Preface
1.1. Qur'ān like every book is for certain audience. People and scholars of earlier centuries were its audience. Today in the 21st century we are its audience. An author writes and compiles a book keeping in mind the intellectual level of intended audience. If that not be the case, authoring a book is a waste activity. Author is always on higher level of intelligence than his audience. But the author has to communicate at the level of cognitive intelligence of reader because without it there can be no communication. In its absence, the only thing the author and reader will share would be words sprinkled on a piece of paper. The message is geared to be consonant with the audience's prior knowledge and assumptions. It is the audience in relation to whom will depend the main idea, validation and support, word choice, sentence structure, writing plan - form, writing relationship: what tone of voice comes to you as a reader.
1.2. Except academic translations of legal documents and discourses, a translation of non-fiction book is in fact the perception and understanding of a translator about the source text. It is, thereby, but subjective since his effort is restricted to his acquired level of information and understanding by that point in time about various subjects discussed in the book. Since the level of information and knowledge keeps expanding, the understanding and thereby the translation of an individual of 7-20th century was certainly based upon the perceptions and understandings of people in those times, scholarship of individual translator notwithstanding.
1.3 Quite many people have translated the text of Grand Qur'ān for various motivations, considerations and intentions, good as well as bad, in timeline. Detailed account can be seen in World Bibliography of the Translations of the Meanings of the Holy Qur'an (Istanbul, OIC Research Center, 1986). Most of these are available on line. It is worldwide known fact the first translations to English were not undertaken by the believers in Qur'ān. During the period from 1649 to 1904 only four English translations were produced, all four by scholars who had their identity as Christians.
1649: Alexander Ross: The Alcoran of Mahmet: Quote from Wikipedia: One of Ross's most significant accomplishments, published in the same year as the beheading of the king, was his complete translation of the Qur'ān into English. Although he knew no Arabic and only poorly translated L'Alcoran de Mahomet, the 1647 French translation of Du Ryer, his translation was the first in English, and his influence faintly lingers in latter-day translations down to the present.
1734: George Sale: The Koran: The first "scholarly" translation of the Qur'an based primarily on the Latin translation of Louis Maracci (1698) George Sale's translation was to remain the most widely available English translation over the next 200 years, and is still in print today, with release of a 2009 edition
1861: John Medow Rodwell: The Koran
1880 Henry Edward Palmer: The Qur'an
1.4. The fact remains that no attempt was ever made for the translation of Grand Qur'ān strictly in accordance with academic rules, norms and principles. Moreover, it is an undeniable and unfortunate fact that just few scholars attempted translating the Grand Qur'ān in their respective target language directly from its Arabic text. Thanks to computer and internet technology, it is now easy to see the majority of translations on one page. This blessing of technology has highlighted a dismal image of saddening effect; when we see many translations on one page we find more plagiarism than original work. Majority merely "re-translated", or "reproduced" already available translations; particularly that of George Sale and John Rodwell, with slight difference of sentence structuring, and replacements by synonyms and synonymous words of the same language. A mere glance of the preambles of George Sale and John Rodwell works will reveal their tilted minds and hearts, nothing but bias, animosity, and rancour was the inspiration behind their scholarship and works.
1.5. In the later works the conspicuous difference will be noticed only about additions of sectarian biases. The fact of reliance upon such works becomes glaring in later works when we find such opinions; which otherwise seem irrational, illogical on face value, were plagiarized.
1.6. On the other extreme, one finds the scholars of remote past strangely kept fabulating whenever episode of life of the Elevated Messengers of Allah the Exalted finds mention in Qur'ān. Thereafter, the plagiarists in timeline have repeated it extensively that now it is as if engraved in memories of majority. However, the original episode in the Arabic words of Qur'ān is ever safe for those who wish not live in fictional realm.
1.7. It were only the Jews at the time of revelation of Qur'ān who are criminally charged for character assassination, for slandering, ill-reputing, and associating fabricated ridiculous stories with the Chosen and Elevated Allegiants sent as Messengers of Allah the Exalted, which are not becoming of their dignity, status, honour, and reverence. They did not hesitate doing so even for the elevated Messenger Sulie'maan alai'his'slaam who had made them sort of superpower, since he was given control and authority over breeze which pollinates the cash crops.
1.8. Distancing from the Grand Qur'ān has turned majority of us, the believers, as human lemmings belonging to this school of thought and that school of thought. We all have a packaged opinion inserted into our minds somewhat like a cassette inserted into a cassette player and we keep playing it back. Perhaps we also resemble to that she-spider mentioned in Qur'ān; she picks up a piece of paper and attaches it to the spinnerets, say chest, to soothe her when she fails to find her adopted house wherein she had placed her egg-sack. We are no more grouped and tightened by the "Rope"; we are now a people without a "DNA". It is now the time that we revert to the Book of Allah the Exalted, the Grand Qur'ān; and try regaining the dignified stature we once held in the world.
1.9. We the Believers know where we stand in the world of 21st century. If we were to search for a prime cause of our downfall in the comity of nations; it is our estrangement from Grand Qur'ān. And the fall of Arabs is only because they have forgotten to realize the superiority of their language which is reflective of the highest rational and intellectual mind of their forefathers. We wrongfully propagate the Qur'ān is the most widely read book. We naively equate recitation-transcription-memorization with reading. Reading is for comprehension. And comprehension is dependent upon acquiring the skill for real-time translation of the text of a foreign language. Thus, a negligible minority reads the Grand Qur'ān in the sense of the perception and meanings of the term "reading".
1.10. One of the erroneous palavers (almost worldwide perception) about Qur'ān is that it is religious text of a people named and identified as Muslims. The fact is diametrically opposite. It is the only and unique book whose audience is entire living Mankind. It is a book that addresses each and every individual whose Brain stem is alive. A reader who heartily submits to its Thesis Statement, after critical evaluation is called a Believer (not Muslim); one who rationally submits to the truth infallibly established by concrete evidence and irrefutable arguments. A person, who after submitting to the Thesis Statement, moulds his life according to the Code of Conduct - Universal Constitution prescribed therein, both for physical realm and life, is called a Muslim, literally a person who aspires to maintain peace, tranquillity, and dynamic balance of mind and heart and environment.
1.11. Another erroneous palaver about Qur'ān is that it literally means "the recitation". English word "recitation" means the action of repeating something aloud from memory. Thereby, what the palaver is attributing is that it is a book for memorization. A book is meant for reading and comprehending the author's communication therein. Memorization is not the primary objective of a book; however, it is evidence of par excellence sonic coherence in the Divine Discourse which enables its memorization. The title of the Book aims at informing the reader as to the type of the book and about its content and ambit.
1.12. Yet another palaver about Qur'ān is the widespread opinion, almost to the level of belief, that translating and comprehending Qur'ān is a difficult task. This conjectural and opinionated propaganda is so strong that vast majority, including those who have studied Arabic as a language to the higher level, seldom thought of learning the skill for self-translating and comprehending the Qur'ān. A fear has been generated that any attempt of self-interpreting Qur'ān might astray the person. A belief has been created that for learning Qur'ān the prerequisite is acquiring the knowledge of more than a dozen of disciplines.
1.13. Therefore, acquiring the skill for comprehending the message with personal effort is all the more important and necessary when we carefully listen to the information and cautions given therein about a type of scholars who are in fact enemies of the exalted Messenger Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam. We should study the built-in Information about certain religious scholars and their works on the Divine Book—mingling and jumbling of fabricated stories, whereby the need will be felt that every believer must make an effort to learn the skill at least for understanding the surface - exoteric meanings of the original Arabic text.
1.14. In view of highly negative information given in Qur'ān about a class of religious scholars who may have acquired the status of trailblazers, it is necessary for us to acquire the ability to evaluate their works which might otherwise be misleading and aiming at diverting people from the High Road of Allah the Exalted. There are further two reasons. Real-time translation is an intense activity of one's own brain. Reading a translation is near-passive activity, or involves less intellectual effort. Reading a translation may add to one's information-archive but may not necessarily enhance his level of understanding. Grand Qur'ān, a non-fiction book, aims at successively increasing the level of intellectual understanding of its reader to ascensions beyond the physical realm.
1.15. Ability of real-time translation will enable us to perceive those beauties and niceties of the words and sounds of Arabic text which all translations will lack, however profound and scholarly they might be. If environmentally we have never experienced the effect as mentioned in Ayah 39:23, despite having read dozens of translations and exegeses, it is time that we should try acquiring skill for real-time translation to synchronize our selves with the Words of Allah the Exalted. It says that skins of those who experience awe of their Sustainer Lord become bristled by listening or reading some segment of Grand Qur'ān. Did we ever experience this?
1.16. The need for acquiring skill for real-time translation is for reason that Grand Qur'ān is alive in time and space. It is declared as "Infallible Discourse", a miscellany of facts for all times. Therefore, barring a truly academic translation, all translations of the past will become merely a reference for successive generations in timeline. However, its characteristic feature; "Infallible Discourse" and declaration about its contents as absolutely void of peeving substance: suspicious, conjectural, whimsical, conflicting, ambiguous, anomalous, irrational, un-certain, illusory, unsubstantiated, incongruous, biased and opinionated matter, renders it understandable for readers of any point of timeline.
1.17. Why all translations of the past need to be archived, for reference purposes only, even if they were not academic translations? Grand Qur'ān informed in advance:
سَنُرِيـهِـمْ ءَايَٟتِنَا فِـى ٱلْءَافَاقِ وَ فِـىٓ أَنفُسِهِـمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّـنَ لَـهُـمْ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّۗ
Our Majesty will henceforth keep intermittently exposing visually Our tangible realities prevalent in the Universe-horizons and in their own bodies to them (who accept not the Divine origin of Qur'ān) — The purpose of this visual manifestation is that: it (Qur'ān) being Infallible Discourse of Reality itself explicitly explicates to have been sent for them by their Sustainer Lord. [Ref 41:53]
1.18. Besides creation, the other method of Divine communication - conveyance of information, knowledge and guidance is verbal; orally and in writing. Whatever and to whatever extent the Unitary Source of Knowledge wished to share, He has already shared with His Spokesperson closing the chapter of any further communication of information and knowledge:
إِنَّـآ أَعْطَيْنَٟكَ ٱلْـكَـوْثَرَ
[In keeping with the promise-93:5] Our Majesty have since personally granted you the Messenger [Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam] the unique - ultimate profundity. [108:01]
1.19. Henceforth, there shall be no communication and sharing of information. Onwards, it will only be exposure of realities to visual faculty. The fact about existing realities is that not all are visible to human naked eye. The Primal Creator as well as the knowledgeable, observant-scientists convey the knowledge about realities not apparent to human eye by using the metaphors. Descriptions by metaphors enable people perceive a general idea-image of invisible fact by relating it to features of the metaphor.