2023
Work begins on analysing the various texts in Arabic and preparing for their translation.

2025
First publication: a combined volume with two highly significant works in translation.

1. The Ten Introductions to Tafsir al-Tahrir wa-l-Tanwir, by Muhammad al-Tahir Ibn ʿAshur. An “abridged English rendering” by Prof. Muhammad Al-Ghazali (IIUI) was published recently, but there is a need for a full and annotated translation that sets out Ibn ʿAshur’s perspective on key issues in Quranic sciences and interpretation.

2. Tafsir and its People, by his son Muhammad al-Fadil Ibn ʿAshur. This important treatise will provide an important historical perspective on the discipline and genre of Quranic exegesis, which will complement the theoretical principles elaborated in the Ten Introductions. You can read about each of these works in academic articles by Gibril Haddad and Walid Saleh.

2028
Flagship publication:
The Light of Assurance (Tafsir al-Tahrir wa-l-Tanwir)

This landmark work will straddle the line between the genres of Tafsir and Quran translation. Since a full translation of the Tafsir would become unwieldy for readers (as well as too enormous an undertaking), the plan is to condense its material in a way which serves the needs of non-Arabic speaking students of the Quran.

1. A Quran translation based fully upon the linguistic content of al-Tahrir wa-l-Tanwir. Rather than translating those sections, we will provide Quran translation(s) which follow their interpretive instructions. It will be as though Ibn ʿAshur himself had translated the Quran into English, and provided several translations whenever he felt that the revealed text conveyed multiple meanings (an important feature in his Tafsir among others). We will be employing the creative approach of layered translation which allows a reader to move between the stripped-down translation and one which fleshes out the essential meanings – again, directly based upon Ibn ʿAshur. Example from Surat al-Fatihah (1:1-3):

Praise belongs to God, the Sustainer of all worlds;
The Compassionate and Merciful;
The King of the Day of Recompense.

Praise belongs wholly and permanently to God, the Nurturing Sustainer of all worlds of being; the abundantly Compassionate in His own right, and generously Merciful to the creation; the King in control {or: The Master} of all creatures and events on the Day of Just Recompense and beyond.

• Linguistic footnotes: as should be the case in non-Arabic tafsir, these will be complementary to the Quran translation, providing any necessary clarification and supplementary information from Ibn ʿAshur himself.

• Tafsir notes (questions and answers): beyond the linguistic level, the work will summarise additional content such as context, conclusions, lessons and rulings extracted from the Quran. Our aim is to make this as concise and accessible as possible. Our editors will clearly mark out any additional notes which aim to ensure that the work reflects the needs of a contemporary readership.

The methodology is elaborated in a forthcoming peer-reviewed paper by Dr. Sohaib (‘Exegetical Qur’an Translation’), but the basic idea was already described back in 2018 in a lecture in Istanbul (last few minutes here). Together with the publications above, this set will represent the exegetical thought of Ibn ʿAshur clearly and effectively, God willing.

A sample video of our work on Surat al-Fatihah will be shared soon.

2029
Follow-up publication:
Dictionary of Quranic Words and Expressions

This work will grow from the work being done on the Quran translation, which involves careful study of Ibn ʿAshur’s linguistic explanations. The process is as follows: extract all the instances where Ibn ʿAshur explains an item of vocabulary, or a phrase/idiom. Where the same item is explained under multiple verses, these will be combined and any inconsistencies addressed.

The Arabic text will then be accompanied by a translation, which will also shed light on how the Quran is translated according to these explanations. The result will be a bilingual dictionary with additional notes drawing from the best Arabic lexical scholarship and engaging with the latest publications in the field.

[Note: there is a forthcoming 5 vol. work by Fayez Alsuraih which is limited to vocabulary.  Unfortunately it is in mushaf order rather than being consolidated alphabetically, let alone translated or annotated.]