The Clear Quran - English Only Translation

Mustafa Khattab’s new English translation of the Qur’an admirably delivers much of what its title promises. It is studded with a number of reader-friendly features and, hence, it is easy to understand and thus justifies its title. Moreover, it succeeds largely in bringing out the meaning and message of the Qur’an. In view of these and several other welcome features, it is recommended to all readers, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Mustafa Khattab’s credentials for embarking on this venture are both apt and impeccable: Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the prestigious Islamic seminary, Al-Azhar, Egypt, followed by his role and responsibilities as Chaplain at Brock University, and as Fulbright Inter Faith scholar and imam in Canada. The latter assignments appear to have shaped and sharpened his perception of the mental level, mindset and quandary of his target readership. Many of these features are regrettably conspicuous by their absence in most English translations undertaken by a host of well-meaning Muslim scholars. In Khattab’s good translations the inclusion of M.A.S. Abdel Haleem and the omission of Tarif Khalidi, however, strikes as a jarring note. He is also off the mark in speaking of Abdul Hakim Khan as the first Muslim translator; Khan was actually the first Qadyani translator. Moreover, M. M. Pickthall (1930) preceded by Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1934–1937) in producing ‘one of the most widely circulated English versions of the Quran’ (p. vi)......