To cite a Quran translation, begin with the version you actually used: the translator, edition or website and the surah and ayah reference. Keep a quotation distinct from your paraphrase or an added explanation. Then format the reference using the citation style required by your institution or publication; do not invent missing publication details from another edition.

Make the source card before the citation

  1. Version: save the translator's name and the edition or webpage that supplied the wording.
  2. Location: record the surah and ayah or range, and preserve the exact quotation separately from your notes.
  3. Format and check: follow the required style, then use the finished citation to reopen the source and confirm it.

Cite the version you read

An original, researched editorial guide. Sources checked on 10 October 2026. Worked exercises are editorial suggestions; tool instructions identify their provider sources. The cover is an editorial illustration.

When citing a Quran translation, save the surah and ayah reference, the translator, the edition or online source, and the exact wording you used. Then format the citation according to the style required by your institution or publication. A chapter-and-verse reference locates the Quran passage; the translation details identify the English wording.

The easiest time to collect those details is while the source is open. Trying to recover a translator from a copied sentence days later can turn a simple reference into a search project. A small source card keeps quotations, paraphrases and your own explanation easier to distinguish during writing.

Begin with the actual version you read

For a printed translation, inspect the title and copyright pages. Record the full title, translator, edition information, publisher and publication year shown in that copy. For an online reading, identify the selected translation and save the actual passage link. The website's name alone may not identify which English rendering was displayed.

Do not assume the year printed on another edition applies to yours. A work can appear in multiple editions, and an online source may carry additional publication information. Preserve the details the source actually supplies. If a date is missing, use the required citation style's instructions for that situation rather than inventing a year.

For a commentary, distinguish the Quran translation from the commentator's own discussion. You may need to cite both. A sentence explaining a passage belongs to its identified author or work; attaching only the ayah number leaves the reader unable to locate the explanation you are quoting or evaluating.

Use the passage's numbered location

Write a Quran location in a recognizable form such as Al-Baqarah 2:255 or Al-Ikhlas 112:1–4. It remains useful when a reader uses another edition with different pages. For a paper following a specific style, check that style's punctuation and naming conventions before finalizing the citation.

APA Style's official religious-work examples instruct writers to use canonical chapter or verse numbering for the text. Its seventh-edition guidance treats religious works published as books or websites using the corresponding reference format and identifies the publication year of the version used. Consult the actual examples when APA is required.

The same APA page distinguishes the religious text from material added by editors of an annotated work. That matters when your argument discusses a footnote or explanatory paragraph. Record the location of that added material too, using the work's page or note information as appropriate to the required style.

Quotation, paraphrase and commentary

An exact quotation uses the source's actual wording and needs the source identified. A paraphrase expresses the source's meaning in your own wording and still requires an appropriate citation. Your own observation should be written as your own contribution, with supporting sources attached to the claims that need them.

During drafting, label these categories in your notes. “Copied wording,” “my paraphrase” and “question for discussion” are useful temporary labels. They reduce the chance that a polished sentence from a source quietly becomes part of your own paragraph without attribution. Remove the drafting labels only after the final prose makes the relationships clear.

For public posts, quote only the amount needed for the point and check the translation's reproduction conditions when planning substantial reuse. A readily accessible reading page does not itself tell you the rights for reproducing an entire translation. You can often link to the full passage while discussing the question in original prose.

A source card before a formatted citation

  • Quran passage: surah name and chapter-and-ayah reference.
  • Version: full translation title and translator or translation team.
  • Publication: edition, publisher and year supplied by the source.
  • Online location: direct passage link and website where applicable.
  • Material used: exact excerpt, paraphrase, footnote or commentary location.

Think of the card as collected evidence, not a finished APA, MLA or Chicago citation. You can format the same checked information according to your assignment's rules. This avoids presenting a generic template as though it were a correct final reference for every edition and every institution.

If your source is a screenshot, return to the original reading page or printed work before filling the card. A graphic may omit the translator or shorten the passage. If you cannot establish where its English wording came from, locate a version you can identify and revise your writing using that checked source.

A practical example without invented publication details

Suppose your essay discusses Al-Ikhlas 112:1. Open the verse, select the translation you intend to use, and record the translator displayed. Save the passage link. If your assignment requires publication details for that translation, follow through to the identified edition or its provider information and collect what is actually stated.

Now write your analytical point in your own words and decide whether an exact English excerpt is necessary. If it is, verify the excerpt against the selected translation before inserting quotation marks. If you change translators during revision, recheck the wording and the reference card together. The location stays the same while the cited English source changes.

Check the final citation in both directions

Read your paragraph and ask whether a reader can tell whose wording or explanation is being used. Then follow the citation back to the source and find the actual passage. This two-way check catches incomplete references, mismatched translators and quotations whose saved link opens the wrong ayah.

Our verse-reference guide helps with the location part of that check. For a wording question, comparing translations offers a focused study method. Keep the passage, version and your own contribution clear, and the final citation becomes much easier to format accurately.

APA Style: religious work references — The APA-specific points use official seventh-edition guidance. General reference-card examples are editorial suggestions; use your institution's required style.

Related reading

Continue with How to Read Quran Verse References: Surah and Ayah or How to Verify a Quran Quote or Claim Before Sharing.