A curious Quran

Despite its name, this isn't an authorized translation of the Quran. It's published by a small group known as United Submitters International (USI), a group considered heretical by virtually all other Muslims. The Submitters were founded by an Egyptian-American, Rashad Khalifa. He became famous in the Arab world for supposedly proving that the Quran was based on a secret numerical code based on the number 19. However, his religious criticism of official Islam wasn't well taken, and in 1990 Khalifa was assassinated in Arizona by a Muslim fundamentalist.

Thus, this translation is really a compilation of Rashad Khalifa's own opinions, and those of the small group he founded. It could be of interest for students of New Religious Movements, while those interested in main-line Islam must look elsewhere. Khalifa's views are stated in footnotes throughout the text, and also in a large number of appendices at the end of the book.

As already stated, Khalifa believed that the Quran was a mathematical miracle based on multiples of the number 19. He further believed that several Quranic and Biblical prophecies were about himself! Khalifa claimed to be "The Messanger of the Covenant", sent by God in the last days to purify the religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism from idolatry and polytheism, and restore the true religion of submission to God alone. Since Muslims consider Muhammad to have been the last prophet, Khalifa's claim to be a new messenger almost immediately placed him outside the Muslim fold (a similar fate have befallen the Ahmadiyya in Pakistan, who claim a similar role for their founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad). It seems Khalifa received his commission during a pilgrimage to Mecca when his soul was taken to Heaven to commune with all the prophets, including Abraham, Jesus and Muhammad!

The purification of Islam advocated by "the messenger of the Covenant" turns out to be very far-reaching. Khalifa rejects sunna and sharia in their entirety, radically re-interprets the Quran in a modernist direction, and even rejects the traditional Muslim confession of faith, since it mentions Muhammad. The real confession of faith should simply state that there is no God but God, period. He further believes that several verses in the Quran are later forgeries, apparently because they don't fit his numerological system. Other beliefs of the USI are more curious. For instance, Khalifa states that the age of responsibility is 40. Therefore, everyone who dies before that age goes straight to Heaven! He further believes that human souls are pre-existent, and that the soul of Jesus was snatched from Earth before he was arrested, while the body remained as a kind of mindless zombie. Thus, the Romans crucified an empty body without a soul. I also noticed that Khalifa often quotes from the Bible to prove theological points. Indeed, Khalifa calls his translation "the final testament". Finally, we learn that the end of the world will take place in AD 2271.

Those to stingy to actually buy Khalifa's reworked version of the Quran can find it free at USI's website. Personally, I bought a Swedish version (!) a couple of years ago, thinking it was simply another Swedish translation of the real Quran. Was I surprised!

To repeat: if you are interested in main-line Islam, this is a book to avoid. But if you want to know more about a modern, sectarian re-interpretation of Islam, in effect a New Religious Movement, then this "authorized" translation of Dr. Rashad Khalifa, the messenger of the Covenant, might be of some interest.