The Simplified Qur’ān
GoodTree Publications.
# 8-1-398/PM/169, Flat No. 404,
Paramount Heights Extension,
Paramount Colony, Gate-2,
Tolichowki, Hyderabad. 500 008
First edition: December 2013
Pages: 959
Price: `700, $25.
Email: goodtreepublication@gmail.com
Reviewed by DR. MAAZ AMJAD WARSI
The place the Holy Qur’ān enjoys in the lives of Muslims is the highest, for they firmly believe that this Book is the final communication of Allah, God of this entire universe, to mankind. It is the Book of guidance to the entire human race from their Maker and Sustainer, the scripture which shows the way towards self-purification, the unchangeable document from which the Islamic constitution and law, the universal code of conduct and the manifesto of Islamic state are derived. To understand the Qur’ān and to make others understand it is their primary duty and responsibility.
Although the Qur’ān is unchangeable till the establishment of the Day of Judgement, yet various forces are at play in forcing the scholars to translate and explain the Holy Book, the chief factors being people’s deviation from its message and disregard to its commandments, ignorance of the Arabic language in which the Qur’ān was revealed, distance from the meanings of the key words used in the Qur’ān and its style of expression, the progress of science which brought new angles to view reality thereby challenging the traditional outlook and raising questions that demand answers and the development of technology which connected the people worldwide and brought them closer to one another creating discussions on very serious and relevant issues of life.
To address all these issues, various scholars in various parts of the world and in various languages have been producing translations and commentaries of the Qur’ān, some focusing on one aspect of the Book say its legal injunctions, while others focusing on other aspects like its philosophical and spiritual teachings, etc. In this connection, “The Simplified Qur’ān” is a remarkable addition to the efforts and endeavours towards translating and explaining the Holy Qur’ān but with a difference.
As the name itself suggests, it’s a simple translation of the Qur’ān wherein the translation employs simple words and common ways of expression that could be found in the English language thereby facilitating the reader in the easy understanding of God’s Book. The translator has tried his level best in making it so simple that the need for the reader to open up the dictionary to search the meanings of the words should be at its minimum.
This translation and commentary is also characterised by its originality and boldness; for the author himself is an Arab hailing from Yemen with an immense experience of 40 years in translation work. Take for example, the translation of the first verse of Surah Al Falaq where Prof. Alkaff translated برب الفلق قل اعوذas (O Muhammad) say: I take refuge with the Master and Performer of all splitting and cracking operations. Whereas in other translations this verse is translated as Say I take refuge with the Lord of the daybreak. Commenting on this verse, Prof. Alkaff writes, “I’ve intentionally translatedالفلق ربas the Master and Performer of all unimaginable splitting, cracking and tearing operations because most of the translators and interpreters of the Holy Qu’an have limited it to cracking of the dawn. No doubt it includes this meaning too but it does not give us the comprehensive idea of the limitless power and authority exercised by Allah Almighty…”
Another salient feature of this translation and commentary is that it specifically focuses the attention of the readers, through elucidation, on the images and the sound effects produced on the reader’s mind as a result of Qur’ānic recitation. He has termed this unique style of the Qur’ān as ‘The Principle of Acoustic Imagery’. He emphasises that this is the key methodology to approach the Qur’ān. Take, for instance, Surah Al Nazi’aat 79, verse 42 مرساهاعن الساعة أيانيسألونك
The usual translation found in other translations is ‘They ask you about the Hour: “When will it be?”
But Prof. Alkaff, in the light of the principle of acoustic imagery, has translated this verse as ‘(O Muhammad) When will this boat of the Day of Judgment, which is sailing in the sea of time, throw its anchor?’
Prof. Alkaff, as has been mentioned above, is of the firm belief that the recitation of Qur’ānic verses creates powerful impact on the hearts and minds of the readers through the pronunciation of the words contained in the verses and the sounds produced as a result. The translation and commentary of the following verse explains it abundantly: فكذبوه فعقروها فدمدم عليهم ربهم بذنبهم فسواها “Upon that they refused to believe in his warning and killed her. Then their Sustainer hit them with a big Dumm Dumm sound and flattened them because of their (disobeying the Prophet and killing the she-camel)”.
Commenting on this verse, he writes: “…they were all wiped out by a very big and unbearable Dumm Dumm sound like the one produced by the machine which is used to level the ground…that unbearably powerful and heavy sound levelled them to the ground. By that, they were totally annihilated.”
This translation and commentary is primarily meant for the ‘Student Community’ and accordingly has avoided the details found in other commentaries that are basically meant for scholars and researchers. It has almost exclusively stuck to the words of the Surahs and elaborated the message contained in them.
It is also distinguished for its logic of ‘Qur’ānic Coherence’ which binds the verses contained in one Surah to its central message and all the messages of the Surahs to one another in a beautiful coherence. A new and academically valuable addition to this translation and commentary is the summary of the Surah present at the end of each Surah. This helps in learning and memorising the gist of every Surah, a feature most beneficial to students in particular and adults in general.