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.

60:1
یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّخِذُوا۟ عَدُوِّی وَعَدُوَّكُمۡ أَوۡلِیَاۤءَ تُلۡقُونَ إِلَیۡهِم بِٱلۡمَوَدَّةِ وَقَدۡ كَفَرُوا۟ بِمَا جَاۤءَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡحَقِّ یُخۡرِجُونَ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَإِیَّاكُمۡ أَن تُؤۡمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ رَبِّكُمۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ خَرَجۡتُمۡ جِهَـٰدࣰا فِی سَبِیلِی وَٱبۡتِغَاۤءَ مَرۡضَاتِیۚ تُسِرُّونَ إِلَیۡهِم بِٱلۡمَوَدَّةِ وَأَنَا۠ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَاۤ أَخۡفَیۡتُمۡ وَمَاۤ أَعۡلَنتُمۡۚ وَمَن یَفۡعَلۡهُ مِنكُمۡ فَقَدۡ ضَلَّ سَوَاۤءَ ٱلسَّبِیلِ ۝١
Abdel Haleem
You who believe, do not take My enemies and yours as your allies, showing them friendship when they have rejected the truth you have received, and have driven you and the Messenger out simply because you believe in God, your Lord––not if you truly emigrated in order to strive for My cause and seek My good pleasure. You secretly show them friendship––I know all you conceal and all you reveal–– but any of you who do this are straying from the right path
yāayyuhā alladhīna āmanū lā tattakhidhū ʿaduwwī waʿaduwwakum awliyāa tul'qūna ilayhim bil-mawadati waqad kafarū bimā jāakum mina l-ḥaqi yukh'rijūna l-rasūla wa-iyyākum an tu'minū bil-lahi rabbikum in kuntum kharajtum jihādan fī sabīlī wa-ib'tighāa marḍātī tusirrūna ilayhim bil-mawadati wa-anā aʿlamu bimā akhfaytum wamā aʿlantum waman yafʿalhu minkum faqad ḍalla sawāa l-sabīl
60:4
قَدۡ كَانَتۡ لَكُمۡ أُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةࣱ فِیۤ إِبۡرَ ٰهِیمَ وَٱلَّذِینَ مَعَهُۥۤ إِذۡ قَالُوا۟ لِقَوۡمِهِمۡ إِنَّا بُرَءَ ٰۤؤُا۟ مِنكُمۡ وَمِمَّا تَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ كَفَرۡنَا بِكُمۡ وَبَدَا بَیۡنَنَا وَبَیۡنَكُمُ ٱلۡعَدَ ٰوَةُ وَٱلۡبَغۡضَاۤءُ أَبَدًا حَتَّىٰ تُؤۡمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَحۡدَهُۥۤ إِلَّا قَوۡلَ إِبۡرَ ٰهِیمَ لِأَبِیهِ لَأَسۡتَغۡفِرَنَّ لَكَ وَمَاۤ أَمۡلِكُ لَكَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَیۡءࣲۖ رَّبَّنَا عَلَیۡكَ تَوَكَّلۡنَا وَإِلَیۡكَ أَنَبۡنَا وَإِلَیۡكَ ٱلۡمَصِیرُ ۝٤
Abdel Haleem
You have a good example in Abraham and his companions, when they said to their people, ‘We disown you and what you worship besides God! We renounce you! Until you believe in God alone, the enmity and hatred that has arisen between us will endure!’––except when Abraham said to his father, ‘I will pray for forgiveness for you though I cannot protect you from God’––[they prayed]
qad kānat lakum us'watun ḥasanatun fī ib'rāhīma wa-alladhīna maʿahu idh qālū liqawmihim innā buraāu minkum wamimmā taʿbudūna min dūni l-lahi kafarnā bikum wabadā baynanā wabaynakumu l-ʿadāwatu wal-baghḍāu abadan ḥattā tu'minū bil-lahi waḥdahu illā qawla ib'rāhīma li-abīhi la-astaghfiranna laka wamā amliku laka mina l-lahi min shayin rabbanā ʿalayka tawakkalnā wa-ilayka anabnā wa-ilayka l-maṣīr
60:10
یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوۤا۟ إِذَا جَاۤءَكُمُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَـٰتُ مُهَـٰجِرَ ٰتࣲ فَٱمۡتَحِنُوهُنَّۖ ٱللَّهُ أَعۡلَمُ بِإِیمَـٰنِهِنَّۖ فَإِنۡ عَلِمۡتُمُوهُنَّ مُؤۡمِنَـٰتࣲ فَلَا تَرۡجِعُوهُنَّ إِلَى ٱلۡكُفَّارِۖ لَا هُنَّ حِلࣱّ لَّهُمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ یَحِلُّونَ لَهُنَّۖ وَءَاتُوهُم مَّاۤ أَنفَقُوا۟ۚ وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَیۡكُمۡ أَن تَنكِحُوهُنَّ إِذَاۤ ءَاتَیۡتُمُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّۚ وَلَا تُمۡسِكُوا۟ بِعِصَمِ ٱلۡكَوَافِرِ وَسۡءَلُوا۟ مَاۤ أَنفَقۡتُمۡ وَلۡیَسۡءَلُوا۟ مَاۤ أَنفَقُوا۟ۚ ذَ ٰلِكُمۡ حُكۡمُ ٱللَّهِ یَحۡكُمُ بَیۡنَكُمۡۖ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِیمٌ حَكِیمࣱ ۝١٠
Abdel Haleem
You who believe, test the believing women when they come to you as emigrants- God knows best about their faith- and if you are sure of their belief, do not send them back to the disbelievers: they are not lawful wives for them, nor are the disbelievers their lawful husbands. Give the disbelievers whatever bride-gifts they have paid- if you choose to marry them, there is no blame on you once you have paid their bride-gifts- and do not yourselves hold on to marriage ties with disbelieving women. Ask for repayment of the bride-gifts you have paid, and let the disbelievers do the same. This is God’s judgement: He judges between you, God is all knowing and wise
yāayyuhā alladhīna āmanū idhā jāakumu l-mu'minātu muhājirātin fa-im'taḥinūhunna l-lahu aʿlamu biīmānihinna fa-in ʿalim'tumūhunna mu'minātin falā tarjiʿūhunna ilā l-kufāri lā hunna ḥillun lahum walā hum yaḥillūna lahunna waātūhum mā anfaqū walā junāḥa ʿalaykum an tankiḥūhunna idhā ātaytumūhunna ujūrahunna walā tum'sikū biʿiṣami l-kawāfiri wasalū mā anfaqtum walyasalū mā anfaqū dhālikum ḥuk'mu l-lahi yaḥkumu baynakum wal-lahu ʿalīmun ḥakīmu