This new translation of the Qur'an is the result of decades of study by the translator, of the text, of the traditional Muslim authorities, and of work by western scholars. Special thought has been given to what the text would have meant to its original hearers and to the fact that the Qur'an was originally an oral work. To help readers to bear this latter fact in mind, not only has the traditional verse structure been maintained, but, where necessary, verses have been further divided into sections to indicate where there are natural points for pause. There is a general introduction, each sura has its own introductory note, and there is a full index.