User talk:Mustafakhattab

The Clear Quran
The Clear Quran (Arabic القرآن المبين) is a thematic English translation completed in 2015 by Dr. Mustafa Khattab of Al-Azhar University in collaboration with over 75 scholars, editors, and proofreaders. This work, which is believed to be the first English translation of the Quran done in Canada, was triggered by a fateful encounter between Khattab and a non-Muslim cab-driver in Toronto. The driver voiced his dislike for Islam assumingly because the Quran calls him an animal, citing 8:55. Khattab tried in vain to explain that dâbbah in Arabic does not mean an animal but a living being. The man persisted, saying that his translation says so. Khattab later checked many popular translations, only to realize that dâbbah is routinely translated as 'animal' or 'beast.' Totally frustrated with the number of flaws in many existing translations, he decided to work on a new translation to reflect the elegance and eloquence of the original Arabic text.

The Qurân was revealed to Prophet Muḥammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) in the 7th century and was not translated into English by a Muslim until the 20th century. Many Muslims had long believed that the Qurân should only be read in Arabic, the original language of revelation. This led to many inaccurate, ill-willed translations by missionaries and orientalists—which explains why we still see some words like ‘holy war’ and ‘infidels’ as well as many theological inaccuracies in some existing translations. All this leads to endless false assumptions about Islâm and Muslims. Some Muslim translators are no better off than their non-Muslim counterparts because they are not well-versed in Arabic, or English, or Islamic studies, or translation, or all of the above. Looking up words in an Arabic-English dictionary or copying earlier translations when frustrated does not always guarantee accuracy in translation. Many modern translations are either over-translated, making it difficult for laypeople to understand, or under-translated, doing a great disservice to the Qurân. This is why Khattab saw the need for an accurate, smooth, and accessible translation.

To achieve accuracy, the translator made use of the greatest and most celebrated works of old and modern tafsîr (Qurân commentaries), and shared the work with several Imams in North America for feedback and insight. For clarity, every effort was made to select easy to understand words and phrases that reflect the beauty and power of the original text. Along with informative footnotes, verses have been grouped and titled based on their themes for a better understanding of the chapters, their main concepts, and internal coherence.

The translation is noted for its simplicity and flow.