Emerging out of the interaction between East and West, the first Muslim Qur'an translations into English, produced in early 20th century India, rationalized the Qur’?n and attempted to reconcile it with modernity. Those translations, not unlike earlier European translations, were deeply rooted in their socio-political circumstances. The earliest English translation, based on a French translation of a medieval Latin translation, was published in 1649 by Alexander Ross and reflected the anti-Islamic biases of its Latin original. The second English translation, that of Sale, was produced in the Age of Enlightenment and echoed some of that era’s characteristic features such as appreciation of learning and critical thinking, but it also stressed the use of Qur’?n translation to convert Muslims. Four additional 19th century English translations, though driven by genuine interest in Islam and presenting outstanding scholarship, still saw the Qur’?n as a bad copy of the Bible and filled with superstitions and irrationalities. In mid-nineteenth century, when Protestant missionaries were allowed into the Subcontinent, they depended on these translations to argue against Islam. Muslims of the Subcontinent on their turn saw a dire need to translate the Qur’?n to convey its true meaning. They also reflected disputes within the Indian Muslim community about how to respond to the challenges of modernity, notably in the role of the Ahmadi translations. The first Muslim English translations discussed in this study are Muhammad Abdul Hakim Khan (1905), Mirza Abu’l Fazl (1912), Hairat Dilhawi (1912), Maulana Muhammad Ali (1917), and Al-Haj Hafiz Ghulam Sarwar(1929). I read these translations in light of (a) traditional Qur’?n interpretations, (b) earlier European translations, (c) the cultural milieu of India, and (d) modern concept such as rationality, pluralism, and tolerance. Reconciling the Qur’?n with the mind of the modern man, these translations had a strong influence on Islam in Europe as well as on many of the later English translations. The history of these translations, then, can be read as the rise of Qur’?n translation as a modern phenomenon and an important aspect of the encounter between Islam and modernity.