I recently came across the English translation of Dhiya-ul-Qur'an (originally written by Pir Karam Shah al-Azhari). Here are my initial impressions of the translated work: --- Title: Dhiya-ul-Qur'an (The Light of Qur'an) Pages: 566 Volume: 1 (from Surah Fatiha to Surah al-Anam) Edition: 2008 Author: Justice Pir Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari Translator (Exegesis): Iftikhar Bajwa Translator (Qur'an): Anees Ahmad Shaikh (translator of Jamal-ul-Qur'an) Publisher: Zia-ul-Quran Publications, Pakistan --- Currently only the first volume of the translation (covering Surah Fatiha to Surah al-Anam) is in print. This translated copy is based on the first volume of Zia-ul-Qur'an in Urdu. The direct translation of Qur'an is based on Jamal-ul-Qur'an which was published few years back. The quality of English translation is impressive by sub-continent standards; however, the overall translation quality could definitely improve with some help from professional copy editing services. I could spot many dangling modifier/participle errors and improperly constructed sentences. Despite these inadequncies, the translation makes a good read (although I have not compared the English translation to the original Urdu version to check the fidelity of translation). The paper and printing quality are surprisingly top-notch (given what we normally get in the Islamic books published in sub-continent). The preface to translation states that printing paper used is similar to those used for printing bibles. My main grouse is, however, the inadequate formatting style which affects the readability to some extent. Ideally the translated exegesis section should have different typeset and/or typesize to contrast it against Qur'anic translation. Sometimes it is difficult to see where the translation of Qur'anic text ends and where the exegesis begins. Per se, I have no issues with the recto-verso page ordering (as against standard verso-recto, i.e. left-to-right, page arrangement in English books); although an English reader (with no exposure to Arabic/Urdu) might find it bit usual in the beginning. Again, professional copy-editing services can greatly enhance the readability and presentation of the translated work. On the plus side, this translation has indices and other reference appendices (which I believe are lacking in the original Urdu version). --- On the whole, I would highly recommend this translation to English readers (who are, in general, deprived of scholarly masterpieces by subcontinent Sunni ulemas). I understand that this English translation endeavour has been driven by Pir Muhammad Amin-ul-Hasnaat Shah. Publisher and patrons behind this project deserve kudos for making accessible this highly acclaimed Urdu tafsir to the English-speaking populace. For those interested, the English translation is available in UK for £10 hadiya. I hope that publishers distribute this work broadly so that it is easily accessible to all. In general, such works have been traditionally distributed through select masjids and organisation (thereby, severely limiting its reach). I also hope that publisher/translator follow this up with speedy translation of remaining volumes of the original work.
