A. Methodology for this Translation

This work is the culmination of years of group research and study into the Scripture and its nature, and is an attempt to reintroduce people to God's words with authenticity and objectivity.

The most significant points that the reader needs to be aware of with regards to this translation are as follows:

1. Chapter Headings

In reviewing the oldest written records of the Scripture, it was found that no actual chapter names as used in current printed editions ever existed (e.g. 'the cow, the family of Imran, the women, etc.') and that they were later insertions to ease reference.

Image from chapter 10 of the Sanaa Qur'an dated around 800 A.D. * UNESCO - The Sana'a Manuscripts which shows no chapter name/heading

While this translation does use numeric chapter headings to ease reader reference, the removal of the 'names' has been done to maintain authenticity of the revealed text.

2. The 'Basmallah'

Current printed editions of the Scripture record the 'Basmallah' (the title which reads: 'In the name of God, the Almighty, the Merciful') as a stand-alone statement which, although included in all printed editions, is not counted as a verse except in the 1:1.

To clarify the issue of whether the remaining Basmallah's are indeed part of the revealed Scripture or not, a study of older copies of the Scripture has been conducted and this showed that all the Basmallah's are indeed part of the revealed text and were previously separated by a '*' or an '/' as were all the other verses.

Image from chapter 3 of the Gold Qur'an dated around 800 A.D. * All scans of Gold Qur\an are made available by John Hopkins University
(http://goldkoran.mse.jhu.edu/) which shows a verse stop after the 'Basmallah'

This translation has included the Basmallah's in nearly all chapters while following the common convention of not numbering them with the exception of 1:1.

3. Hafs Vs. Warsh

One of the least known facts regarding the Scripture is the existence of slight variations between existing printed versions (up to ten copies exist with minor variations, with the two most prominent being known under the names of 'Hafs' and 'Warsh') * Al-Qiraat Al-Ashr Al-Mutawatira, by Allawi Mohammed Balfaqeeh (Published by Dar Al-Mahajir).

While there is no variation with regards to the bulk text of the Scripture (i.e. nearly the same number of words, and sequence of words, in all versions), there is a slight difference in some of the spelling of certain words as well as the issue of the location of verse 'stops' which significantly differ from one version to the other.

Although the 'Warsh' style of separating the verses is found to be more in-line with the older surviving texts, the approach of this translation has been to remain with the common 'Hafs' numbering of verses as being the most prevalent amongst Muslims (Warsh being limited mainly to parts of North Africa).

4. The Missing 'Basmallah'

One of the strangest aspects of the printed Scripture is the lack of a 'Basmallah' at the beginning of chapter 9. Information written regarding this subject indicates that there is debate as to whether the Scripture is comprised of 114 chapters, or whether it is comprised of 113 chapters (some scholars have argued that a merger of chapters 8 & 9 is possible due to the lack of the Basmallah).

In reviewing the older written texts, it was found that the ability to realize the separation between chapters 8 & 9, without a Basmallah, was nearly impossible without referring to the man-made injection of the chapter name to highlight the beginning of a new chapter.

Image from chapter 9 of the Gold Qur'an showing inserted chapter name to mark separation

Although this translation retains the structure of having 114 chapters, it is being pointed out for the sake of transparency that the beginning of chapter 9 is only possible to be maintained with manual effort without the presence of a Basmallah.