The Qur'an A Verse Translation

Islam’s founding text, rendered for the first time in flowing English verse.

"This must be the most beautiful translation of the Qur'an ever, being the first attempt to produce a verse rendition of the final divine revelation to humankind. It is both impressively poetic and accurate. It also includes an elaborate introduction, furnishing insightful background to the Islamic Holy Book."

― Dr. Ahmad Elezabi, Director General, Al-Azhar Center for Translation, University of Al-Azhar, Cairo, Egypt

This monumental feat of translation, the product of a ten-year-long collaboration between one of our most respected scholars of Islam (Bruce B. Lawrence) and a poet and scholar of literature (M. A. R. Habib), The Qur'an: A Verse Translation offers readers the first rendering in English to echo, in accessible and fluent verse, the sonorous beauty of the Arabic original as well as the complex nuances of its meaning.

Those familiar with the Qur'an in Arabic―especially the faithful who each day hear the text recited aloud―know that it is a sublime blend of sound and sense, music and meaning. While no translation can perfectly capture the inimitable virtues of the original, Habib and Lawrence have come closest to a readable, clear, and fluid English Qur'an that all readers, regardless of their faith or familiarity with the text, can read with pleasure, gaining a deeper appreciation of the book and the religious tradition it inspired.

© 2024 Liveright/W.W. Norton (Audiobook): 9798882469589

Release date

Audiobook: August 16, 2024