Ramadan And The Ascendant Qur’an

Zafar Bangash

Ramadan 01, 1446 2025-03-01

Islamic Movement

by Zafar Bangash (Islamic Movement, Crescent International Vol. 55, No. 1, Ramadan, 1446)

The noble Qur’an, Allah’s last and final message to all humanity, was revealed in the Arabic language. It, therefore, follows that knowledge of Arabic is essential for understanding the message of the Qur’an. A clarification, however, is in order.

When we mention the Arabic language, it refers to Qur’anic Arabic which is standard Arabic, or fus-ha. This is the Arabic that is utilized in the vast majority of media, in universities, in government, and in all Islamic teaching and dissemination establishments.

Standard Arabic today, unlike other languages that have undergone mostly unrecognizable changes over the centuries, is exactly the same today as it was over 1,400 years ago when the Qur’an was first revealed. Hence, what is to be understood today from the Qur’an is no different than the prophetic understanding of it all those hundreds of years ago.

Soon after the advent of Islam, it became the dominant power and civilization. Its language, standard Arabic, also became the dominant language of the world. Unfortunately, this is not the case today. Not only have non-Islamic languages become dominant, they reflect a hedonistic and demonic power culture.

This leads to the question, what should Muslims do? The simple answer is that they should learn Qur’anic Arabic. This is not as simple as it sounds. This is especially acute for those residing in non-Muslim majority societies.

The way out of this dilemma is to present the message of the Qur’an in a language that is widely spoken and understood: English. This poses its own dilemma. English has been secularized and cannot render many Qur’anic words such as taqwa, bir, ihsan and iman, accurately.

These words are imbued with multiple layers of meanings, intimately linked to the ethos of Islam. Thus, we arrive at the sad conclusion that the Qur’an cannot be accurately translated into any other language. Only an approximation of its meanings can be communicated.

With sincere effort and dedication, such challenges, however, can be overcome. This is what has been achieved in a contemporary translation of the Qur’an by Imam Muhammad al-Asi. Titled, The Ascendant Qur’an, the Arabic-English translation was published in 2023. It has been widely welcomed as an important addition to the many English translations available in the market.

The distinctive feature of Imam al-Asi’s translation is that it highlights some important aspects that have been heretofore missing, chiefly Allah’s power and authority so as to integrate those who yield to Allah’s command and counsel into the power-grid of Islam. It is essential to emphasize Allah’s power and authority because taghuti powers, having usurped what properly belongs to Allah and being ill-suited to exercise that awesome power, are now responsible for the widespread corruption, oppression and injustice that is endemic in the modern world.

Throughout life, we strive to earn the pleasure of Allah and to protect ourselves from His corrective justice. To be able to don the mantle of protection, prevention, and precaution, i.e., have taqwa, we must learn to live the Qur’an.

Being part of the Qur’anic culture is an “acquired taste”. It requires effort, commitment, and ultimately full confidence and reliance on Allah’s guidance and the methodology of His final Prophet, Muhammad (pbuh).

The principle of social justice is front and center in the Qur’an. Through Imam al-Asi’s translation, readers will learn to develop a keenness and a sense of responsibility to confront and overcome the widespread injustices in the world today. Understanding Allah’s power and authority and yielding to it will enable us to overcome the many challenges Muslims face today.

The Prophet Muhammad’s 23-year struggle resulted in producing a generation shaped by the Qur’an. It did not seek the material possessions or comforts of this dunya, but the pleasure of Allah (swt) in the akhirah. Their mission and struggle were directed at saving errant humanity from its deviant beliefs and practices that were leading to its destruction.

Guided by this final Testament, subsequent generations of Muslims set out to shape the destiny of humanity for nearly 1,000 years. For this Qur’anic generation no challenge was too great and no price too steep.

Ending gross injustices was the most important dimension of their mission. Islam imbued the early generations of Muslims with the spirit of self-sacrifice to Allah so that social justice on earth would be a reflection of absolute justice in the realm of forever.

While Muslims are not in the driving seat of history today, this should not lead to despondency. Islam has the regenerative power to enable Muslims to re-emerge in their natural dominant role in the world. The building blocks of this regenerative process are none other than a proper understanding of the noble Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah and Seerah.

Now, an English-only version of translation has also been produced. It was launched in South Africa in October 2024 to wide acclaim. All available copies were sold out within two weeks.

What is distinctive about the English-only version is that difficult words have been simplified. Expressions unfamiliar to non-Muslims have been rendered into easily understandable English. And where possible, to familiarize the novice reader to the Qur’anic text, Islamic Arabic proper nouns have been replaced by their biblical equivalents. Muslims unfamiliar with Qur’anic expressions will also find it extremely helpful.

The ‘English-only’ translation of the Qur’an by Imam Muhammad al ‘Asi is meant to develop the contemporary Qur’anic generation. It is presented in a captivating style and is available in multiple formats: hard-bound, soft cover and pocket size.

Muslims should not only get a copy for themselves but also gift it to relatives and friends, especially in the month of Ramadan. The English only version is especially useful as a gift to non-Muslim friends. This will also fulfill an important obligation of the Muslims as da‘ees.

Copies can be sponsored for US$30/each. This will serve as Sadaqa-i Jariya (ongoing reward of Sadaqa) for those who sponsor copies. Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an. Muslims should not only engage the noble Qur’an themselves but also spread its blessings to others by gifting copies to them.

6x9 hard cover: $36
6x9 soft cover: $30
4x7 pocket size, soft cover: $17
Audio edition: $10
ePub digital edition: $10
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