Introduction to the Surahs of The Noble Quran: With Brief Explanatory Notes to Some Verses
Translator’s Preface
The following exegesis of The Noble Quran prepared by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad - Khalifatul Masih IV, (1928 - 2003) is an eloquent and admirable accomplishment, elucidating many of the gems of wisdom contained in The Holy Quran in a most beautiful and thorough manner.
Mirza Tahir Ahmad was a well-respected and learned scholar of the Quran. One of his greatest achievements was the comprehensive translation of The Holy Quran into Urdu with introductory chapters and brief explanatory notes. The present translation based on this work incorporates the brief explanatory notes the Caliph added in English in 1997 to the English translation by Mawlawi Sher Ali (1955). It also includes the translation of the notes on the Tarjumatul Quran classes (as published in the weekly newspaper Al Fazl), that were transmitted on MTA International between the years 1994 and 1999 upon which the Urdu translation of the Quran by the Caliph was based.
Beginning from Surah Āl Imran: 145 when the Caliph switched to Urdu, the translation of the notes on the annual Quranic Discourses delivered by the Caliph in the month of Ramadan (and published in the weekly newspaper Al Fazl) have also been included herein (the discourses of previous years were in English and are not included, they can be seen in the relevant playlist at the Youtube channel). As such the following work would represent a full exegesis of the Quran in English as intended by the Caliph himself.
In these discourses the Caliph incorporated lengthy discussions of previous commentators as well as the founder of Ahmadiyya and the Ahmadiyya Caliphs that came before him. In addition, he discussed the lexicography of the Quran and refuted many Orientalist ideas about the historicity of the Quran, Islam and the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. His commentaries differed significantly from those offered by many of the classical Quranic commentators, placing emphasis on the logical and rational approach of the Quran. For instance, he did not believe it was essential to rely heavily on Asbab al-nuzul (Circumstances of the Revelation) in order to understand the implications of the Quranic verses. He delivered seven discourses on Asbab al-nuzul in January 1998, presenting strong arguments in support of the view that the Quran offered its own context.
Translations of some verses which were made by the Caliph and appended to the Sher Ali translation as alternatives are used. In the case of verses translated by him in his monumental book Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth (1998), those have been used instead. In all other instances the translation of the verses are by the translator, made after consulting a number of other reputable and standard translations and commentaries of the Quran in English and Arabic lexica.
Rehan Qayoom.
2016.
Note: Each chapter would be added below individually as it is transcribed into PDF format.
Acknowledgments.
1. Surah al-Fatiha (The Opening).
Mirza Tahir Ahmad was a well-respected and learned scholar of the Quran. One of his greatest achievements was the comprehensive translation of The Holy Quran into Urdu with introductory chapters and brief explanatory notes. The present translation based on this work incorporates the brief explanatory notes the Caliph added in English in 1997 to the English translation by Mawlawi Sher Ali (1955). It also includes the translation of the notes on the Tarjumatul Quran classes (as published in the weekly newspaper Al Fazl), that were transmitted on MTA International between the years 1994 and 1999 upon which the Urdu translation of the Quran by the Caliph was based.
Beginning from Surah Āl Imran: 145 when the Caliph switched to Urdu, the translation of the notes on the annual Quranic Discourses delivered by the Caliph in the month of Ramadan (and published in the weekly newspaper Al Fazl) have also been included herein (the discourses of previous years were in English and are not included, they can be seen in the relevant playlist at the Youtube channel). As such the following work would represent a full exegesis of the Quran in English as intended by the Caliph himself.
In these discourses the Caliph incorporated lengthy discussions of previous commentators as well as the founder of Ahmadiyya and the Ahmadiyya Caliphs that came before him. In addition, he discussed the lexicography of the Quran and refuted many Orientalist ideas about the historicity of the Quran, Islam and the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. His commentaries differed significantly from those offered by many of the classical Quranic commentators, placing emphasis on the logical and rational approach of the Quran. For instance, he did not believe it was essential to rely heavily on Asbab al-nuzul (Circumstances of the Revelation) in order to understand the implications of the Quranic verses. He delivered seven discourses on Asbab al-nuzul in January 1998, presenting strong arguments in support of the view that the Quran offered its own context.
Translations of some verses which were made by the Caliph and appended to the Sher Ali translation as alternatives are used. In the case of verses translated by him in his monumental book Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth (1998), those have been used instead. In all other instances the translation of the verses are by the translator, made after consulting a number of other reputable and standard translations and commentaries of the Quran in English and Arabic lexica.
Rehan Qayoom.
2016.
Note: Each chapter would be added below individually as it is transcribed into PDF format.
Acknowledgments.
1. Surah al-Fatiha (The Opening).
2. Al Baqarah (The Heifer).
3. Āl Imran (Family of Imran).
4. Al Nisa (The Women).
5. Al Maidah (The Banquet).
6. Al Anam (The Livestock).
7. Al Araf (The Heights).
8. Al Anfal (The Booty)
9. The Repentance
10. Jonah
11. Hud
12. Joseph
13. The Thunder
14. Abraham
15. The Stoneland
16. The Honeybee
17. Children of Israel
18. The Cave
19. Mary
20. Ta Ha
21. The Prophets
22. The Pilgrimage
23. The Faithful
24. The Light
25. The Criterion
26. The Poets
27. The Ant
28. The Stories
29. The Spider
30. The Byzantines
31. Luqman
32. The Bowing Down
33. The Confederates
34. Sheba
35. Originator
36. Ya Sin
37. The Rows
38. Sād
39. The Throngs
40. The Believer
41. HM The Bowing
42. The Consultation
43. The Gold Ornaments
44. The Smoke
45. Hobbling on the Knees
46. The Dunes
47. Muhammad
48. The Triumph
49. The Inner Chambers
50. Qaf
51. The Winnowing Winds
52. The Tor
53. The Star
54. The Moon
55. The Merciful
56. The Happening
57. The Iron
58. The Disputing Lady
59. The Gathering
60. The Lady Examined
61. The Ranks
62. The Friday Congregation
63. The Hypocrites
64. Mutual Negligence
65. The Divorce
66. The Prohibition
67. The Sovereignty
68. The Pen
69. The Inevitable
70. The Tiers
71. Noah
72. The Jinn
73. The Person Wrapped Up
74. The Cloaked Person
75. The Resurrection
76. Time
77. The Emissaries of Wind
78. The News of great Import
79. The Snatchers
80. He Frowned
81. The Enfolding
82. The Breaking
83. The Fraudsters
84. The Splitting
85. The Constellations
86. The Dawn Star
87. The Highest
88. The Pall
89. The Dawn
90. The Town
91. The Sun
92. The Night
93. The Bright Morning
94. The Relief
95. The Fig
96. The Clot
97. The Night of Destiny
98. The Manifest Principle
99. The Earthquake
100. The Coursers
101. The Knell
102. The Competitions
103. The Age
104. The Gossipmonger
105. The Elephant
106. The Quraysh
107. The Kindnesses
108. The Plentiful
109. The Disbelievers
110. The Help
111. The Rope of Plaited Palm Fibre
112. The Fidelity
113. The Daybreak
114. Mankind
Appendix: Introduction by Syed Abdul Hayy.
© Rehan Qayoom, 2016.
All rights reserved. The moral right of the author has been asserted. No part of this page may be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without prior permission in writing from the copyright owner, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
Published and printed in the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
3. Āl Imran (Family of Imran).
4. Al Nisa (The Women).
5. Al Maidah (The Banquet).
6. Al Anam (The Livestock).
7. Al Araf (The Heights).
8. Al Anfal (The Booty)
9. The Repentance
10. Jonah
11. Hud
12. Joseph
13. The Thunder
14. Abraham
15. The Stoneland
16. The Honeybee
17. Children of Israel
18. The Cave
19. Mary
20. Ta Ha
21. The Prophets
22. The Pilgrimage
23. The Faithful
24. The Light
25. The Criterion
26. The Poets
27. The Ant
28. The Stories
29. The Spider
30. The Byzantines
31. Luqman
32. The Bowing Down
33. The Confederates
34. Sheba
35. Originator
36. Ya Sin
37. The Rows
38. Sād
39. The Throngs
40. The Believer
41. HM The Bowing
42. The Consultation
43. The Gold Ornaments
44. The Smoke
45. Hobbling on the Knees
46. The Dunes
47. Muhammad
48. The Triumph
49. The Inner Chambers
50. Qaf
51. The Winnowing Winds
52. The Tor
53. The Star
54. The Moon
55. The Merciful
56. The Happening
57. The Iron
58. The Disputing Lady
59. The Gathering
60. The Lady Examined
61. The Ranks
62. The Friday Congregation
63. The Hypocrites
64. Mutual Negligence
65. The Divorce
66. The Prohibition
67. The Sovereignty
68. The Pen
69. The Inevitable
70. The Tiers
71. Noah
72. The Jinn
73. The Person Wrapped Up
74. The Cloaked Person
75. The Resurrection
76. Time
77. The Emissaries of Wind
78. The News of great Import
79. The Snatchers
80. He Frowned
81. The Enfolding
82. The Breaking
83. The Fraudsters
84. The Splitting
85. The Constellations
86. The Dawn Star
87. The Highest
88. The Pall
89. The Dawn
90. The Town
91. The Sun
92. The Night
93. The Bright Morning
94. The Relief
95. The Fig
96. The Clot
97. The Night of Destiny
98. The Manifest Principle
99. The Earthquake
100. The Coursers
101. The Knell
102. The Competitions
103. The Age
104. The Gossipmonger
105. The Elephant
106. The Quraysh
107. The Kindnesses
108. The Plentiful
109. The Disbelievers
110. The Help
111. The Rope of Plaited Palm Fibre
112. The Fidelity
113. The Daybreak
114. Mankind
Appendix: Introduction by Syed Abdul Hayy.
© Rehan Qayoom, 2016.
All rights reserved. The moral right of the author has been asserted. No part of this page may be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without prior permission in writing from the copyright owner, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
Published and printed in the United Kingdom of Great Britain.