The Easy Dictionary of the Quran pdf download

THE EASY DICTIONARY OF THE QURAN – Book Sample

Preface by the Author of  ‘THE EASY DICTIONARY OF THE QURAN’

It is a great favor of Allah that many Muslims are nowadays more inclined to read and understand the Holy Qur’an. Alhamdulillah (All praise and thanksgiving be to Allah), the number of such people is increasing. In order to encourage as well as help such readers of the Holy Qur’an, I compiled the difficult words of the Qur’an in the form of a book in Urdu, titled Aasaan Lughatul Qur’an (Easy Dictionary of Qur’an) and published it as a dictionary way back in 1952. In this dictionary, words were placed in order of their occurrence in the Surahs (chapter) of the Qur’an, avoiding those words which were repeated. For example, the words Alif-laam- meem of Surah Al-Baqarah (Chapter: The Cow) come first and those of Surah Aale-Imran (Chapter: The Family of Imran) come next, and so on.

The first edition was sold out quickly. A revised edition was published in 1954. The reviews and remarks published in various religious magazines as well as the notes forwarded by the learned scholars of India and Pakistan were given due consideration in revising the book. Common Arabic words familiar to Urdu speakers were introduced in order to make the book more comprehensive. Once again, the second edition too sold out quickly. I thank Allah for making the book so popular and Insha- Allah useful to the readers of the Holy Qur’an.

It was indeed the mercy of Allah that the usefulness of this small book was confirmed. It received appreciation from a wide cross section of people, including students, businessmen, academicians, and those associated with religious institutions. With the help of this dictionary, I believe that in a very little time and with some effort, all could understand the meaning and enjoy the literary beauty of the Holy Qur’an to a great extent.

Transforming the individual

The book was so designed that beginning with a little grammatical exercise, you will be able to translate the Arabic words of the Qur’an into your language and grasp the general meaning of the Qur’anic passages. As a result, you will experience greater devotion and more interest in performing the daily Salahs and Taraweeh in Ramadan. Perhaps for the first time you will realize what is recited in prayers. Thus, the teachings of the Holy Qur’an will go directly to your heart and strengthen the belief of Tawheed (the Unity of Allah), Risalah (the Prophethood), Al-Qiyamah (the Resurrection), Al-Hashr (the Gathering on the day of Judgment), and

Transforming the society

The benefit of the book has already transcended to another realization. Those who were learning Arabic and the meaning of the Holy Qur’an with the help of this dictionary gradually came into close contact with one another in spite of being attached to different fiqhi schools of thought. With time, they have became conspicuous in the Indian society and evolved as preachers of the Holy Qur’an. They later constituted an organization, known as Majlis Taleemul-Qur’an, devoting themselves to the preaching and teaching of the Holy Qur’an for the sake of attaining the Grace of Allah, enjoining people to do good and forbidding evil.

A little grammar can do a great job

Practical experience has taught me that most students aspiring to learn Arabic are bound to get dejected if they begin with the unsavory complexities of Arabic grammar. To overcome this difficulty I prepared a few simplified lessons on grammar and introduced them at the beginning of the dictionary. I hope that it will be a more direct approach of teaching Arabic, without having to vex the otherwise enthusiastic student with too much formal grammar.

The addition of the simple lessons on grammar and composition was made in the edition published in 1960. The idea was successful and students were more encouraged to learn the Holy Qur’an with the help of this dictionary. The Lughat became so popular that by1973 nine editions had been printed.

Once again, it was purely a blessing and favor of Allah who revealed the Holy Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad � (peace be upon him, pbuh).

Why memorize the words?

It is a fact that children do not begin to learn their mother tongue with grammar; rather, they learn words of speech and start speaking with the collection of words in their memory. They continue to grasp the meaning of new words, memorize them and reproduce from their memory as and when needed to express their feelings. Thus, building a sizable vocabulary should naturally form the first step in order to learn another language.

Next, one has to learn the proper usage of words. Words with two or more meanings may create some difficulty, but it can be overcome with their specific usage. For example, the word book has various meanings in English depending upon the context in which it is used, as shown below:

1. I have booked (dispatched) my luggage by passenger train
2. The book I am reading is the Holy Qur’an
3. I have booked (reserved) my seat by mail train

There are many words in Arabic that have multiple meanings, but you have nothing to worry at this stage. Just try to memorize the specific meanings according to their perfect usage exemplified in the Qur’an.

Some useful hints

My advise is to study the simple lessons on grammar very carefully. Then memorize the difficult words and their meanings by chapter, according to your capacity and time. Next try to translate the Arabic verses in your own language. For your satisfaction, compare your translation with the published ones by some learned scholars. Thus the fear of making mistakes will disappear, and you will be encouraged to move on. Ultimately a stage will come when you will be able to translate Qur’anic passages independently.

Having achieved this, you will understand the meaning when you read the Holy Qur’an, insha-Allah. Your heart will feel the divine sanctity, the literary elegance, and the captivating charm of the Holy Qur’an. It is important that as you recite the Holy Qur’an, you pray to Allah to help you act according to its teachings. Keep in mind that Allah is the Teacher of the Holy Qur’an, and He can teach each one of us. Without His favor, nothing is possible and all endeavors will end in futility. He is the Hearer of all prayers. Always pray to Him for guidance and knowledge.

A Word of Caution

There are some people who speak about the Holy Qur’an using its index only. This is an improper approach. Such people miss the very essence of the revealed verses and remain deprived of the real charm and elegance of the Holy Qur’an. Instead of recognizing their own fault, they try to twist the verses of the Holy Book to suit their whims. In fact, they are not aware of the dignity of the one Who has revealed the Holy Qur’an and also the dignity of the Prophet � to whom it was revealed. When their twisted interpretations contradict the established practices and well recorded sayings of the Holy Prophet �, these self-styled pseudo-scholars may even deny the very edifice of the Prophetic Sunnah and Ahadith. May Allah protect us from such pseudo-scholars.

There are yet others who outstretch their arguments that the Qur’anic verses are too difficult for a common Muslim to understand. Although they are otherwise respectable among the genuine scholars, they in fact have made a careless generalization.

Both views are erroneous. History witnesses that only the Shaitaan achieved double scores. Firstly, those who say that the Holy Qur’an is too difficult leave the common Muslim ignorant and inactive in following the teachings of the Holy Qur’an. Secondly, some of those who defend the Sunnah and Ahadith against their rejecters go beyond the right (middle) course and creat imaginary difficulties. They say that the Holy Qur’an is beyond approach by the common Muslims. The net result is that Muslims in general are deprived of learning the Holy Qur’an and its teachings.

The Hadith and Sunnah are the only legal interpretations and practical embodiments of the Holy Qur’an and its teachings. The message of the Holy Qur’an cannot be grasped completely unless one understands the Holy Qur’an as interpreted in Hadith and compiled in the established Tafaseer.

I would advise people, especially those who try to understand the Holy Qur’an by using only the index, to read the Holy Qur’an in its original Arabic along with its translation. Soon they will realize how and where they have been misled by their whims of reading and interpreting it in this way.

Read and understand the Qur’an

With the rampant ignorance about the meaning of the Holy Qur’an there are yet greater chances of their being deceived by selfish scholars. If the knowledge of the Holy Qur’an becomes common, none will be able to deceive the readers of the Holy Qur’an. I would even say that none will dare to mistranslate or misguide the people. Similarly, those scholars who say that it is very difficult to understand the meanings of the Holy Qur’an, and as such it is beyond the approach of common people, will also find no takers of their wrong arguments. In fact, the more we recite the Holy Qur’an in our prayers or otherwise, the lesser will be the chance that we will be misguided.

About the English Translation

Mr. Muhammad AbdurRashid Khan and Adambhai Essabhai have taken pains to compile this book, which is based on the Urdu edition of Lughatul-Qur’an. I have scrutinized their work and I am satisfied that the spirit and essence of the Arabic words are fully preserved.

While translating the Arabic words into English, they have restricted themselves mostly to the English translations of the Holy Qur’an by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall and by Abdullah Yousuf Ali only. However, a few words have been taken from the translations of Maulana AbdulMajid Daryabadi, Muhammad Asad, and Dr. Muhammad Taqiuddin Al-Hilali and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan.

All said and done, now I leave this tenth edition along with the English version in the hands of the readers. No human work is perfect and free from flaws. Therefore, if readers point out any omission or mistakes, we shall be pleased and thankful to them. Appropriate corrections will be made in future edition Insha-Allah.

The Hindi and Bengali versions have also been released. In the present edition we have provided serial numbers to each word for the facility of the readers. The words with more than one meaning have been repeated when they are used in a different context. Up to the twentieth Juz’ (parah), every Ruku (which represents a collection of a few verses) has been marked. Thereafter only the quarter, half, and three-fourth of a Juz’ (parah) have been marked.

To conclude …

A quarter of a century has passed ever since the first edition of this little dictionary was printed. Over the years the book was revised and reprinted as its popularity grew. I do not know if I will get yet another opportunity in my life time to revise the book. Life on earth is so limited and short, but it is for sure that one day we are all to meet before Allah when, as the Qur’an says: And you will see every nation bowing the knee: Every nation will be called to its Record (Al-Qur’an 45:28). It will be only on that day that this humble author will know the result of his endeavors. The readers too, will know how good was their learning and whether their good deeds have been fruitful.

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