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 Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46108] |
Sat, 04 August 2007 23:47  |
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Quran: a Reformist Translation is out Despite Obstruction
Dear brothers and sisters:
The long-awaited book, after being abandoned by Palgrave/Macmillan from fear of controversy and perhaps political considerations (see below), is finally out. Its first print is now offered at:
http://www.brainbowpress.com
Let the world hear about the book, so that we can break the blockage of the corrupt establishment and reactionary forces.
QURAN: A Reformist Translation
Translated and Annotated by
Edip Yuksel
Layth Saleh al-Shaiban
Martha Schulte-Nafeh
The Reformist Translation of the Quran offers a non-sexist understanding of the divine text; it is the result of collaboration between three translators, two men and a woman.
It explicitly rejects the right of the clergy to determine the likely meaning of disputed passages
It uses logic and the language of the Quran itself as the ultimate authority in determining likely meanings, rather than ancient scholarly interpretations rooted in patriarchal hierarchies.
It offers extensive cross-referencing to the Bible and provides arguments on numerous philosophical and scientific issues.
It is God's message for those who prefer reason over blind faith, for those who seek peace and ultimate freedom by submitting themselves to the Truth alone.
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"A bold and beautiful translation that serves as a timely reminder to all believers that the Qur'an is not a static scripture, but a living, breathing, ever-evolving text whose sacred words are as applicable today as when they were first uttered by the Prophet Muhammad fourteen centuries ago." - Reza Aslan, CBS News Consultant; Author, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam.
"A testament to the fact that faith need not suffocate reason. This is bound to be among the smartest of 'smart bombs' in the battle of ideas within Islam." - Irshad Manji, Fellow, Yale University and author, The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith.
"Every conversation begins with a single voice. This Reformist Translation of the Quran and its ancillary materials should begin many conversations, between and among Muslims and non-Muslims alike. In many parts of the Muslim world this is a dangerous discussion, and sometimes that danger can reach well into the West, as evidenced by the 1990 fatwa-inspired murder of Rashad Khalifa in Tucson, Arizona . It is an important discussion, however, and the editors of this book have assumed this risk to argue for a perspective that sets violence aside both in discourse and living. One can imagine that a broader adoption of their perspective across the Muslim world would reduce strife and invite greater examination of Islam by non-Muslims as something other than a threat. It would expand the conversation." - Mark V Sykes Ph.D. J.D. Director, Planetary Science Institute.
"Very Interesting and Timely" - Riffat Hassan, Ph.D. Professor of Religious Studies and Humanities at the University of Louisville, Kentucky. A pioneer of feminist theology in the context of the Islamic tradition.
"I completely agree with you in your rejection of the right of any group to arrogate to themselves the sole interpretation of the Quran. The Quran, being a book containing divine knowledge and wisdom, can only be understood progressively. It has to be interpreted anew by every generation and through a scientific methodology…. Your effort is praiseworthy. Well done. Keep it up." - Kassim Ahmad, former president of Malaysian Socialist Party and head of Malaysian Quranic Society who was declared "apostate" by religious authorities for his controversial work on the Prophetic Traditions.
"This translation is the best tool for those who want to understand the uncorrupted Message of Islam - justice and peace. This translation shows that the Quran is but the confirmation and continuation of God's system memorialized through Abraham, demonstrated in Torah through numerous prophets, and in the Hebrew Gospel through Yeshu'a/Jesus, the righteous of God. This translation is a message of peace, justice and judgment. I pray that the Reformist translation of the Quran will replace all others not only because it is the best but also because it is the closest to the original Arabic text." - Gershom Kibrisli, theologian and communal leader, The Karaim of the Early Hebrew Scriptures, Holy Land & Benelux.
"Quran: A Reformist Translation is distinct from other translations of the Qur'an in several important ways. First, to the best of my knowledge, it is only the second English translation of the Qur'an produced by Qur'anists--advocates of the concept of the Qur'an as the sole legitimate scriptural source of religious law and guidance in Islam. As Qur'anists, Yuksel and his colleagues reject the Hadith as sources of religious law and guidance and do not rely on them in this translation and commentary. The first Qur'anist English translation was done by the late Rashad Khalifa, a seminal figure in the late twentieth-century Qur'anist movement who directly influenced both Yuksel and Shulte-Nafeh. Quran: A Reformist Translation is also unique because it is the product of collaboration between two key figures in the present-day Qur'anist movement: Edip Yuksel and Layth Saleh al-Shaiban. The Qur'anist approach offers religious rather than secularist challenges to traditional understandings of Islam, whether Sunni, Shia, or academic, on a number of critical issues; so this translation and commentary have the potential to spark extreme controversy among Muslims and non-Muslims." - Aisha Y. Musa, PhD, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, Florida International University; author of An Examination of Early and Contemporary Muslim Attitudes toward Hadith as Scripture (Doctoral Dissertation, Harvard University, 2004).
"With its lucid language, brilliant theological and philosophic arguments, Edip Yüksel removes the smoke of distortions and ignorance generated by clergymen that have concealed the light of the Quran from masses. Pulling our attention to numerous scientific evidences supporting the authenticity of the divine nature of the Quran, the Reformist Translation is destined to create a Copernican Revolution in the realm of religions. I highly recommend it to Agnostics, Skeptics, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, or anyone who seeks truth about God without suppressing or compromising their brains." - Caner Taslaman, PhDs in Theology and Political Science; Post doc fellow at Harvard University; author, The Quran: Unchallengeable Miracle; The Big Bang and God; The Theory of Evolution and God; and The Invented Religion; www.mucizeler.com.
"Allah has gifted humanity with many signs for guidance. The Qur'an not only directs us towards these signs all over creation, but also in itself is a most miraculous sign. We can never know the full meaning of the Qur'an even as we exercise our minds and peacefully surrender our hearts to Allah so that we become able to read the signs and grow to know more. A Reformist Translation directs us to this miracle by offering an intense and challenging addition to the practice of sincere reading for knowing. I cannot accept its Qur'an only perspective, even as I support the efforts of these translators to engage, as they have, in reading and growing with knowledge while relaying to others some new possibilities of meaning for the sake of reflection and peacefully surrender. I hope many will examine their efforts to gain benefit and challenge." - Dr. Amina Wadud, Author: Inside the Gender Jihad: Reform in Islam.
"A timely and stimulating contribution to scholarship on Islam that offers cogent testimony to the diversity of views within the Islamic community. This new translation challenges those in East and West alike who see Islam as irreconcilably opposed to the scientific and democratic impulses of modernity." - Germaine A. Hoston, Ph.D, Professor, University of California. San Diego, former Director of the Center for Democratization and Economic Development, and author of The State, Identity, and the National Question and Faith, Will, and Revolutionary Change (forthcoming), a comparative study of theologies of liberation.
"I have to say that this translation --following in the same spirit of Dr. Khalifa's Quran: The Final Testament -- not only is daring, brave and non-traditional in its approach, it will open a lot of eyes that the Quran is dynamic in nature and relevant for all times. The spirit of using the Quran to explain the Quran, namely trying to understand a certain word by searching for the meaning of the same word in many different contexts within the Quran, is very evident in this translation. This is a book that encourages the reader to use his/her intelligence faculty in order to understand the message, true to the key message of the Quran itself." - Gatut Adisoma, PhD, Indonesia.
"From the perspective of the academic study of the Qur'an, this book has very little to contribute. ... To proclaim that the Qur'an contains 20th-century scientific discoveries renders meaningless the religious faith of Muslims of the past who could not possibly have been aware of such a concept. … Controversy may assist book sales, as happened in the case of The Satanic Verses, but it would be a cynical and questionable strategy to publish a book simply because it arouses the wrath of many people. Simply to publish this work as it is basically gives this religious group a platform to express their distinctive theology, which is highly polemical and dismissive of other perspectives…" – A anonymous Sunni Scholar who was described by the editor of Palgrave-Macmillan as "a very well-established professor."
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EDIP YUKSEL is an American-Turkish-Kurdish author and activist who spent four years in Turkish prisons in the 1980's for his political writings and activities promoting an Islamic revolution in Turkey. He experienced a paradigm change in 1986 transforming him from a Sunni Muslim leader to a reformed muslim or rational monotheist. Edip Yuksel has written more than twenty books and hundreds of articles on religion, politics, philosophy and law in Turkish, and numerous articles and booklets in English. Edip is the founder of 19.org, and the Islamic Reform organization. His personal site is yuksel.org. After receiving his bachelor degrees from the University of Arizona in Philosophy and Near Eastern Studies, Edip received his law degree from the same university. Edip is an Adjunct Philosophy professor at Pima Community College , and teaches various classes at his children's school. He is fluent in Turkish, English and Classic Arabic; proficient in Persian, and barely conversant in Kurdish, his mother tongue.
LAYTH SALEH AL-SHAIBAN is an author of various books and articles on Islam, founder of Progressive Muslims, and co-founder of Islamic Reform. Layth works in a financial institution as a financial adviser, and lives in Saudi Arabia.
MARTHA SCHULTE-NAFEH is Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona and Language Coordinator of Middle Eastern Languages at the Department of Near Eastern Studies. Martha received her B.S. from Wharton School , University of Pennsylvania in Economics, received her M.A., in Linguistics from the University of Arizona in 1990, and her Ph.D. from the same university in Near Eastern Studies - Arabic Language and Linguistics 2004. In 1982, she taught English as a Foreign Language at American University in Cairo, Egypt .
Following a Fatwa-Review of Establishment,
Palgrave/Macmillan Abandoned the Publication of this Book
In 2004, my colleagues and I signed a contract with Palgrave/Macmillan publishing house for the publication of Quran: a Reformist Translation. The editor and other staff of the publishing house were very encouraging and enthusiastic, and during the summer of 2006, I was personally introduced to the director of the publishing company at its New York headquarters. Palgrave even published an announcement about the upcoming Reformist Translation in their 2006 Fall/Winter Catalogue, which was later postponed to the summer of 2007. The publishing house posted information about the Reformist Translation for pre-orders at Amazon.com and other online bookstores. However, in December 2006, the editor informed me that the board had determined that my manuscript was not acceptable for publication.
Apparently, they were convinced or intimidated by a review (more accurately, a fatwa) of "a very well-established professor," who misleadingly likened our annotated translation of the Quran to Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses. This was akin to a medieval publishing house turning down Martin Luther's 95 Theses after consulting "a very well-established" Catholic Bishop! It is telling that Palgrave's "very well-established scholar" in his several-page review, had only one substantive criticism, which consisted of our usage of a word, yes a single word in the translation: progressive.
I believe that without hearing my defense against this Sunni version of excommunication in the guise of a "scholarly review," the publishing house committed an injustice against my person and our work. I called the publishing house and asked them to give me the chance to respond to the reviewer and defend myself and work against his disparagement and distortions; I was told he remain anonymous.
We were not surprised to hear negative remarks, insults, or false associations from a reviewer who considers a rejection of backward and bankrupt sectarian dogmas "heresy." However, we were surprised to learn that the board of the publishing house cancelled the publication of a potentially controversial yet crucial book that would introduce the message of the Quranthe message of peace, justice, reason, and progresswithout the distortion of sectarian teachings. Any scholar who can see beyond his or her office can see the growing reform movement, open or clandestine, particularly in Turkey, Malaysia , Iran, Egypt and Kazakhstan where people take great risks to question the popular sectarian dogmas.
You may visit the following websites for the full text of the letter of the Sunni scholar whose advice was taken at face value by Palgrave/Macmillan, and for our response to the letter. You may also find in the following websites, recent updates, reactions, and feedback from reviewers, our responses, related news in the media, and the activities of the global reformist movement:
http://www.19.org
http://www.islamicreform.org
http://www.progressivemuslims.org
http://www.free-minds.org
Let the world hear the message. Let the West hear the voice of monotheism, the voice of reason, peace, justice and progress. Let the East and the Middle East hear the clear message of the book that they have abandoned for centuries, despite efforts by their leaders to repress it.
9:32 They want to extinguish God's light with their mouths, but God refuses such and lets His light continue, even if the ingrates hate it.
9:33 He is the One who sent His messenger with guidance and the system of truth, to make it manifest above all other systems, even if those who set up partners hate it.
Edip Yuksel, J.D.
www.19.org
www.yuksel.org
www.islamicreform.org
www.brainbowpress.com
(USA) 520 481 1919 (Cell)
[Updated on: Sat, 04 August 2007 23:58]
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 Re: Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46194 is a reply to message #46108 ] |
Tue, 18 September 2007 08:25  |
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SELAM!
I am just wondering if there is any refferences to the Mathamatical Miracle of the Quran in this "Reformist Translation of the Quran"
Another thing I would like to know if this translation of the Quran can be downloaded for free anywere or is it strictly for Purchase only.
Peace!
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| Re: Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46207 is a reply to message #46194 ] |
Wed, 19 September 2007 22:45 |
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Dear Devotee:
We are redesigning the site, www.islamicreform.org and we will post there a pdf version of the RTQ for downloading, inshallah.
Peace,
Edip
Edip Yuksel; J.D.
www.yuksel.org
www.19.org
www.islamicreform.org
19@19.org
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 Re: Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46234 is a reply to message #46207 ] |
Wed, 26 September 2007 06:18 |
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Selam,
This does not answer if there is any refferences to the 19 mathamatical Miracle of The QURAN.
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| Re: Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46240 is a reply to message #46234 ] |
Wed, 26 September 2007 23:18 |
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Dear Devotee:
Of course there is a reference to 19 in the Quran: "On it is Nineteen"
Peace,
Edip
Edip Yuksel; J.D.
www.yuksel.org
www.19.org
www.islamicreform.org
19@19.org
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| Re: Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46242 is a reply to message #46240 ] |
Thu, 27 September 2007 01:48 |
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Selam
Please dont play games with words I specificaly asked if there is references to the Mathamatical Miracle of the QURAN not if there is a reference to the number 19 in the QURAN.
I am sure you understood me!
Peace!
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| Re: Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46252 is a reply to message #46242 ] |
Sat, 29 September 2007 19:38 |
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Dear Devotee:
I did not play games, since you asked about reference to 19; and my answer could not more to the point. But, as it seems, you need more elaboration and you are also angry, so I will try my best to please you.
Sure there is reference to the Miracle of the Quran. Starting from the Basmala of the first chapter and the first verse of Chapter 2, to the missing Basmala of Chapter 9 and the extra one in Chapter 27, in all inital letters/numbers, in chapter 74 and more.
The Quran is a numerically coded book, and this nature has been unveiled to our generation. There is no wisdom or virtue in hiding such a blessing after it is unveiled by God's will.
Peace,
Edip
Edip Yuksel; J.D.
www.yuksel.org
www.19.org
www.islamicreform.org
19@19.org
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| Re: Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46298 is a reply to message #46289 ] |
Wed, 10 October 2007 20:08 |
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Thank you truth-seeker for your encouraging words. With your help inshallah we will improve the translation. Especially, its language and style needs improvement.
Peace,
Edip
Edip Yuksel; J.D.
www.yuksel.org
www.19.org
www.islamicreform.org
19@19.org
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| Re: Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46342 is a reply to message #46341 ] |
Fri, 19 October 2007 18:42 |
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Dear Encoded:
In the oldest Quranic manuscripts available chapters do not have names. The names of chapters are mere convention. In fact, initially some chapters had multiple names. Chapter 9 was called both Towba or Baraa (For instance Bukhari calls it Baraa), Chapter 40 was called both Ghafir or Mumin... Some chapters initially had more than two names. Later, the convention of innovation became more settled.
If you think that naming chapters provides you with easier navigation then use it, but we should not forget that they are not part of the revealed text.
I personally prefer calling chapters according to their order, not according an innovation convention, for the following reason:
1. Reference to verses with chapter numbers is much economic to list and more aesthetic. Instead of Chapter Mutaffifin Verse 9; I prefer 83:9. For instance replace the chapter numbers with names and see how the following easy-to-follow list, which demonstrates the Quranic usage of the word DaRaBa, becomes complicated:
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• To travel, to get out: 3:156; 4:101; 38:44; 73:20; 2:273
• To strike: 2:60,73; 7:160; 8:12; 20:77; 24:31; 26:63; 37:93; 47:4
• To beat: 8:50; 47:27
• To set up: 43:58; 57:13
• To give (examples): 14:24,45; 16:75,76,112; 18:32,45; 24:35; 30:28,58; 36:78; 39:27,29; 43:17; 59:21; 66:10,11
• To take away, to ignore: 43:5
• To condemn: 2:61
• To seal, to draw over: 18:11
• To cover: 24:31
• To explain: 13:17
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2. Finding a verse in the Quran through a chapter name is more difficult than finding it through the chapter number. For instance, Muddathir 30 does not give much clue about the location of the chapter in the Quran to those who are not much familiar with the structure of the Quran, but 74:30 will easily give an idea about the location of the chapter and thus its verse. Finding a verse number in a book that is arranged in ascending numerical order is much easier as you can tell from the Reformist Translation.
3. Chapter names are Arabic and are meaningful words, but for non-Arabic speakers is meaningless. However, translating the NAMES of Chapters take away the benefit of convention, in the first place.
4. Quran is a numerically coded book (83:9-20), and chapter numbers have a role in the system.
5. If God wanted us to use words rather than numbers for the chapters of His book, wouldn't He Himself named them?
Peace,
Edip
[Updated on: Fri, 19 October 2007 19:06]
Edip Yuksel; J.D.
www.yuksel.org
www.19.org
www.islamicreform.org
19@19.org
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| Re: Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46593 is a reply to message #46108 ] |
Tue, 18 December 2007 19:33 |
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 burgher
Messages: 52
Registered: January 2005 |
Beginner |
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This is very interesting work. Don't mean to be a spoil sport but someone need to look at Aidid Safar's work and compare the translations there.
Look at the great spectacle called the 'hajj', on right now. You can now travel super deluxe to earn brownie points for passage to heaven.
Do anyone really wish to be part of all these, well, I mean people with some brains. As for me, I am moving towards being a deist now. All religions are man-made and full of bull shit, concocted to suit sectarian interests.
I have been to the 'umrah' twice and the 'hajj'. Complete waste of money. I am inclined ti take the black stone for analysis and prove that it is a meteorite that fall out of the sky, if not for the guards that are stationed above it 24/7 for obvious reasons. Same for the 'zam zam', a geological probe will confrim that it leads to some large underground spring somewhere, maybe be to the North Pole. Miraculous indeed, tsk! tsk!
So bye, bye man-made religions. I am outta here.
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| Re: Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46594 is a reply to message #46108 ] |
Tue, 18 December 2007 19:45 |
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burgher
Messages: 52
Registered: January 2005 |
Beginner |
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It is simple. You don't sit on 40% of the world's oil reserves so what would anyone listen yo you. To have power and influence you need to have something that people's need.
Alternatively, "power comes from the barrel of the gun" (Mas Tse Tung); probably he studied the life of Mohammad (the Muslims call him the last prophet)too. The Islamic empire was built on raw power, force, slayings and mind games.
this guy, Mohammad, was no illiterate, some stupid bedioun; he was the son of some political scions, with his own imperialist ambitions. With cunning, and money, obtained from plundering, he built a new political and social order for personal glory.
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| Re: Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46595 is a reply to message #46594 ] |
Tue, 18 December 2007 23:05 |
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Dear burgher:
From your posting it is clear that you feel that you were betrayed by the mainstream religion and now you are reacting the same way you followed before: emotional reaction.
When you are able to reason with us, please come back. As for your current state, you need to just forget about everything and care about yourself. Ranting will only lead you to where you are trying to escape.
Peace,
Edip
Edip Yuksel; J.D.
www.yuksel.org
www.19.org
www.islamicreform.org
19@19.org
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| Re: Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46608 is a reply to message #46604 ] |
Thu, 20 December 2007 17:16 |
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burgher
Messages: 52
Registered: January 2005 |
Beginner |
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Constructing a calendar is well documented. There is the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese calendar, etc. Pre-historic humans probably just used the daylight and darkness and the changing seasons to mark time plus of course the physiological changes in the life forms, including the human body.
From the position of recurring stars, the day/night cycle, sighting of the moon and the arrival of seasons we can fairly put markers down. For eg. after roughly 30 day/night cycles we see the moon back to where we sighted it and the after certain batches if this cycle then another star appear, giving us another marker to form a larger period.
With modern astronomy we may even redefined the all the cycles if we wish to.
Islamic calender was made up just for the purpose of creating an Islamic identity for its band of followers. They could have adopted the Gregorian or Chinese calendar if they had wished.
People may created they own calendars if they wish and there are many calendars in the world, just that some people don't move with the times. E.g the sighting of the moon, to start the fasting month, with the naked eyes is still being followed when in this day and age when powerful and different telescopes are available.
If you happen to be on the moon, which moons do you try to sight? It all boils down to methodology and rational choice. Unfortunately, most Muslims are not rational.
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| Re: Quran: a Reformist Translation is out... [message #46617 is a reply to message #46611 ] |
Fri, 21 December 2007 19:57 |
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Peace "burgher"
| burgher wrote on Fri, 21 December 2007 06:20 |
No offence intended here, Edip. Just wanted to why the publishers refused to print your reformist translation of the qur'an. They(US government) are afraid of the powerful Sunnis and Shias who sit on the vast oil reserves that the West depends on. Western governments are too afraid to stand up to them because they need their oil and to sell their weapons to them.
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JK- Either they are too afraid or they are actually working together with them i.e. dont have any conscience and dont care about human rights themselves.
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They can do us a favour, conquer those places by military force, install a democracy. However, this would be too costly, so better to sleep with the devil as long as they sell them their oil and keep buying their weapons.
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JK- Here also ill have to say that the problem is a bit more complex. I agree with your first statement BUT taking into account that the Elite is attacked specifically and civilian casualties reduced as much as possible NOT harming any on purpose whatsoever and taking to account more seriously those soldiers who do. Also cost is not the main problem since the US has already spent billions of USD on the "war on terror". The problem is COMPLEX THINKING. The Sunni and Shia Elite have their lackeys even inside the US who are willing to blow themselves in the name of their religion whenever their sheikhs tell them to do so. It requires complex ways to rid them off this ideology and the corporates want to sit back and enjoy life instead of involving themselves in these activities. BUT luckily in the US and the west we have many free thinkers, scientists and other hard working men whor willing to take up this task. Wish them all the best. GOD Bless!
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