A Critical Study of ‘Abdullah Yūsuf ‘Alī’s Translation and Commentary of the Holy Qur’ān in the Light of First Three Editions

Abstract

‘Abdullah Yūsuf ‘Alī has been a noteworthy translator and commentator of the Holy Qur’ān. His endeavor has survived the test of time with more than 200 editions. The first edition did not come as a whole but in piecemeal fashion in thirty episodes. The very first edition had some problems with transliteration, names and number of verses of some Surahs. There are some un-resorted claims in the preface too. His educational background and personal literary taste let his effort lag behind the notch he set for himself. The authors will try to highlight all the above-mentioned aspects of his rendition. Though it has refined over the course of time due to the efforts of many researchers but the authors here intend to record some of the original facts related to the earlier editions. This establishes the viability of the topic for he is the most published translator till date. Methodical style of investigation is opted, coupled with a bit of analysis and comparison aiming a compact, far-reaching and all-encompassing article on his rendition. The question which drives this study is whether ‘Abdullah Yusuf ‘Ali’s translation and commentary in vogue is same as it was in the first three editions. We expect it to be a very useful and comprehensive input in the academic circles. Some salient features of A. Yūsuf ‘Alī’s Translation of the Holy Qur’ān, to support the argument, will also be discussed in this research paper. It is recommended that the art of transliteration is to be taught in all the research institutions of social sciences.