Revisions have been made in both the content and form of the original work. Where necessary, the content has been brought up-to-date and within the current understanding and interpretation of the Qur'an. In the translation, the Surah introductions, and the commentaries, such changes were relatively few and infrequent and have been noted as having been revised. The reader will however, find such notable changes as the use of the name 'Allah' for the word 'God' (as used in previous editions) since it was felt that the use of this Most Glorious Name is more widely understood and accepted by the general reader today. In addition, the word 'Messenger' has been given preference over the word 'Apostle' for the meaning of the original Qur'anic word in Arabic 'Rasul'. The reason being, it was felt, that the former term more clearly expresses the Islamic usage of the term without any negative connotations, which may be associated with the latter term resulting from inaccuracies in its use by other religious or historical works.

The explanatory footnotes and the appendices, however, were subject to more frequent, and occasionally more substantial, changes than those in the translation and the commentaries. The reason being there was a greater need of general updating of information and clarification of certain explanations, which were subject to misinterpretation. There were also a few instances in which certain portions of the material were deleted, either due to its out datedness or due to its proneness to misinterpretation.

The form of this newly revised edition has undergone a more dramatic change in style and has been vastly improved in order to facilitate its readability and study. The type for the English text has been completely reset for the first time, thereby making the character definition more legible after many years of reprinting.

In addition, the spelling has been modernized and the system of transliteration of Arabic into English has been modernized and standardized. For reasons of practicality, the title of each Surah appears in its transliterated form at the head of each page within the Surah. This should enable the non-Arabic reader to not only become more familiar with the names of the Surahs in Arabic but also to begin to associate the content of what he/she is reading with the name of the Surah in which he/she is reading. In addition, the 'Abbreviated' Letters (or al Muqatta'at) have been transliterated as they are spelled out in Arabic to make it possible to learn their pronunciation.

Furthermore, a new system of Qur'anic notation of the Surah and Ayah numbers used in the English text has been adopted. The Roman numerals used in the original system have been converted to Arabic numerals thus making it easier for most readers to readily understand the notations and to encourage them to investigate the frequent references and cross-references found in the Table of Contents Index, and Footnotes. In this edition (1416/1995), a new and comprehensive index for the translation and the commentary has been added to the book to facilitate its use and maximize the benefits of the work. Finally the method of indicating each Juz' (or 1/30th part of the Qur'an) has been modified in order to incorporate the more conventional method of notation commonly used today and thereby reduce the potential for confusion to the reader.

In sum, the editors have acted out of a sincere desire to improve upon this great work. It is hoped that this will-insha a Allah- help in furthering the aim of 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali by enhancing the usefulness and relevance of his work to the ever-changing needs and demands of the countless readers of today. May Allah bless him for his truly extraordinary efforts in producing this invaluable work of translation and commentary.