John Medows Rodwell (1808–1900) was an English clergyman of the Church of England and an Islamic studies scholar, who translated the Qur'an into English. Rodwell was a friend of

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

while both were studying at Cambridge, and he maintained a correspondence with Darwin after their graduation. He served as Rector of St.Peter's,

Saffron Hill Saffron Hill is a street and former ward in Holborn, in the south eastern corner of the London Borough of Camden, between Farringdon Road and Hatton Garden. The name of the street derives from the fact that it was at one time part of an estate ...

, London 1836–43 and Rector of St Ethelburga's, Bishopsgate, London from 1843 to 1900.

Qur'an translation

Rodwell's Qur'an translation ''The Koran'' was first published in 1861. In the 1994

Everyman Library Everyman's Library is a series of reprints of classic literature, primarily from the Western canon. It began in 1906. It is currently published in hardback by Random House. It was originally an imprint of J. M. Dent (itself later a division ...

edition the

Surah A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into ayah, verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' (al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while ...

s, which Rodwell originally ordered chronologically, have been put back in the traditional order, from long to short. Rodwell's outdated preface and professor G. Margoliouth's introductory notes have been replaced by a new introduction by Alan Jones, and some of Rodwell's obsolete notes have been removed as well.Jones, Alan (ed.) (1994). ''The Koran''. Everyman Library. London, UK. . pp. ix–xx; xix–xxvii. According to Jones, when comparing with the Qur'an translations of Sale (1734), Palmer (1880),

Pickthall (1930) ''The Meaning of the Glorious Koran'' (1930) is an English-language translation of the Quran with brief introductions to the Surahs by Marmaduke Pickthall. In 1928, Pickthall took a two-year sabbatical to complete his translation of the meaning ...

Bell (1937-9) A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be mad ...

and

Arberry (1955) ''The Koran Interpreted'' is a translation of the Qur'an (the Islamic religious text) by Arthur John Arberry. The translation is from the original Arabic into English. First published in 1955, it is one of the most prominent written by a non-Musl ...

, the strengths of Rodwell's translation lies in its "nineteenth century positivistic approach" and his much better cross-referencing to biblical texts, which is "crucial to one's understanding of the Qur'an".

References

External links

*
The Koran: Translated from the Arabic, the Suras Arranged In Chronological Order
– First edition 1861, London, published by ''Williams and Norgate''.
Al-Quran
project includes the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

translation of John Medows Rodwell * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodwell, John Medows 1808 births 1900 deaths Christian scholars of Islam Translators of the Quran into English 19th-century British translators