The Qur’an: A Verse Translation

Of more than 150 complete English translations of the Qurʾān, only a few are in free and blank verse and the translation under review is a substantial addition to the sub-genre of “Verse Translation” of the Qurʾān in English. It represents the fruit of a decade-long collaborative project by M .A .R . Habib, a poet well- versed in literature, and Bruce B . Lawrence, the Nancy and Marcus Humanities Professor Emeritus of Religion at Duke University, USA . Lawrence is widely acclaimed for his valuable writings on Islam and for his advocacy for cordial interfaith relations between Christians and Muslims, even in the turbulent post 9/11 world . His highly informative and empathetic work, The Koran in English: A Biography (Princeton University Press, 2014, reviewed here, the Muslim World Book Review, 39:4, Summer 2019, pp .14-18) is a testament to his nuanced admiration for Islam/the Qurʾān and his discerning eye for the sordid ‘politics of English translations of the Qurʾān.’ Along with a few worthy western scholars, like Annemarie Schimmel, Karen Armstrong, and John L . Esposito, he deserves credit for, at least, allowing Islamic beliefs and practices to speak for themselves, without distortion . In this work, he depicts the Prophet Muḥammad (blessings and peace be upon him) as the ‘walking Quran.’ The “Introduction” (pp.xi-xxii) contains a reverent account of the Prophet’s Sīrah, culled diligently from the Qurʾān, authentic Prophetic narration and Sīrah works. Likewise, the Qurʾān is described according to the Islamic creed, without any insinuation of having a Judaeo-Biblical origin or its commands to killing every non-Muslim.