The Purple Quran Translation by Amr Abu Ayyub

I think the Tafsīr and translation literature need to keep advancing. Why did anyone write tafsīr after al-Ṭabarī and al-Zamakhsharī? After all, everyone after them touches their Tafāsīr anyway. The answer is: we need to move the field of translations forward. I did something today, and tomorrow someone else will do a better job than me. I hope PQT helps move the field forward. It’s not meant to replace earlier translations, but to offer a different balance that many readers are still looking for.

Arberry and Mf. Taqi Usmani, both for different reasons.

The entire translation was reviewed by multiple advanced students of knowledge, and dare I say, scholars and shaykhs. Other mashāykh only reviewed parts of it, and others yet were consulted on difficult āyāt and passages (more to come on that later).

Most English translations either sound very literal but miss the force of the Arabic, or read smoothly but flatten the meaning. My translation tries to avoid both problems. It stays close to the structure and wording of the Arabic, but it also carries over what the Arabic is doing, by attempting to show emphasis, certainty, and flow. Instead of copying the shape of the Arabic sentence by sentence, I focus on making sure the meaning, tone, and intent land in English the way they do in Arabic.

It is best described as meaning-literal. It is not word-for-word in a mechanical sense, and it is not idiomatic or meant to paraphrase. The goal is to translate the function of the Arabic rather than just the surface wording. When the Arabic is ambiguous, the English remains ambiguous. When the Arabic is emphatic, the English is emphatic (e.g., I do not smooth over repetition. See: 5:115). In that sense, it is literal to meaning and intent rather than to appearance.

Ibn ʿAṭiyyah is the backbone of this translation. I treat him as the starting point for meaning and grammar. When Ibn ʿAṭiyyah leaves the disagreement open, I look to Abū al-Suʿūd, Ibn ʿĀshūr, and al-Ṭabarī to weigh the strongest option. Over time, I really fell in love with, and came to rely on, Abū al-Suʿūd for tarjīḥ, and he ended up shaping many of the final choices, with Tabarī and Ibn ʿĀshūr kept in mind as well. Roughly speaking, about 70% of the translation follows Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, around 20% Abū al-Suʿūd, and the remaining 10% draws from Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Wāḥidī, and al-Ṭabarī.

I believe the translation is clear enough to be good enough for non-Muslims and Muslims alike, no matter their level of reading. The footnotes add some details that might be overkill in instances, but that is just my style in how I translate. Those who’ve read my translation of al-Madkhal by ibn Badrān can testify to the fact that I simply cannot translate a text without adding clarifying footnotes. However, after acknowledging that, it’s for people who want to slow down and actually engage the Qur’ān, not just skim it.

This project was sponsored and published by the very popular Quranly App. It is a great tool for helping build habits when reading the Qur’ān. Their brand colour is purple, and hence: the Purple Qur’ān Translation. It’s not that deep.