Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall

An important name in the account of Quran translations is that of the Englishman Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall (1875 – 1936). He was an Englishman who converted to Islam in 1917, and openly championed the Turkish cause when England was pursuing a virulently anti-Turk policy. He was a supporter of the Ottoman Empire and was widely travelled in the Middle East. He served for a brief while in India also, under the Nizam of Hyderabad where in 1930 he completed his project of the translation of the Quran. This volume The Meaning of the Glorious Koran is considered to be a sensitive and scholarly translation. The fact that he got the approval of the Rector of al-Azhar which was considered to be the centre for Islamic studies in Cairo, testifies to the validity of Pickthall’s translation. It should also be noted that he had to stress that his translation was more of an interpretation (as the title of the books shows) than translation to get their approval. The al-Azhar is even today considered to be the final authority regarding Quran translations. Regarding Pickthall’s translation A. R. Kidwai says: “It keeps scrupulously close to the original in elegant, though now somewhat archaic, English. However, although it is one of the most widely used English translations, it provides scant explanatory notes and background information ("http://www.islam101.com/quran/transAnalysis.htm"). In Kidwai’s opinion, Pickthall’s translation does not help the uninitiated reader of the Quran. However it is true that Pickthall remains one of the best Western English translators, a fine example of a person translating from a foreign ideology and culture.