TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE QUR'AN is a fresh and highly readable English rendering of Tafhim al-Qur'än, Sayyid Mawdüdi's monumental and masterly Urdu translation and commentary.

Here is a Tafsir with a difference, by a scholar of an entirely different sort. An immense wealth of profound understanding of the Qur'än is here, so is a vast treasure of knowledge and deep insights, illuminating historical accounts and philological discussions, and a highly systematic exposition of social, political, economic and legal teachings. But what makes this Tafsir unique is that it translates the Qur'än into a book to be lived by, a mission to be lived for, and a duty that a reader can no longer evade or postpone. This rare quality is imparted not only by the depth of his scholarship and style of exposition, but also because Sayyid Mawdüdi lived by what he expounded, as his life abundantly proves.

This Tafsir answers contemporary questions, and makes the Qur'än fully relevant to the concerns of our day, yet it loses nothing of its timelessness nor sacrifices any of the traditional understanding. It demonstrates the unity and coherence of the Qur'an by centering everything in it on its message, like gems hung on a single string. Each Surah is prefaced by an account of its background and teachings. Maps and indexes add greatly to the understanding. An immense understanding of the Qur'an is offered here—a vast treasure of knowledge, deep insight, and a valuable exposition of its social, political, economic, and legal teachings. What makes this work truly unique, however, is that it presents the Qur'an as a book to be lived by. Includes notes, an introduction, and a comprehensive index. 

To sum up: in this Tafsir, Sayyid Mawdüdi is offering us what we need most to understand and live by the Qur'än.
THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION aims to achieve excellence in academic research, education, publications, training and building bridges between Muslims and others. Since 1973, the Foundation has developed its national and international standing through the character, variety and scope of its activities. It has, at present, over 300 published titles, and houses one of the largest private Islamic libraries in Western Europe. It publishes three academic journals: The Muslim World Book Review (quarterly), Encounters Journal of Inter-Cultural Perspectives (biannually) and Review of Islamic Economics (biannually). Its academic wing the Markfield Institute of Higher Education awards MA/MPhil/PhD degrees, Post-Graduate Diploma and Certificate in Islamic Studies in partnership with the University of Gloucestershire, UK.

 ZAFAR ISHAQ ANSARI, the translator and editor of Sayyid Mawdüdi's monumental Tafsiris Vice President, Higher Studies and Research at the International Islamic University, Islamabad. He has M.A. in Economics from the University of Karachi, and M.A. and Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from MeGill University, Montreal, Canada. Prior to his long period of service at the International Islamic University in Islamabad (1986-) he was associated with the University of Karachi, Pakistan; Universities of Princeton and Chicago, USA; King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Melbourne University, Australia; and McGill University, Montreal, Canada. He has published a host of research papers in journals of international repute, has contributed chapters to books and articles to Encyclopedia Britannica and Encyclopedia of Religion. He has co-edited with John L. Esposito, Muslims and the West: Encounter and Dialogue (Islamabad and Washington DC, 2001). He is also a member of UNESCO's International Scientific Committee responsible for preparing a 6-volume series on Various Aspects of Islamic Culture as well as one of the two Editors of its first volume, The Foundations of Islam.

1. Towards Understanding The Qur'an (Tafhim Al-Qur'an, Hardcover): Volume 1