IQNA: What was your biggest challenge along the way?Ībdel Haleem: To find ways of producing the exact meaning of the Quran in effective modern English. Any translation that cannot do this has failed in a fundamental way. The important thing about the Quran in Arabic is that it has a strong impact on the reader. I translated a page and asked them for feedback repeatedly until they found it acceptable, readable and effective. The translations were too literal and unreadable. They said they did not read any of the existing translations because they were written in a language they did not use at school or at university. I asked my students at London University which translation they liked best. What motivated you to translate the Quran?Ībdel Haleem: I found the existing translations not convincing and containing serious inaccuracies. IQNA: You are a translator of the Quran into English. What inspired you to learn the Holy Book by heart?Ībdel Haleem: I come from a family whose father and grandfather were educated at al-Azhar and the first requirement for this was to memorize the Quran. ( I was) born in Egypt, but have been teaching in English universities for many decades. IQNA: Could you tell us about yourself and your professional experience?Ībdel Haleem: (I am) Muhammad Abdel Haleem, Professor of Islamic Studies at SOAS University, London. Any translation that cannot do this has failed in a fundamental way,” he told IQNA in an interview. “The important thing about the Quran in Arabic is that it has a strong impact on the reader.

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