M. A. S. Abdel Haleem

1930 – · Egyptian / British · Translated to English

SOAS, University of London

Muhammad Abdel Haleem is an Egyptian-born British scholar of Islamic studies and Professor of Islamic Studies at SOAS, University of London, where he founded the Centre of Islamic Studies. His translation, The Qur'an: A New Translation (Oxford University Press, 2004), is noted for its accessible modern English prose and structural reorganisation into paragraph-based units.

10:24
إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ ٱلۡحَیَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡیَا كَمَاۤءٍ أَنزَلۡنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَاۤءِ فَٱخۡتَلَطَ بِهِۦ نَبَاتُ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِمَّا یَأۡكُلُ ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلۡأَنۡعَـٰمُ حَتَّىٰۤ إِذَاۤ أَخَذَتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ زُخۡرُفَهَا وَٱزَّیَّنَتۡ وَظَنَّ أَهۡلُهَاۤ أَنَّهُمۡ قَـٰدِرُونَ عَلَیۡهَاۤ أَتَىٰهَاۤ أَمۡرُنَا لَیۡلًا أَوۡ نَهَارࣰا فَجَعَلۡنَـٰهَا حَصِیدࣰا كَأَن لَّمۡ تَغۡنَ بِٱلۡأَمۡسِۚ كَذَ ٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡءَایَـٰتِ لِقَوۡمࣲ یَتَفَكَّرُونَ ۝٢٤
Abdel Haleem
The life of this world is like this: rain that We send down from the sky is absorbed by the plants of the earth, from which humans and animals eat. But when the earth has taken on its finest appearance, and adorns itself, and its people think they have power over it, then the fate We commanded comes to it, by night or by day, and We reduce it to stubble, as if it had not flourished just the day before. This is the way We explain the revelations for those who reflect
innamā mathalu l-ḥayati l-dun'yā kamāin anzalnāhu mina l-samāi fa-ikh'talaṭa bihi nabātu l-arḍi mimmā yakulu l-nāsu wal-anʿāmu ḥattā idhā akhadhati l-arḍu zukh'rufahā wa-izzayyanat waẓanna ahluhā annahum qādirūna ʿalayhā atāhā amrunā laylan aw nahāran fajaʿalnāhā ḥaṣīdan ka-an lam taghna bil-amsi kadhālika nufaṣṣilu l-āyāti liqawmin yatafakkarūn