Please note that, in the translation that follows, words given in parentheses ( ) are the words of the Promised Messiah(as). If any explanatory words or phrases are added by the translator for the purpose of clarification, they are put in square brackets [ ]. Footnotes given by the publishers are marked ‘[Publishers]’. All references, unless otherwise specified, are from the English translation of the Holy Quran by Hazrat Maulavi Sher Ali(ra).
The following abbreviations have been used. Readers are urged to recite the full salutations when reading the book:
sa sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, meaning ‘may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,’ is written after the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa).
as ‘alaihis-salam, meaning ‘may peace be on him,’ is written after the name of Prophets other than the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa).
ra radiyallahu ‘anhu/‘anha/‘anhum, meaning ‘may Allah be pleased with him/her/them,’ is written after the names of the Companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) or of the Promised Messiah(as).
aba ayyadahullahu Ta‘ala binasrihil-‘Aziz, meaning ‘may Allah the Almighty help him with his powerful support,’ is written after the name of the present Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V(aba).
In transliterating Arabic words we have adopted the system established by the Royal Asiatic Society.
We have not transliterated Arabic words which have become part of English language, e.g. Islam, Quran, Hadith, Mahdi, jihad, Ramadan and ummah. The Royal Asiatic Society rules of transliteration for names of persons, places and other terms, could not be followed throughout the book as many of the names contain non-Arabic characters and carry a local transliteration and pronunciation style which in itself is also not consistent either.
The Publishers