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.

3:7
هُوَ ٱلَّذِیۤ أَنزَلَ عَلَیۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ مِنۡهُ ءَایَـٰتࣱ مُّحۡكَمَـٰتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَـٰبِهَـٰتࣱۚ فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِینَ فِی قُلُوبِهِمۡ زَیۡغࣱ فَیَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَـٰبَهَ مِنۡهُ ٱبۡتِغَاۤءَ ٱلۡفِتۡنَةِ وَٱبۡتِغَاۤءَ تَأۡوِیلِهِۦۖ وَمَا یَعۡلَمُ تَأۡوِیلَهُۥۤ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُۘ وَٱلرَّ ٰسِخُونَ فِی ٱلۡعِلۡمِ یَقُولُونَ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦ كُلࣱّ مِّنۡ عِندِ رَبِّنَاۚ وَمَا یَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّاۤ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلۡأَلۡبَـٰبِ ۝٧
Abdel Haleem
it is He who has sent this Scripture down to you [Prophet]. Some of its verses are definite in meaning- these are the cornerstone of the Scripture- and others are ambiguous. The perverse at heart eagerly pursue the ambiguities in their attempt to make trouble and to pin down a specific meaning of their own: only God knows the true meaning. Those firmly grounded in knowledge say, ‘We believe in it: it is all from our Lord’- only those with real perception will take heed
huwa alladhī anzala ʿalayka l-kitāba min'hu āyātun muḥ'kamātun hunna ummu l-kitābi wa-ukharu mutashābihātun fa-ammā alladhīna fī qulūbihim zayghun fayattabiʿūna mā tashābaha min'hu ib'tighāa l-fit'nati wa-ib'tighāa tawīlihi wamā yaʿlamu tawīlahu illā l-lahu wal-rāsikhūna fī l-ʿil'mi yaqūlūna āmannā bihi kullun min ʿindi rabbinā wamā yadhakkaru illā ulū l-albāb
3:49
وَرَسُولًا إِلَىٰ بَنِیۤ إِسۡرَ ٰۤءِیلَ أَنِّی قَدۡ جِئۡتُكُم بِءَایَةࣲ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ أَنِّیۤ أَخۡلُقُ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلطِّینِ كَهَیۡءَةِ ٱلطَّیۡرِ فَأَنفُخُ فِیهِ فَیَكُونُ طَیۡرَۢا بِإِذۡنِ ٱللَّهِۖ وَأُبۡرِئُ ٱلۡأَكۡمَهَ وَٱلۡأَبۡرَصَ وَأُحۡیِ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ بِإِذۡنِ ٱللَّهِۖ وَأُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا تَأۡكُلُونَ وَمَا تَدَّخِرُونَ فِی بُیُوتِكُمۡۚ إِنَّ فِی ذَ ٰلِكَ لَءَایَةࣰ لَّكُمۡ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِینَ ۝٤٩
Abdel Haleem
He will send him as a messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I will make the shape of a bird for you out of clay, then breathe into it and, with God’s permission, it will become a real bird; I will heal the blind and the leper, and bring the dead back to life with God’s permission; I will tell you what you may eat and what you may store up in your houses. There truly is a sign for you in this, if you are believers
warasūlan ilā banī is'rāīla annī qad ji'tukum biāyatin min rabbikum annī akhluqu lakum mina l-ṭīni kahayati l-ṭayri fa-anfukhu fīhi fayakūnu ṭayran bi-idh'ni l-lahi wa-ub'ri-u l-akmaha wal-abraṣa wa-uḥ'yī l-mawtā bi-idh'ni l-lahi wa-unabbi-ukum bimā takulūna wamā taddakhirūna fī buyūtikum inna fī dhālika laāyatan lakum in kuntum mu'minīn
3:154
ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ عَلَیۡكُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ ٱلۡغَمِّ أَمَنَةࣰ نُّعَاسࣰا یَغۡشَىٰ طَاۤىِٕفَةࣰ مِّنكُمۡۖ وَطَاۤىِٕفَةࣱ قَدۡ أَهَمَّتۡهُمۡ أَنفُسُهُمۡ یَظُنُّونَ بِٱللَّهِ غَیۡرَ ٱلۡحَقِّ ظَنَّ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلِیَّةِۖ یَقُولُونَ هَل لَّنَا مِنَ ٱلۡأَمۡرِ مِن شَیۡءࣲۗ قُلۡ إِنَّ ٱلۡأَمۡرَ كُلَّهُۥ لِلَّهِۗ یُخۡفُونَ فِیۤ أَنفُسِهِم مَّا لَا یُبۡدُونَ لَكَۖ یَقُولُونَ لَوۡ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ ٱلۡأَمۡرِ شَیۡءࣱ مَّا قُتِلۡنَا هَـٰهُنَاۗ قُل لَّوۡ كُنتُمۡ فِی بُیُوتِكُمۡ لَبَرَزَ ٱلَّذِینَ كُتِبَ عَلَیۡهِمُ ٱلۡقَتۡلُ إِلَىٰ مَضَاجِعِهِمۡۖ وَلِیَبۡتَلِیَ ٱللَّهُ مَا فِی صُدُورِكُمۡ وَلِیُمَحِّصَ مَا فِی قُلُوبِكُمۡۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِیمُۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ ۝١٥٤
Abdel Haleem
After sorrow, He caused calm to descend upon you, a sleep that overtook some of you. Another group, caring only for themselves, entertained false thoughts about God, thoughts more appropriate to pagan ignorance, and said, ‘Do we get a say in any of this?’ [Prophet], tell them, ‘Everything to do with this affair is in God’s hands.’ They conceal in their hearts things they will not reveal to you. They say, ‘If we had had our say in this, none of us would have been killed here.’ Tell them, ‘Even if you had resolved to stay at home, those who were destined to be killed would still have gone out to meet their deaths.’ God did this in order to test everything within you and in order to prove what is in your hearts. God knows your innermost thoughts very well
thumma anzala ʿalaykum min baʿdi l-ghami amanatan nuʿāsan yaghshā ṭāifatan minkum waṭāifatun qad ahammathum anfusuhum yaẓunnūna bil-lahi ghayra l-ḥaqi ẓanna l-jāhiliyati yaqūlūna hal lanā mina l-amri min shayin qul inna l-amra kullahu lillahi yukh'fūna fī anfusihim mā lā yub'dūna laka yaqūlūna law kāna lanā mina l-amri shayon mā qutil'nā hāhunā qul law kuntum fī buyūtikum labaraza alladhīna kutiba ʿalayhimu l-qatlu ilā maḍājiʿihim waliyabtaliya l-lahu mā fī ṣudūrikum waliyumaḥḥiṣa mā fī qulūbikum wal-lahu ʿalīmun bidhāti l-ṣudūr
3:195
فَٱسۡتَجَابَ لَهُمۡ رَبُّهُمۡ أَنِّی لَاۤ أُضِیعُ عَمَلَ عَـٰمِلࣲ مِّنكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوۡ أُنثَىٰۖ بَعۡضُكُم مِّنۢ بَعۡضࣲۖ فَٱلَّذِینَ هَاجَرُوا۟ وَأُخۡرِجُوا۟ مِن دِیَـٰرِهِمۡ وَأُوذُوا۟ فِی سَبِیلِی وَقَـٰتَلُوا۟ وَقُتِلُوا۟ لَأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنۡهُمۡ سَیِّءَاتِهِمۡ وَلَأُدۡخِلَنَّهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتࣲ تَجۡرِی مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ ثَوَابࣰا مِّنۡ عِندِ ٱللَّهِۚ وَٱللَّهُ عِندَهُۥ حُسۡنُ ٱلثَّوَابِ ۝١٩٥
Abdel Haleem
Their Lord has answered them: ‘I will not allow the deeds of any one of you to be lost, whether you are male or female, each is like the other [in rewards]. I will certainly wipe out the bad deeds of those who emigrated and were driven out of their homes, who suffered harm for My cause, who fought and were killed. I will certainly admit them to Gardens graced with flowing streams, as a reward from God: the best reward is with God.’
fa-is'tajāba lahum rabbuhum annī lā uḍīʿu ʿamala ʿāmilin minkum min dhakarin aw unthā baʿḍukum min baʿḍin fa-alladhīna hājarū wa-ukh'rijū min diyārihim waūdhū fī sabīlī waqātalū waqutilū la-ukaffiranna ʿanhum sayyiātihim wala-ud'khilannahum jannātin tajrī min taḥtihā l-anhāru thawāban min ʿindi l-lahi wal-lahu ʿindahu ḥus'nu l-thawāb