The Noble Qur’an

Although claimed as a ‘Revised Edition’, the book under review is merely a reprint of the first edition which had appeared in 1999 with even an identical number of 651 pages. Given this, it would be in order to recapitulate some of the points about this English translation of the Qur’an made in my earlier review of the same (The Muslim World Book Review 20:3, 2000, pp. 14-17), in addition to some more observations. This translation has been carried out by a husband and wife team, both converts to Islam. Of the two, Aisha Bewley, (b.1948) born of Christian parents in the US embraced Islam in 1968 and is acclaimed for her English translations of numerous Islamic texts. The Bewleys embarked on this Qur’an translation at the behest of their spiritual mentor, Shaykh Abdulqadir al-Murabit. It is a pity that in their Preface (pp. iii-vi) the Bewleys say nothing about the scores of the existing English translations. Nor do they spell out the rationale behind their decision to embark on this ambitious undertaking.

Notwithstanding the Bewleys’ pious intention, there are few merits in this translation which may justify its publication. First, it provides no background information about either the Qur’an, its Surahs, its geo-historical and cultural allusions or its numerous literary, stylistic and rhetorical hallmarks. There are no explanatory notes which may help readers gain a better idea of the meaning and message of the Qur’an. In the absence of notes, English speaking readers who are new to the Qur’an cannot derive much help and guidance from it. Furthermore, both the editions of this translation have been brought out without the original Qur’anic text in Arabic.