translations in different languages, especially English, are a pressing need of the hour. It is heartening that a number of able scholars, who are respected by the Muslims as authentic spokespersons of Islam, have responded to this need of our times. Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, and Muhammad Asad are some of the most outstanding names that instantly come to mind from among a growing body of distinguished translators of the Qur’an.
A great Muslim scholar of the twentieth century, Mawlana Sayyid Abul A[la Mawdudi (1903-1979), was conscious that a fresh effort to translate and explain the Qur’an was needed for the Urdu-reading public. In response to that he devoted several decades of his life and produced his monumental work, Tafhim al-Qur’an, which is a unique contribution to the contemporary literature on the exegesis of the Qur’an. The uniqueness of Tafhim lies in the fact that it is focused on explicating to the fullest extent possible the Guidance embodied in the Qur’an. The Qur’anic Guidance has to be optimally appreciated by all because it is meant to shape man’s worldview and outlook on life as well as to shape the pattern of individual and collective behaviour and to mould human institutions in line with the letter and spirit of God’s imperatives.
In Tafhim Sayyid Mawdudi also emphasizes that the Qur’an is not meant for a docile, arm-chair reading. It is essentially meant for those who seek to know the Truth and after knowing it will actively engage themselves in living according to its demands and will also strive to make it prevail in their milieu. It is meant for those who are ready to change themselves and willing truly to change the world around them. It calls upon those who embrace its message not to be satisfied ever with the status quo, but to strive
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ceaselessly to improve themselves, improve their fellow-beings and improve the order of things in which they are placed.
Sayyid Mawdudi’s magnum opus, Tafhim al-Qur’an, was published in Urdu in six volumes and is spread over several thousand pages. It was felt that it should reach the vast body of English-reading public spread across the globe. Hence we arranged for its English translation which is being published under the auspices of the Islamic Foundation, Leicester, UK. Seven volumes of it have already been published. Work on the remaining volumes is under way but its completion may take several years. Hence it was considered appropriate to publish a shorter, one-volume work about the Qur’an that would be of use to those who might not have the time or sustained interest and patience to study the voluminous work that Tafhim is.
As good luck would have it, after completing Tafhim Sayyid Mawdudi himself became aware of the same need and therefore produced a one-volume edition of his work to which he gave the title Tarjuma-’i Qur’an-i Majid ma[ Mukhtasar Hawashi. Sayyid Mawdudi added to his translation of the Qur’an, which in itself was a landmark achievement, short notes which he considered essential for a clear understanding of the Qur’an. These notes are by far and large an abridgement of the copious notes of his Tafhim.
Sayyid Mawdudi’s translation has certain unique features. It is an interpretative translation in direct, forceful and modern Urdu which has now been rendered into forceful and modern English. In the first place, this translation conveys the meaning of the Qur’an in a style that hopefully reflects something of the beauty, force and majesty of the Qur’an. This translation is supported by short notes and those too in a very limited number. They primarily aim at clarifying either the background of a particular verse or elaborating a point where the uninitiated reader might require some assistance in grasping the meaning and import of a Qur’anic verse. It is hoped that in its present form the translation with short notes accompanying it will provide a useful aid for an essential understanding of the Qur’an. The purpose of the work is to assist those who seek to have access
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to the meaning of the Qur’an but who can do so only through the medium of the English language.
Dr. Zafar Ishaq Ansari, my dear brother, life-long friend, and colleague has very ably produced the English rendering of this work. I have no hesitation in saying that Dr. Ansari has rendered the same kind of service to the English-reading public that Sayyid Mawdudi had rendered to the Urdu-reading public. It represents a monumental achievement. I pray to Allah to bless this effort and make it a light-house for those who are stumbling in quest of the Truth of which the Qur’an is a unique repository. May God bless all those who have contributed in one way or another to making this project see the light of day and may He amply reward them for that.
Islamabad Khurshid Ahmad
Muharram 28, 1426
March 10, 2005
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Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Abridged Version is an English rendering of Tarjuma-’i Qur’an-i Majid ma[ Mukhtasar Hawashi, a translation of the Qur’an with short notes by Mawlana Sayyid Abul A[la Mawdudi (1903-1979), one of the most extensively read and influential Muslim scholars of the twentieth century. Though Mawdudi was born and lived throughout his life in the South Asian Sub-continent, his writings attracted Muslims as well as a fairly large number of educated non-Muslims across the globe. These writings also greatly contributed to that complex of feeling, consciousness, and activism that has come to be characterised during the last few decades as ‘Islamic resurgence’.
As a writer, Mawdudi was both prolific and versatile. His writings, which range from small articles and tracts to voluminous books, encompass almost all significant aspects of Islam. These works were generally well-received, especially by the educated Muslim readership and his articulation of the Islamic world-view won him considerable acclaim. Mawdudi’s presentation of the socio-economic and political doctrines of Islam in particular evoked much interest and appreciation. Likewise, Mawdudi distinguished himself by his forceful writings aimed at establishing that the principles propounded by Islam were intrinsically sound, that they were relevant for and viable in every age and clime, that they were intrinsically good and benevolent and conducive to the overall well-being of mankind.
Apart from focusing on subjects of relatively contemporaneous concern, Mawdudi also wrote on subjects that belong to the
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traditionally recognized fields of Islamic scholarship such as Hadith, Fiqh and [Ilm al-Kalam. It is the Qur’an, however, that held for him a very special place, and one might say, overpowering fascination. He relished the Book of God beyond all measure and never ceased to look up to it at every step and turn of life for light, guidance and inspiration. In his view, the Qur’an was not to be approached merely for barakah (blessing); it should rather serve as the sheet-anchor and the driving and guiding force of one’s life. Hence one should let the Qur’an shape one’s intellectual outlook, mould one’s character and conduct, and serve as the yardstick that should judge all things. Mawdudi once described the Qur’an as the ‘master key’, zestfully claiming that after he had found that key all locked doors were flung open and all his intellectual problems and perplexities were resolved. It was perhaps not merely a coincidence that the monthly magazine which he chose to edit and through which he disseminated his ideas for forty-six years (1933-1979) bore the appellation Tarjuman al-Qur’an (“The Interpreter of the Qur’an”).
I felt greatly honoured when I was asked to render Sayyid Mawdudi’s monumental work Tafhim al-Qur’an into English. Over the years seven volumes of this work have been published by The Islamic Foundation, Leicester, UK under the title Towards Understanding
