(12:3) We are going to lay the story out for you (O Prophet) in the finest way, since We have already inspired you with this Recital; whereas before it you had certainly been one of the unaware. ﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏ NOTES: Almost all translators before now have gone with some variation on 'the finest story', while we prefer this second interpretation found in exegesis, i.e. the best form of storytelling. We have also paid particular attention to the variation of tenses. For a more detailed explanation of the ayah, see:

https://quranreflect.com/posts/13430

REQUEST: this translation is being shared here as a draft to receive feedback from the general public. Please share any suggestions for improvement, but ensure that they are evidence-based and not simply reproducing familiar expressions from other translations.

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Kulsum3y ago

Asssalamu'alaykum! So, from my understanding, 'finest' here means 'best and most beautiful', doesn't it? Actually 'finest' can be a vague word with a lot of different connotations (at least to a younger audience), and أحسن is a powerful idea. Could we place a different word here? I wanted to ask because it made me a bit of confused while reading it. And my second question is, 'since', which sent me to the depths of Arabic grammar and back again... If it means 'since', is it giving a reason for the previous point - i.e. this story is being told in the best manner, *since* the best Recital has been revealed? Does it imply this Recital is the best recital, and therefore, it deserves only the best of storytelling? OR is 'since' here to denote a period of time - i.e. since the time the Quran has been revealed, so it is about time this story was retold? Jazakallah Khairan!

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