First, the translation insists on using an archaic form of English, which can be annoying. It is so much better to have a variety of explanations of the text from classical commentators rather than from the translator alone, since we are given more than one person's view as well as the idea of a tradition of interpretation, rather than the suggestion purveyed by some translators that it is always obvious what the Qur'an means. This is most useful because it is almost never done in so systematic a way, and the text is thus made much more available to the reader who does not read Arabic or have access to a range of commentaries. It has some impressive merits, and the main one to my mind is the extensive use of commentary from classical thinkers on the various parts of the text. And it is a book by believers not only for believers but also for anyone interested in the topic. It is very unusual also, since it is clearly meant to be a religious work, not a work about religion. The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary, almost two thousand pages of translation, commentary, and discussion of the Qur'an, is a very impressive product.
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