M. Farook Malik

Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik’s Al-Qur’an: The Guidance for Mankind is built for the general reader who wants to follow the Qur’an’s argument without specialist apparatus. Its most distinctive feature is organizational: the text is paragraphed by theme, with topic and section headings — printed in the margins and in synopsis form — that signal the subject of each passage. Each sura is prefaced by an outline noting its period of revelation, major issues, and guidance. The English itself is plain and accessible, with brief explanatory phrases set in italics so they can be told apart from the rendering of the Arabic.

Malik prepared the translation to make the meaning of the Qur’an readily navigable for English-speaking audiences, and the work has been issued in both English-only and Arabic-with-English editions, including by well-known Islamic publishers. Detailed biographical material about the translator is modest in widely available sources.

The translation is generally regarded as clear, well-signposted, and easy to use for study, particularly for those new to the text; the usual caveat applies that its smooth, explanatory style sits closer to interpretation than to strict literal equivalence.