THE SIMPLIFIED QURAN (PART 30)
Tr. Sayyid Hamed Abdur Rahman Alkaf
Good Tree Publications, Hyderabad A.P., India
Rs. 220/-
Reviewed by SYED SHAKEEL AHMED ANWAR
The Almighty have emphasised the simplicity of the Holy Quran in the following verse: “And we have indeed made the Quran easy to understand and remember: Then is there any that will receive admonition?” (Al-Qamar-17)
The statement that the Holy Quran is made Easy prompts the reader to listen to the Message and turn to the Truth and Righteousness of the Quranic Invitation.
The verses 17, 22, 32, 40 and 51 of this Sura (Al-Qamar) have repeatedly occurred after explaining the theme underlined in the preceding verses referring to a past story of sin and rejection of warnings, and each time a specific lesson is derived.
The stories of the peoples of Noah, ‘Ad, Thamud, Lot and Pharaoh were told that their ‘Quran’ was also made easy to recite and emulate but the Prophet on whom the Quran was revealed would testify before the Lord of the Day of Judgment:
“Then the Apostle will say: “O my Lord! Truly My people took this Quran for just foolish nonsense” (S. XXV – 30)
The Holy Quran, in spite of all the lame excuses from the silly people, clarified that it makes things related to common concern clear to understand.
The commentators and exegetists, writers and translators from Arabic into hundreds of languages of the world have further endeavoured to make it reach out to the common people. Some transliterations have also come up. I understand that Maulana Sadruddin Islahi, a recognised ideologue of the Jamaat initiated to work on “The Tayyasirul Quran” for the main purpose of an easy understanding of the Revered Book. All these efforts do not mean that the Divine scripture have complicated philosophical doctrines for which some easy explanations are required.
It is a common practice that ‘keys’ and ‘made easy’ publications appear for the prescribed books of studies for schools and colleges to facilitate students’ understanding and study of the books. The Holy Book is not of that sort. It is the Divine Book revealed by the Lord, who knows the human race and its capabilities, yet it is the earnest desire of the people who study it and perceive it to further the process of common understanding of the Quranic text, and to explain the purpose and perspective and background behind the communication and incoming between-the-lines. It is only the psyche of the scholar to redeem the perception of his readers to make them attentive beforehand!
Another aspect is that the language of the Quran is Arabic and non-Arabic majority of people truly need to comprehend the meaning of its text in their own mother tongue or some common lingua franca, for example English which enjoys an international status today.
These lines are to elucidate the present endeavour of Sayyid Hamed Abdur Rahman Alkaf, who has translated into easily understandable English, verses of the Holy Quran Part 30, solely for the student community. There are scholarly translations, especially by Marmaduke Muhammed Pickthal, Arthur, J Arbirary, etc who followed standard Victorian complexion of English.
Mr. Pickthal however had noticed that Quranic Arabic has “an inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy and the attempt to catch something of that symphony in another language is impossible”. Now Hamid Alkaf, an Arabic Hadhrami of Indian origin (actually born in India) has the dual heritage of pure Arabic and virgin Urdu to his credit besides having been brought up in an atmosphere pitched with sincere pursuit of understanding and disseminating the revolutionary message of Islam in the modern society.
He has specifically focused his attention on elucidating the scenes and sound effects which the Quranic recitation produces on the hearts and minds of readers. He emphasises, while translating the verses of the Holy Book, the Principle of Acoustic Imagery, as the Key Methodology in approaching the Quran in simple, common and easy-to-understand English. While going through the Suras of this 30th Para of the Holy Book one would surely comprehend that he has remarkably succeeded in his efforts. May Allah the Almighty grant him sufficient strength and good health to undertake the task of translating the whole Quran in this unique style.
Keeping in view the importance of this work, the Publishers, Good Tree Publications may reduce the price considerably, and for this some philanthropists may feel blessed to support the project.