translated by Maulawi Sher Ali
isbn-13: 9781848800229
Hardcover
As a Muslim from birth, I have, of course, read the Holy Quran multiple times. In adult life I try and read a few lines every day - in Arabic and English. During the month of Ramadhan, Muslims try and read the whole Quran (in Arabic). I have never quite managed to do, given the constraints of work and commuting, as well as the difficulty of reading the Arabic for a non-Arabic speaker. This year, working from home due to being in lockdown and not having to commute to work, I was able to get pretty close - I got through about 27 of the 30 parts of the Quran. (I finished the rest off in the weeks that followed.) Every day, I would read the Arabic for one “part” and then the English translation. Reading the whole Quran this way from front to back (rather than dipping in and out) gives you a better sense of the broader themes in the Quran. You read various portions of the story of Biblical prophets such Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David and Solomon interweaved with each other. There are non-Biblical stories giving the example of the peoples of Ad and Thamud and the prophet Saleh. The story of Mary and Jesus is also mentioned in numerous places in the Quran. Other than a chapter dedicated to the story of Joseph, the Quran never gives a complete narrative in one place - instead it uses the examples of different prophets in different places to make a point. Obviously I have some degree of bias, being a Muslim, but I do recommend non-Muslims to read the Quran with a good translation (such as this one). Although it shares many of the characters that are in the Bible, the overall feel and flow of the Quran is very different. You can read online or download PDF versions from alislam.org and get a physical copy from amibookstore.us.