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.

57:20
ٱعۡلَمُوۤا۟ أَنَّمَا ٱلۡحَیَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡیَا لَعِبࣱ وَلَهۡوࣱ وَزِینَةࣱ وَتَفَاخُرُۢ بَیۡنَكُمۡ وَتَكَاثُرࣱ فِی ٱلۡأَمۡوَ ٰلِ وَٱلۡأَوۡلَـٰدِۖ كَمَثَلِ غَیۡثٍ أَعۡجَبَ ٱلۡكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُۥ ثُمَّ یَهِیجُ فَتَرَىٰهُ مُصۡفَرࣰّا ثُمَّ یَكُونُ حُطَـٰمࣰاۖ وَفِی ٱلۡءَاخِرَةِ عَذَابࣱ شَدِیدࣱ وَمَغۡفِرَةࣱ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضۡوَ ٰنࣱۚ وَمَا ٱلۡحَیَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡیَاۤ إِلَّا مَتَـٰعُ ٱلۡغُرُورِ ۝٢٠
Abdel Haleem
Bear in mind that the present life is just a game, a diversion, an attraction, a cause of boasting among you, of rivalry in wealth and children. It is like plants that spring up after the rain: their growth at first delights the sowers, but then you see them wither away, turn yellow, and become stubble. There is terrible punishment in the next life as well as forgiveness and approval from God; the life of this world is only an illusory pleasure
iʿ'lamū annamā l-ḥayatu l-dun'yā laʿibun walahwun wazīnatun watafākhurun baynakum watakāthurun fī l-amwāli wal-awlādi kamathali ghaythin aʿjaba l-kufāra nabātuhu thumma yahīju fatarāhu muṣ'farran thumma yakūnu ḥuṭāman wafī l-ākhirati ʿadhābun shadīdun wamaghfiratun mina l-lahi wariḍ'wānun wamā l-ḥayatu l-dun'yā illā matāʿu l-ghurūr
57:27
ثُمَّ قَفَّیۡنَا عَلَىٰۤ ءَاثَـٰرِهِم بِرُسُلِنَا وَقَفَّیۡنَا بِعِیسَى ٱبۡنِ مَرۡیَمَ وَءَاتَیۡنَـٰهُ ٱلۡإِنجِیلَۖ وَجَعَلۡنَا فِی قُلُوبِ ٱلَّذِینَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُ رَأۡفَةࣰ وَرَحۡمَةࣰۚ وَرَهۡبَانِیَّةً ٱبۡتَدَعُوهَا مَا كَتَبۡنَـٰهَا عَلَیۡهِمۡ إِلَّا ٱبۡتِغَاۤءَ رِضۡوَ ٰنِ ٱللَّهِ فَمَا رَعَوۡهَا حَقَّ رِعَایَتِهَاۖ فَءَاتَیۡنَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنۡهُمۡ أَجۡرَهُمۡۖ وَكَثِیرࣱ مِّنۡهُمۡ فَـٰسِقُونَ ۝٢٧
Abdel Haleem
We sent other messengers to follow in their footsteps. After those We sent Jesus, son of Mary: We gave him the Gospel and put compassion and mercy into the hearts of his followers. But monasticism was something they invented- We did not ordain it for them- only to seek God’s pleasure, and even so, they did not observe it properly. So We gave a reward to those of them who believed, but many of them were lawbreakers
thumma qaffaynā ʿalā āthārihim birusulinā waqaffaynā biʿīsā ib'ni maryama waātaynāhu l-injīla wajaʿalnā fī qulūbi alladhīna ittabaʿūhu rafatan waraḥmatan warahbāniyyatan ib'tadaʿūhā mā katabnāhā ʿalayhim illā ib'tighāa riḍ'wāni l-lahi famā raʿawhā ḥaqqa riʿāyatihā faātaynā alladhīna āmanū min'hum ajrahum wakathīrun min'hum fāsiqūn