Translation
A translation of the Qur'anic text that seeks to convey its meaning while remaining attentive to context and the relationship between verses.
About
Institute of Qur'anic Wisdom
The Institute of Qur'anic Wisdom is dedicated to the study and understanding of the Qur'an through Naẓm al-Qurʾān — an approach that gives particular attention to the coherence, structure, and interconnected discourse of the Qur'an.
At the heart of the Institute is a modest attempt to translate and explain the Qur'an with careful attention to the relationship between its verses, passages, and Surahs. Rather than approaching every verse as an isolated statement, the project seeks to understand each passage within its immediate context and within the wider structure and purpose of the Surah.
The Institute brings together Qur'anic translation, commentary, and scholarly writing in a clear and accessible digital library, while maintaining a serious engagement with the Qur'anic text.
Our approach
Naẓm al-Qurʾān
Naẓm al-Qurʾān concerns the coherence and arrangement of the Qur'an.
The approach begins from the understanding that the placement of verses and passages within a Surah is meaningful. A verse is therefore considered not only for what it communicates individually, but also for its relationship with what precedes and follows it, the passage to which it belongs, and the wider subject and structure of the Surah.
This perspective encourages the reader to encounter a Surah as an organised and connected discourse rather than merely as a sequence of independent verses.
Questions of context, progression of thought, relationships between passages, central themes, introductions, and conclusions therefore become important to the work of interpretation.
The Institute of Qur'anic Wisdom seeks to apply this approach throughout its work on the Qur'an while recognising the seriousness and difficulty of that undertaking.
Principal work
The Qur'an Project
The principal work of the Institute is an ongoing translation and explanation of the Qur'an informed by the Naẓm al-Qurʾān approach.
Surah Introductions
An introduction to each Surah examining its subject, orientation, and structure before approaching its individual passages.
Commentary
Explanatory notes on verses and passages, with particular attention to context, coherence, and their place within the wider discourse of the Surah.
Surah Conclusions
Concluding observations that bring together the principal themes and progression of the Surah after it has been read as a whole.
These elements are intended to complement one another. The translation should therefore not be understood in isolation from the introductions and commentary accompanying it.
This remains a work in progress and, above all, a modest scholarly effort toward a deeper understanding of the Qur'an.
Founder
Prof. Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan
Prof. Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan is a scholar of Qur'anic and Islamic studies whose academic career has centred particularly on Qur'anic interpretation, Naẓm al-Qurʾān, ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān, methodologies of Qur'anic interpretation, Hadith studies, and research methodology.
Over several decades of teaching, research, and publication, Prof. Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan has developed a substantial body of work in Qur'anic studies, with particular attention to Qur'anic coherence, methodologies of interpretation, and Naẓm al-Qurʾān. The scholarly work of Prof. Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan has been presented internationally through conferences, seminars, and lectures, alongside extensive postgraduate supervision and academic publishing.
A substantial part of the teaching and research of Prof. Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan has been devoted to the Qur'an and methodologies of its interpretation. At the International Islamic University Malaysia, Prof. Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan developed a specialised course in Naẓm al-Qurʾān, offered from 2006 to students specialising in Qur'an and Sunnah Studies, as well as courses in Qur'anic Terminology and Research Methodology.
Academic career
Academic Appointments
The academic career of Prof. Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan has included teaching and professorial appointments across India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Türkiye.
2026–present
Institute of Qur'anic Wisdom
Founder
2019–2025
Ankara Social Sciences University
Professor · Ankara, Türkiye
2017–2018
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University
Professor · Istanbul, Türkiye
2015–2016
Dar Al Arqam
Visiting Professor · Singapore
2010–2017
International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)
Professor · Malaysia
2008–2012
PERGAS
Visiting Professor · Singapore
2004–2010
International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)
Associate Professor · Malaysia
1991–2004
International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)
Assistant Professor · Malaysia
1986–1988
Aligarh Muslim University
Lecturer · India
Research & publications
Scholarship
Prof. Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan has written and edited extensively in Qur'anic studies, Hadith studies, and Islamic thought. Selected books include:
- Qur'anic Studies: An Introduction
- The Theory of Abrogation: A Critical Evaluation
- Understanding the Qur'an: A Reflection
- Authentication of Hadith: Redefining the Criteria
- Qur'anic and Hadith Studies: Critical Reflection on Some Issues
- Interpretation of the Qur'an and Sunnah: Reflection on Some Issues
- The Qur'an: The Emancipator of Mankind
- Human Life Values: Qur'anic Directives
Research by Prof. Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan on Qur'anic coherence and methodology includes studies such as Coherence in the Qur'an: Principles of Application, Al-Biqa'i and Islahi: A Comparative Study of Tafsir Methodology, Nazm al-Qur'an and Methodological Pattern of Ibn 'Ashur: An Evaluation, and Identifying Preface in the Qur'anic Surahs: A New Methodology of Qur'anic Interpretation.
Qur'anic Studies: An Introduction was approved by the Department of Qur'an and Sunnah Studies at IIUM as a textbook for its Sciences of the Qur'an course, while Understanding the Qur'an: A Reflection was prescribed as a major textbook for an IIUM course on coherence in the Qur'an.
Teaching & service
Academic Service
Alongside teaching and research, Prof. Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan has been extensively involved in academic publishing, postgraduate supervision, and scholarly conferences.
Prof. Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Islam in Asia, an international refereed bilingual Arabic-English journal at IIUM, from 2011 to 2017, and has served on the editorial and advisory boards of several academic journals.
70+Articles in refereed journals
100+Seminars & conferences
35+PhD theses supervised
14Postdoctoral researchers supervised
300+PhD theses evaluated
Articles in International Refereed Journals
Prof. Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan has authored a substantial body of articles published in refereed academic journals internationally. Selected examples reflecting the geographical breadth of this scholarship include:
- “Amin Ahsan Islahi: An Introduction to His Tafsir Methodology” — American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, USA.
- “Muslim and Non-Muslim Relationship: An Analysis of Qur'anic Provision” — Islamic Perspective, London, United Kingdom.
- “Identifying Preface in the Qur'anic Surahs: A New Methodology of Qur'anic Interpretation” — Quranica, International Journal of Qur'anic Research, University of Malaya, Malaysia.
- “Nazm al-Qur'an and Methodological Pattern of Ibn 'Ashur: An Evaluation” — Bangladesh Journal of Islamic Thought, Bangladesh.
- “The Twenty-Three Qur'anic Verses: Identifying Original Import” — Islamic Insight, Kerala, India.
- “Ramadan: A Soul-Searching Month for Muslim Ummah” — The Journal of Social Sciences Research, Germany.
International Seminars, Conferences & Lectures
Prof. Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan has presented and delivered scholarly contributions at seminars, conferences, lectures, and academic programmes internationally. Recent examples include:
- “Ethical Values in the Qur'an” — International Conference on Social Ethics, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran, March 2024.
- “Methodology of Interaction with and Reflection on the Qur'an and the Sunnah” — six-day summer school organised by BIIT, Bangladesh, and IIIT, USA, Dhaka, Bangladesh, May 2024.
- “Interaction with the Qur'an: Revisiting Principles” — WCMIR Chicago Forum, Chicago, USA, August 2024.
A continuing work
A modest scholarly effort
The Institute of Qur'anic Wisdom grows out of this long engagement with the Qur'an and, in particular, with the question of its coherence.
Its purpose is not to claim a final or exhaustive interpretation of the Qur'an. It is to make available a sustained attempt to read, translate, and explain the Qur'an with close attention to its language, context, arrangement, and interconnected discourse.
The work published here should therefore be understood as part of a continuing scholarly effort: an attempt to reflect upon the Qur'an carefully, to understand its passages in relation to one another, and to make that work accessible to readers seeking a deeper engagement with the Qur'anic text.