tend to be indicative of something else.Anglophone Muslims have become accustomed to reading Islamic publications of a mediocre literary quality. Poor and basic English dominates the Muslim book market.In this case, one encounters a text/translation exhibiting the highest literary quality to the point of being poetic in its form. One response has been to appreciate this and learn from it, understanding the Quran more deeply than ever before. Another response is to say, after spending only one day or less, with the translation, that it is complex and tedious, because the reader assumes that they have a supreme command of English. Some novice reviews tend more often than not to fit into the latter category.These reviews also highlight a deep misunderstanding of the Quran. The Quran has special grammatical structures and complexities. It displays subtle shifts in syntax. It employs sudden digressions (iltifat). A translation can’t ignore this. It has to reflect this variation, subtlety, and depth.Some readers aren’t seeking such depth when they read the Quran in English. This is partly due to decades of modernist propaganda that the Quran is easy and can be understood by oneself. It is like any other book. You can just pick it up and quickly understand it without much reflection or thought. It doesn’t require expert analysis. For such readers, translations should be basic, flat, and dry and for that by all means, one can pick up any translation and think they’re benefitting. We wish them well in that endeavor but for those of us who want some of the essence, something more profound and deep, this is the translation I would recommend without hesitation.It will take time for a classic like this to grow on some readers and I truly believe that like fine art that isn’t necessarily appreciated in the time of the artist, it dawns on those in posterity what an incredible work has been produced. ‘The Quran Beheld’ will in due course, fall in to the category of fine literary art.