An English translation of Quran by Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan was released on Saturday at the India Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi.
This is the first major Indian English translation of the Quran since Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s version in the 1930s. It includes a detailed introduction to Islam, extensive annotations, and appendices covering the history of Quran, the life of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h), Allah’s Beautiful Names, a dictionary of Islamic terms, and a subject index.
The translation relies on authentic Arabic works, early exegeses, and classical dictionaries to determine the meanings of difficult words and expressions. The new annotations address common questions from any readers. Many previous translations lacked this approach, leading to misunderstandings that critics exploited.
Dr. Zafarul-Islam , Director of Darul Musannefeen Shibli Academy and former Chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission, said the translation took 12 years. He carefully researched every word and consulted scholars globally. His goal was to present the Quran as Islam’s earliest followers understood it. He described it as “the most accurate version of the Quran in simple, modern English.”
Dr. Khan is an Indian scholar and expert on the Middle East. He studied at Indian madrasas, Al Azhar and Cairo universities, and earned his PhD in Islamic Studies from Manchester University in 1987. He worked as a translator-editor for the Libyan Foreign Ministry (1973–1979) and later as a senior research fellow at The Muslim Institute, London.
Speakers at the event praised his decade-long effort. They included Professor Salim Engineer (Vice President, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind), Maulana Muhibullah Nadwi (Member of Parliament), Prof. Abdul Majid Qazi (Jamia Millia Islamia), Prof. Muhammad Qutbuddin (JNU), Dr. Waris Mazhari (Jamia Hamdard), and Abdul Wadood Sajid (Editor, Inquilab, Delhi).
The program was chaired by Dr. Syeda Saiyidain Hameed, a former Planning Commission member. The Glorious Quran has gained immense popularity and is in high demand both in India and abroad.
