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.

9:74
یَحۡلِفُونَ بِٱللَّهِ مَا قَالُوا۟ وَلَقَدۡ قَالُوا۟ كَلِمَةَ ٱلۡكُفۡرِ وَكَفَرُوا۟ بَعۡدَ إِسۡلَـٰمِهِمۡ وَهَمُّوا۟ بِمَا لَمۡ یَنَالُوا۟ۚ وَمَا نَقَمُوۤا۟ إِلَّاۤ أَنۡ أَغۡنَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ مِن فَضۡلِهِۦۚ فَإِن یَتُوبُوا۟ یَكُ خَیۡرࣰا لَّهُمۡۖ وَإِن یَتَوَلَّوۡا۟ یُعَذِّبۡهُمُ ٱللَّهُ عَذَابًا أَلِیمࣰا فِی ٱلدُّنۡیَا وَٱلۡءَاخِرَةِۚ وَمَا لَهُمۡ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِن وَلِیࣲّ وَلَا نَصِیرࣲ ۝٧٤
Abdel Haleem
They swear by God that they did not, but they certainly did speak words of defiance and became defiant after having submitted; they tried to do something, though they did not achieve it, ––being spiteful was their only response to God and His Messenger enriching them out of His bounty. They would be better off turning back [to God]: if they turn away, God will punish them in this world and the Hereafter, and there will be no one on earth to protect or help them
yaḥlifūna bil-lahi mā qālū walaqad qālū kalimata l-kuf'ri wakafarū baʿda is'lāmihim wahammū bimā lam yanālū wamā naqamū illā an aghnāhumu l-lahu warasūluhu min faḍlihi fa-in yatūbū yaku khayran lahum wa-in yatawallaw yuʿadhib'humu l-lahu ʿadhāban alīman fī l-dun'yā wal-ākhirati wamā lahum fī l-arḍi min waliyyin walā naṣīri
9:120
مَا كَانَ لِأَهۡلِ ٱلۡمَدِینَةِ وَمَنۡ حَوۡلَهُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَعۡرَابِ أَن یَتَخَلَّفُوا۟ عَن رَّسُولِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا یَرۡغَبُوا۟ بِأَنفُسِهِمۡ عَن نَّفۡسِهِۦۚ ذَ ٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمۡ لَا یُصِیبُهُمۡ ظَمَأࣱ وَلَا نَصَبࣱ وَلَا مَخۡمَصَةࣱ فِی سَبِیلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا یَطَءُونَ مَوۡطِئࣰا یَغِیظُ ٱلۡكُفَّارَ وَلَا یَنَالُونَ مِنۡ عَدُوࣲّ نَّیۡلًا إِلَّا كُتِبَ لَهُم بِهِۦ عَمَلࣱ صَـٰلِحٌۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا یُضِیعُ أَجۡرَ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِینَ ۝١٢٠
Abdel Haleem
The people of Medina and their neighbouring desert Arabs should not have held back from following God’s Messenger, nor should they have cared about themselves more than him: if ever they suffer any thirst, weariness, or hunger in God’s cause, take any step that angers the disbelievers, or cause any harm to an enemy, a good deed is recorded in their favour on account of it- God never wastes the reward of those who do good
mā kāna li-ahli l-madīnati waman ḥawlahum mina l-aʿrābi an yatakhallafū ʿan rasūli l-lahi walā yarghabū bi-anfusihim ʿan nafsihi dhālika bi-annahum lā yuṣībuhum ẓama-on walā naṣabun walā makhmaṣatun fī sabīli l-lahi walā yaṭaūna mawṭi-an yaghīẓu l-kufāra walā yanālūna min ʿaduwwin naylan illā kutiba lahum bihi ʿamalun ṣāliḥun inna l-laha lā yuḍīʿu ajra l-muḥ'sinīn