But its main feature is that reliable exegeses of the Holy Quran as well as Hadiths from the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) have been used in this translation.
Some three and half centuries ago, in 1648, Alexander Ross for the first time translated the Quran into English from a French translation by André Du Ryer. The second rendering of the Quran into English was done 90 years later. This time George Sale translated the Holy Book from original Arabic. Sale’s translation was published many times in Britain and the US and remained unrivaled for over 150 years.
From late 19th century on, new translations started emerging and the number has now exceeded 70, with new ones being published every year.
Throughout these many years, Quran translators have gained much experience and produced valuable works. Nonetheless, there are weaknesses and shortcomings in almost all of the renderings. That is why Sayyed Ali Quli Qara’i, former editor-in-chief of Al-Tawhid Quarterly who has long experience in translating religious text, embarked on presenting a precise and fluent translation of the Quran in English. He did so in 5 years.
His translation is a fluent and eloquent one in which old and obsolete words have not been used. It has been rendered based on major interpretational works, especially Hadiths by the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) on Quran interpretation. It has also benefited from the latest scientific theories of translation and the translator has avoided sectarian biases in his work.
Sayyid Ali Quli Qara'i was the editor of Al-Tawhid English magazine for 14 years. He went to schools in the Indian city of Hyderabad and after graduating in mechanical engineering from Othmaniya University moved to the US in 1970 to study commercial management in the University of Wisconsin.
Soon after the Islamic Revolution of Iran he brought out a monthly journal in English, The Message of Peace, from Qum. Montgomery Watt is one of the leading living Orientalists, who has written and compiled a large number of books on various aspects of Islam, Muslim history and Islamic thought.
He returned to India in 1973 and started learning Arabic and Persian. In 1975 he went to Iran (the land of his forefather and settled in Qom. There, he found the opportunity to study philosophy, literature, and religion.
After the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, he brought out a monthly journal in English, The Message of Peace, from Qom. It was the only magazine in English published in the country after the revolution but it discontinued after the publication of 12 issues due to the country’s critical conditions after the Iraqi Ba’athist regime’s invasion of Iran.
In 1982, Qara’i became editor-in-chief of The Tehran Times English daily and for 14 years served as executive editor of Al-Tawhid. During those years, he wrote, translated and edited many articles and published them in the magazine.
His most outstanding work, however, is the translation of the Quran into English. His translation is based on a new phrase-by-phrase method. It was first published by the Islamic College of London in 2004. It has also been printed in Iran and the US. Qara’i is currently working on translation of Mafatih-ul-Janan into English.
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