The Quran: A New Translation by Tarif Khalidi (Penguin Classics, 2008) conveys the nuance, subtlety and lyricism of the original Arabic that other versions have lacked.
The Penguin translation by NJ Dawood, considered by many Muslims to be a highly misleading and hostile (mis)translation, is not recommended.
Leila Ahmed’s Women and Gender in Islam (Yale University Press, 1992) and Women and Islam by Fatima Mernissi (Blackwell, 1991) are well-regarded feminist interpretations of the Qur’an.
