No, they are separate entities with different functions.  Saheeh International is a small group of writers/editors who prepare Islamic texts for publication and at times publish under its name.  Dar Abul-Qasim is a publishing house and bookshop located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  Saheeh International has always published its works with Dar Abul-Qasim, but the two became more closely affiliated when the Executive Director of Saheeh International took ownership of Dar Abul-Qasim in 2007.

Because Saheeh International also edits the other titles sold by Dar Abul-Qasim, we've decided to add all of Dar Abul-Qasim's titles to the site as well.  (That page is currently under construction.)  Thus, the two sites have merged into one, although the organizations have not.

Although you will find numerous sites offering our translation as a free download, none of them have been granted permission to do so. Thus, we cannot verify if the content is accurate or not.  We found that most of these sites used our first edition published in 1997 but many left out the 2,000 explanatory notes.  There are even sites (as well as some pirated print editions) which have added introductions to each surah, but that is NOT our work.

The only authorized online edition is the flash book at www.quranabc.com/quran.  Any site can post a link to the flash book, but scanned PDFs or any other electronic use of the translation without permission is strictly prohibited.

If you've downloaded a pirated copy of the translation, we kindly ask you to delete it from your system.  To purchase an authorized e-book, go to www.saheehinternational.com/?p=529

If you are quoting verses within a manuscript, the copyright information needs to be added in a footnote and/or bibliography:  Saheeh International, The Qur'an: English Meanings and Notes, Riyadh: Al-Muntada Al-Islami Trust, 2001-2011; Jeddah: Dar Abul-Qasim 1997-2001.  If the work is less formal, you can use this statement instead:  "The Qur'anic quotations contained herein are from the Saheeh International translation."

Although the copyright owner of our translation, Al-Muntada Al-Islami Trust, does not permit the translation to be posted directly on any website, they have given an open license for anyone who wants to add a link to their flash book, available here: http://www.quranabc.com/en/index.php?content=promotion.  To preview the flash book, click here:  www.quranabc.com/quran

If quotations are minimal and part of a research paper or book, it is sufficient to add a reference in a footnote and/or bibliography.  For example: Saheeh International, In the Light of Surah an-Nur, Jeddah: Dar Abul-Qasim, 2005. For multiple quotations or a single quotation longer than a page in length, please contact us at admin@saheehinternational.com to obtain permission.  Be sure to include specific details of the quotations you wish to reproduce and how/where they would appear.

We do not grant permission for reproductions of our books for e-readers or iApps.  We are currently working on several e-book formats which will be available on or through our website.

Most of those working in the da'wah field would prefer to distribute Islamic information free for the cause of Allah without copyrights, but the reality is that every publication has production costs – payments for typesetters, editors, graphic designers, office staff, printing, marketing and sometimes authors' royalties.  Moreover, there are larger operating costs – renting office space and storage facilities, legal fees, advertising, etc.  Islamic publishers and bookshops pay as much for operating costs as any other business but often charge much less profit.  Thus, there is no option but to protect copyrights in order to continue production.

Copyrighted material is a trust that must be respected.  When people post a copy of a book on the net or share their purchased PDF copies by forwarding them to friends, they harm those involved in its production.  Actually, there is no difference between this and taking an item from a store without paying for it.  Thus, we greatly appreciate your cooperation in protecting these rights.

Related article: Allah commands you to render trusts to their owners – Its Relevance to Plagiarism http://en.islamtoday.net/artshow-264-3417.htm

Visit the "Purchase" page of our website for the contact details of Dar Abul-Qasim and other distributors.  To purchase electronic editions, see the FAQ below.

Yes.  Go to the "Book List" above and click on a title to open its page.  Links have been provided for our e-books which can be purchased from Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble.com.  For those titles we sell as licensed PDF files directly from our site, use the "Buy Now" button located at the bottom of each book's page.  We've only just begun producing e-books, so for now the selection is limited; but we intend to make the majority of our titles available in various e-formats.  Please check back regularly for updates.

Also note that the e-book edition of the Qur'an translation has 100 new footnotes (which are not yet in the flash book) pertaining mostly to the names and attributes of Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala).

Currently, our online store which will allow a user to pay with a gift certificate is under construction. However, you can redeem the certificate now for any of our licensed PDF files by writing the names of the titles in an email along with the certificate number. We will then email the files to you. The certificate may also be used for merchandise at Dar Abul-Qasim.  Write to us using the Dar Abul-Qasim option on our contact page www.saheehinternational.com/contact-us/ or send an email to abulqasimbooks@hotmail.com

The list is too long to mention here, but below are six examples to show the precision our translator used when choosing the most appropriate words in English in relation to the Arabic meaning. The comparisons are between our translation and those that were readily available in 1997 when we first produced it.

1)  Verse 2:231 (and 65:2 in some translations):  Previous translators basically said, "When you have divorced women, and they have reached their term, then retain them in kindness or release them in kindness."  The Arabic words "fabalaghna ajalahunna" can also refer to the stage when a time period is about to expire.  In Islamic law, a man cannot take back his wife once she has actually reached her term, for the divorce would have already taken effect.  Thus, we translated it as "[nearly] fulfilled their term."

2)  The word "riba" in verses 2:275, 2:276, 2:278, 3:130, 4:161 and 30:39 has been translated as "usury" in many translations.  This is definitely incorrect because usury means "an exorbitant, exploitative or excessive rate of interest."  Therefore, one could argue that charging a low or "reasonable" rate of interest is permitted.  Islamic law clearly forbids any amount; therefore, the translation of "riba" must be "interest" rather than "usury."

3)  Regarding the words "zina," "zania," and "zani" in verses 17:32 and 24:2-3:  English uses different terms pertaining to unlawful sexual intercourse when committed by a married person (adultery) and by an unmarried one (fornication).  In Islamic law the rulings about fornication and adultery are vastly different; therefore, the correct term must be given each time the word "zina" or its derivatives appear.  In 17:32, zina applies to both fornication and adultery (Pickthall only mentioned adultery).  In 24:2, the ruling for one hundred lashes applies only to fornicators, but Pickthall used the word adultery (a definite error).  And in 24:3, zina again applies to both adulterers/adulteresses and fornicators/fornicatresses, but he only indicated the former.

4)  In 2:255 the phrase usually translated as "Neither slumber nor sleep overtake Him" is technically incorrect because "slumber" and "sleep" are similar in English and reflect the meaning of "nawm" in Arabic.  "Sinah" is the state when one is on the verge of falling asleep but still aware of his surroundings.  There is probably no exact term in English for "sinah," but "drowsiness" is closer in meaning.  In the Saheeh Internationl translation, the phrase reads:  "Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep."

5)  Verse 18:71:  Several translations used the word "scuttle," as in this example by Hilali and Khan:  "So, they both proceeded till when they embarked the ship, he (Al-Khidr) scuttled it.  [Moses] said:  'Have you scuttled it in order to drown its people?'"  The meaning of "scuttle" is to open holes in a ship below water level in order to sink it.  Al-Khidr was instructed by Allah to disable the ship so that the unjust king who was confiscating ships would see a defect in it and not want it.  It was not intended to be sunk, and scuttling refers to sinking.  The Arabic term is "kharaqa," which means "torn."  Our translation reads:  "So they set out, until when they had embarked on the ship, he [i.e., al-Khidr] tore it open.  [Moses] said, 'Have you torn it open to drown its people?'"

6)  2:116 (and 10:68, 18:4, 19:88, 21:26, 23:91)  Several translators used "begotten" or "begets" in each of these verses.  By translating the word "ittakhadha" as "begotten" implies that Allah fathered a son, yet it has nothing to do with reproduction.  What is meant by "ittakhadha" is to take, adopt or consider one as a son.  The Arabic verb that means "fathered" is "walada," as in verses 37:152 and 112:3, in which case using "begotten" is appropriate.

Although we are not in a financial position to give away free books, we offer wholesale discounts to charitable organizations.  Please request our current price list at abulqasimbooks@hotmail.com or use the Dar Abul-Qasim option on our contact page www.saheehinternational.com/contact-us.

May Allah reward you for your kind offer, but we do not accept donations.  If you'd like to make our books available for free distribution, we suggest contacting a licensed Islamic charity and offer to pay for books on their behalf.  Or click here www.saheehinternational.com/gift-certificates to easily purchase a gift certificate for any of the organizations listed below:

Islamic Information & Services Network of Australasia  www.iisna.com

Projects by Sheik Yusuf Estes www.DonateForIslam.com

For free Qur'an distribution in Canada www.collectfreequran.org