Rating: 
Summary: The best translation of the Qur'an
Review: I've read translations by Pickthall and others but A. Yusuf Ali's work is by far the best and most comprehensive translation of the Qur'an. His footnotes and commentary, background information, and choice of wording are all superb. My entire family reads his translation almost exclusively and I would recommend this one to any and all who wish to study the Qur'an, regardless of age and experience.
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Work
Review: If you are looking for a translation of the Holy Qur'an, then Abdullah Yusuf Ali's work is the right choice. First, each translator faces a daunting task. He must convey the content of the message along with a sense of the majesty of the original language - if you will the sound and spirit. A simple word for word translation generally does not accomplish this: the translator has to put a bit of himself and his talents into the translation. Mr. Ali has grounded himself in sacred commentary on the Qur'an - both that focused on the religious content as well as that based on philological/grammatical studies. The latter is very important to pick up the nuances of meaning embedded in grammatical constructions and individual words. Mr. Ali supplements his own choice of translation in the main text through footnotes which discuss the nuances/wider meanings of words. For example, he notes that the Arabic word "sabr" which is generally translated as "patient" means as well "steadfast", "unwilling to be defeated" etc. In different verses then he will translate the same Arabic word in different ways to convey the required meaning. In other cases where there are variant readings resulting from the way a sentence may be split he provides an explanatory footnote which provides both his version, the alternative reading and his rationale for his choice. Second, the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAAWS) over the course of years. Often in relation to specific events which took place. Some verses of the Qur'an were therefore later superceded by others. Mr. Ali provides a guide to this as well as highlighting the context in which a particular verse or verses were revealed. As well, he begins each Surah with a commentary to explain the theological key points/issues discussed within. This is extremely valuable as an aid to the reader's understanding. In this same vein, he provides religious commentary on particular verses through the deft use of footnotes. This provision of a context is what distinguishes this work from other translations which provide only a translation. Of course, as the translator takes this additional step, it is important for the reader to understand what predispositions the translator brought with him to his work. Mr. Ali outlines his approach to the translation, his methodology and sources. By some accounts he had a strong mystic ("Sufi") strain. There are glimmers here and there in the text of such an orientation, though I believe that his commentary (which apparently has been edited) is sufficiently mainstream at least in the Sunni tradition of Islam. The Amana edition, which is well made and the version I would recommend, also contains a detailed comprehensive index so the reader can easily browse through the Qur'an on a particular topic. The Qur'an has much wisdom for all of us - non-Muslims and Muslims. Mr. Ali's work helps open the door to this message of mercy and peace.
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Work
Review: If you are looking for a translation of the Holy Qur'an, then Abdullah Yusuf Ali's work is the right choice. First, each translator faces a daunting task. He must convey the content of the message along with a sense of the majesty of the original language - if you will the sound and spirit. A simple word for word translation generally does not accomplish this: the translator has to put a bit of himself and his talents into the translation. Mr. Ali has grounded himself in sacred commentary on the Qur'an - both that focused on the religious content as well as that based on philological/grammatical studies. The latter is very important to pick up the nuances of meaning embedded in grammatical constructions and individual words. Mr. Ali supplements his own choice of translation in the main text through footnotes which discuss the nuances/wider meanings of words. For example, he notes that the Arabic word "sabr" which is generally translated as "patient" means as well "steadfast", "unwilling to be defeated" etc. In different verses then he will translate the same Arabic word in different ways to convey the required meaning. In other cases where there are variant readings resulting from the way a sentence may be split he provides an explanatory footnote which provides both his version, the alternative reading and his rationale for his choice. Second, the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAAWS) over the course of years. Often in relation to specific events which took place. Some verses of the Qur'an were therefore later superceded by others. Mr. Ali provides a guide to this as well as highlighting the context in which a particular verse or verses were revealed. As well, he begins each Surah with a commentary to explain the theological key points/issues discussed within. This is extremely valuable as an aid to the reader's understanding. In this same vein, he provides religious commentary on particular verses through the deft use of footnotes. This provision of a context is what distinguishes this work from other translations which provide only a translation. Of course, as the translator takes this additional step, it is important for the reader to understand what predispositions the translator brought with him to his work. Mr. Ali outlines his approach to the translation, his methodology and sources. By some accounts he had a strong mystic ("Sufi") strain. There are glimmers here and there in the text of such an orientation, though I believe that his commentary (which apparently has been edited) is sufficiently mainstream at least in the Sunni tradition of Islam. The Amana edition, which is well made and the version I would recommend, also contains a detailed comprehensive index so the reader can easily browse through the Qur'an on a particular topic. The Qur'an has much wisdom for all of us - non-Muslims and Muslims. Mr. Ali's work helps open the door to this message of mercy and peace.
Rating:
Summary: Abdullah Yusuf Ali - An Unsung Hero of the Muslim World
Review: In The Name Of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali - An Unsung Hero of the Muslim World One of the most unsung heroes of the Muslim world is surely one of the most visible. The translation of the Holy Qur'an by Ustad Abdullah Yusuf Ali has, over the years emerged as the most authoritative and popular translations ever undertaken; so much that the Saudi Arabian government has endorsed it. Yet not many people know much about Abdullah Yusuf Ali. To begin with, here is his photograph. The internet also throws up more information on him. For instance, not many who admired his comprehensive and so traditional translation of the Qur'an know that he was a SHIA MUSLIM. Abdullah Yusuf Ali was the son of Yusuf Ali Allabaksh, also known as Khan Bahadur. This was an Indian Dawoodi Bohra family. Allabaksh had a civil service post in the Surat Municipality and in his obituary, the name "Shaikh Yusuf Ali Shujauddin" was used, a title which MAY have come from the Dawat. However, the father, who apparently spoke and taught Arabic, sent Abdullah Yusuf Ali to Anjuman-e-Islam, a modernist Islamic seminary. Abdullah Yusuf Ali, 1872-1953 The most comprehensive information about Abdullah Yusuf Ali is from a 1994 biography written by M.A. Sherif, Searching For Solace: A Biography Of Abdullah Yusuf Ali - Interpreter Of The Qur'an (Islamic book Trust, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 1994. pp. 314). The saddest aspect of his life was that he died a nonentity in a miserable situation. Monetarily, he was not in a bad position. He was a British pension holder and had other sources of income. But during the last days of his life, he became mentally sick and, at times was found roaming about in tattered clothes in the streets of London with no fixed abode. In the words of his biographer, M.A. Sherif, "it was in a harsh winter of Britain on December 9, 1953, that a confused Abdullah Yusuf Ali was found out of doors, sitting in the steps of a house in Westminster. The police took him to Westminster Hospital. He was discharged the following day and a London County Council home for the elderly in Dovehouse Street, Chelsea, took him in. He suffered a heart attack on December 10 and was rushed to St Stephen's Hospital in Fulham. Three hours after admission he died. Thus ends on a sad note the story of an unsung hero of the Muslim world. ...
Rating:
Summary: My Qur'an of Choice
Review: Of all the scriptures of the great world religions, the Qur'an is the most difficult to read (it was, after all, written in the language that gave us such flowery phrases as "the mother of all battles") as well as to understand (our primary and secondary schools don't teach us very much about the medieval Arab world in which the Qur'an was written, and in which Islam arose, and, from the favorable reviews for books that bash Islam, American colleges aren't doing any better). Well, there isn't much that anyone can do about how the Qur'an sounds in English, but Yusuf Ali does a top-notch job with his footnotes and commentary, which are more than helpful. No native English-speaker who doesn't speak Arabic or has only superficially studied Islam can say they know what the Qur'an says until they've read this version. This has been my "Qur'an of choice" for nearly ten years (I first encountered it in 1994, and I've been using it almost exclusively ever since).
Rating:
Summary: Koran
Review: One of the most authentic and the most popular English translations of the Holy Koran.Includes excellent commentary and introduction to the study of the Koran.
Other translation of the Koran to try is "Glorious Quran"
Translation by Marmadouke Pickthall.
Rating: 
Summary: Altered in attempt to accommodate Western sensitivities
Review: People who did not grow up in a muslim environment will find a large quantity of Koranic material--whether in the original Ancient Arabic or in modern-language translation--that is objectionable from a theological and/or moral point of view. This translation deliberately alters the text to make it seem more palatable. For example, instead of the more accurate instruction in 4:34 that husbands should "beat" their wives and slave girls (when they are suspected of disobedience), Ali renders the passge "beat them [lightly]"
Better translations are:
1) M.A.S. Abhel Haleem (Oxford University Press)
2) N.J. Dawood (Penguin Classics)
Rating:
Summary: ""That this is indeed A Qur'an most honourable"
Review: That this is indeed a Qur'an most honourable, in a Book well-guarded, Which none shall touch but those who are clean: A Revelation from the Lord of all the Systems of Knowledge. Is it such a Message that you would hold in light esteem: And have you made it your livelihood that you should declare it false? Praise be to Allah, who has sent to His Servant the Book, and has allowed therein no crookedness: Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy. The Qur'an is a Divine Book in every sense of the word. The Qur'an doesn't depend upon us to prove it to be from our Creator. The Qur'an will stand on it's own merit and prove itself it claims wheather we believe it or not.We can't compare ourselves to the Divine. In the Arabic Qur'an there is no contradiction and there is a consistent theme from beginning to end. Only the sincere in heart and patient ones will be blessed to benefit from it. No one can defeat the "mind" of the Qur'an. The Qur'an complements your nature and helps complete your nature. It respects human intelligence and is in agreement with the excellence of our orignal nature. The Qur'an challenges us to think. It says Thinking on (G-d) Allah is the most powerful force in creation without a doubt. The Qur'an say of those who desire to extinquish Allah's light (the Qur'an) with their mouths it will only cause G-d's light to get brighter and increase. The Qur'an says to us to think not that our creation is bigger than the creation of this universe. Lastly, The Qur'an says "This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who are regardful, who respect sacredness."
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Summary: Great Revised Translation of the Quran
Review: The Amana Publications edition of the classic Yusuf Ali translation of the Quran is a great work and a must to have for both muslims and non muslims. Althought it is written in a 16th century english format, its easily understood and has enough commentary and a good index to thoroughly explain the verses. With that being said, No translation of the Quran is considered the Quran, for the Quran was revealed in the Arabic language and no translation can fully explain the Arabic. This book allows readers to know the approximate meanings to this Holy book and to appreciate it at a basic level.
Rating:
Summary: Masterful edition of this popular English Qur'an
Review: This absolutely fantastic deluxe edition of the Qur'an is a must-have for any student of spirituality, or of the world's major religions. Abdullah Yusuf Ali's splendid commentary guides the reader in his comprehension and learning of this very important book.
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