A Ray of the Qur’ān: Selected Essays of Sayyed Mahmoud Taleghani, Volume I

In the course of completing this translation for its publication and distribution, which has been a spiritual journey and a labor of love, there are numerous individuals and institutions to whom I have come to owe sincere thanks for their educational, intellectual, material, and spiritual help. A list of their names would fill several pages and, hence, while I am deeply thankful to everyone who has helped to make this work possible in one way or another, not being named here in no way lessens the degree of my appreciation for their support during any phase of completing this unique task.

First I express my thanks to our dear family friend of more than fifty years, Mr. Mehdi Tabeshian, for his trusting recommendation to the Alavi Foundation that, thankfully, sponsored the translation of all volumes of A Ray of the Qurʾān (ARQ), and then to its president, Hamid Yazdi, MD, who facilitated the transfer to me of all the rights of publication and distribution of ARQ.

Even the most sincere and profound gratitude would not be sufficient to express my humble gratitude to Mariam Froelich Agah, my beloved wife, whose excellent command of the English language as well as her familiarity with Latin and French, and being conversant in Farsi, along with her extraordinary patience and immeasurable generosity in every step of the entire project, whether editing, reviewing, or preparing ARQ for publication, guaranteed the completion of this endeavor. Putting it simply, without her acceptance to edit the translation of ARQ while also taking loving, motherly care of our five children and teaching full time, I would not have committed myself to this translation.

My wife and I are very appreciative of our daughters, Sadiqeh, Aman, and Ayat, for their vital contributions in typing well over 3,000 pages of this text, which include English and Qurʾānic Arabic. Our gratitude also goes to Sadiqeh for designing the format of the original English manuscript, to Aman for her assistance with initial proofreading, and to Ayat for assuming the responsibility of communication and coordination with the publisher. We greatly appreciate all the advisory and editorial work undertaken by Dr. Ayat Agah and Dr. Randy Ramal on ARQ. Their care, scholarly knowledge, and editorial experience, as well as their encouragement and support, have been invaluable in getting this work ready for publication. We are also thankful to our son Bashir for his professional consultation and highly appreciate the cover design by our son Nazir.

No words can properly express our appreciation and sincere thanks to Abdolali Bazargan, scholar of Qurʾān and Islamic Studies, prominent lecturer in Farsi on various ethical, religious, societal, and spiritual topics, and prolific author of numerous publications, including the six volumes of Qurʾān-e Hakīm: Farsi Translation and Explanation, which is in the process of being translated into English, and In the Presence of the Sublime Qurʾan: A Commentary on Part 30, Chapters 78–114, which was translated into English in 2016. Bazargan’s perceptive advice and instructive guidance on publishing ARQ, beginning with Volume I, have been most valuable. Moreover, being a lifelong associate and closely familiar with the thought, work, and legacy of Sayyed Mahmoud Taleghani, Bazargan provided a firsthand authentic biography of the author of ARQ, which lends eminence and notability to the publication of the English translation of ARQ.

We have been spiritually guided for decades by our dearest and highly respected family friend, Dr. Abbas Mirakhor. This guidance has continued into this work from its very inception through his erudite and keen scholarly Qurʾānic knowledge, his actual encouragement and introduction of ARQ to Peter Lang by his friend and co-author, Professor Hossein Askari, whom we also sincerely thank, and it has led to our great benefiting from his informative and eloquent foreword and endorsement of ARQ.

We thank Professor Mohammad H. Faghfoory, also a very dear and longtime family friend, for his endorsement of ARQ. This endorsement aids significantly in the introduction of ARQ and its eminent author to the English-speaking reader, especially his and other university students of Qurʾānic and religious studies across the academic world.

Sincere thanks are also due to Seyyeda Khadija Zaidi-Rashid, her respected father Dr. Syed Abbas Zaidi, and Syed Khuram Rizvi for their assistance in some aspects of Volume I in the early stages of its preparation for publication. We are likewise grateful to Sayyedah H. al-Hassani and Haaj Sheikh Muhammad Ali Mesbahzadeh for their assistance with the translation of some Arabic poetry.

Last but not least, we would like to express our appreciation for the staff of Peter Lang who helped with the publication of ARQ, particularly its former Senior Vice President, Dr. Farideh Koohi-Kamali, and Ms. Suma George for facilitating the acquisition and production process.

I humbly and prayerfully ask the Absolute Original Author of the Holy Qurʾān, Allah (swt), the Exalted and the Glorified, to shower His Blessings and Mercy on those individuals and nonprofit organizations that have generously contributed toward the publication of ARQ and its distribution to universities and centers of Islamic and Qurʾānic studies across the world, as well as those nonprofit Islamic institutions that will facilitate promotional programs for ARQ.

Humbly, with deep and sincere gratitude,