The Message of the Qur’an

Hashim Amir-Ali (1903–1987) was raised in Hyderabad and later studied at the universities of Chicago and Cornell, USA where he earned his doctor degree in sociology. Amir-Ali was a student of Mirza Abul Fazl, another translator of the Quran into the English language. Amir-Ali strongly believed in the importance of the descending order of Qur'anic chapters. His translation of the Quran into English are arranged it in the following four sections or books in the order of the revelation of the chapters : Book 1 “The Portal” which consists of the first chapter, Book 2 “The Enlightenment” which consists of the first 18 chapters of Meccan period, Book 3 “The Guidance” which are the last 36 chapters of Meccan period, Book 4 “The Book”, which includes 24 civil surahs, and Book 5 “The Balance” which consists of 24 chapters of Medinan period. In his method, the chapters are arranged in descending order, without disturbing the organization of the verses within each chapter, so that in this respect, in his opinion, the middle ground in making changes in the conventional structure of the Quran is observed.