All you need to know about Quran translation

Introduction

Interpretations of the Quranic text in languages other than Arabic are formally recognized as translations of the Islamic holy book. While the original Arabic remains the definitive liturgical source, the Quran has been rendered into nearly all major African, Asian, and European languages to facilitate global accessibility.

In This Article

Islamic view of Qur’an translation

In Islamic theology, translating the Qur’an from Arabic into other languages has always been challenging. Muslims say that the Qur’anic text should not be separated from its original language or written form, at least not without maintaining the Arabic text along with it, because they esteem the Qur’an as miraculous and unique (Ijaz al-Qur’an). An exact translation is further complicated by the fact that an Arabic word, like a Hebrew or Aramaic word, may have a variety of meanings depending on the context—a quality shared by all Semitic languages, as opposed to English, Latin, and Romance languages.

The Qur’an should only be recited in Quranic Arabic since, by Islamic theology, it was revealed in Arabic exclusively. Muslims believe that because translations into other languages are inherently human creations, they lose the Arabic original’s distinctively hallowed quality. These translations are frequently referred to as “interpretations” or “translation[s] of the meanings” because they inevitably slightly alter the meaning. With “meanings” being ambiguous between the meanings of the various passages and the various associations that each word alone can have the latter connotation admits that the so-called translation is only one possible interpretation and is not claimed to be the same as the original. For instance, Pickthall chose to use The Meaning of the Glorious Koran as the title of his translation rather than The Koran. Shaykh Al-Marghenani corrected Marmaduke Pickthall in 1930 when he delivered his translation of the Quran to the rector of the University of Al Azhar in Egypt, saying: “This is the interpretation of the meanings of the Quran.” Therefore, the Arabic Quran is the Quran, and any translation is only an interpretation or an attempt to comprehend the content of the book of Allah since the book of Allah cannot be translated into any other language. Every Quran translation, according to Professor Hussein Abdul Raof (Quran translation: Curzon), “proclaims its inadequacy… and is no more than an approximation of the meaning of the Quran.”

Translating the Qur’an is difficult; as some natural Arabic speakers would attest, certain sections could be more precise even in the original Arabic character. This is partially due to the inherent difficulties of any translation; just as in other languages, Arabic allows for a wide range of interpretations of a single term.

Understanding and translating a text always include some amount of human judgment. The fact that Arabic in classical and modern times uses terms very differently adds to the complexity of this problem. Because of this, even Qur’anic texts that are crystal plain to native Arab speakers used to modern terminology and usage may have an original hidden meaning.

The historical context of the prophet Muhammad’s life and the early society in which it was written will also impact the original meaning of a Qur’anic passage. Investigating that context typically necessitates in-depth familiarity with hadith and sirah, which are also essential and intricate books. This adds a second layer of uncertainty that language translation criteria can’t remove.

This does not imply that the message, meaning, or the Divine Will should not be translated into other languages. All of the early Tafsir, or Quranic commentary, was an honest endeavour by scholars to comprehend the meanings of the Quran as they were understood by the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his followers. Numerous Quranic interpretations paraphrased its words in their own straightforward, modern Arabic.

History of Qur’an Translation

The eminent scholar Shah Wali Allah of Dahlawi (d. 1763) provided the first comprehensive translation of the Quran into Persian. He successfully initiated the Quran’s translation campaign, which his grandchildren later continued in the 19th century by translating into Urdu.

Robertus Retenesis translated the Quran into Latin in 1143. Alexander Ross then used the exact Latin text to translate the Quran into various European languages and English in 1649. According to Professor Haleem, George Sale’s translation of the Quran into English in 1734 may be the most well-known example. “His italicized commentaries, embedded in the text, help to make the Quran more understandable to an English-speaking audience,” he writes.

Marmaduke Pickthall produced the first translation of a British Muslim text in 1930. Nowadays, there isn’t a language that Muslims read or speak that doesn’t have a translation of the Quran. The Quran has been translated into almost 500 languages, including English, Persian, and nearly 100 different languages of Urdu.

Recommendations for English translations of the Qur’an

The First Translation

The Meaning of the Glorious Qur’an, written by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall and originally published in 1930, is the first English translation of the Qur’an to gain widespread and enduring recognition among the English-speaking Muslim community.

The Holy Qur’an by Abdullah Yusuf Ali came out shortly after this in 1934. Although they both have a poetic tone and occasionally employ archaic words (such as the pronouns “thee,” “thou,” and “thy,”) they are reasonably understandable and continue to be two of the most well-known and accessible English translations of the Qur’an.

The Poutiest

The Message of the Qur’an, an English translation and analysis of the Qur’an, was released in 1980 by Muhammad Asad. Asad, an Austrian Jew who converted to Islam, worked on this translation for many years while conducting academic studies. Among the most lyrical, this translation tries to express the Qur’anic concepts in sophisticated English rather than translate the Arabic text exactly word for word. The introduction by Asad and the highly legible footnotes help the reader navigate the Qur’an, making it one of the most well-liked translations among English readers. This translation is best used in conjunction with another for comparison because some of Asad’s views are unusual.

Simplest to Read

One of the most recent translations of the Qur’an is The Qur’an: A New Translation, written by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem and released by Oxford University Press in 2004. Abdel Haleem is a Qur’anic and Classical Arabic scholar who studied at the renowned al-Azhar University in Cairo. He currently teaches Islamic Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. As a result, his translation showcases his command of Qur’anic Arabic. At the same time, it aims to communicate the Qur’anic concepts in natural English rather than to give the Arabic text’s literal translation. It has consequently emerged as one of the most respectable modern English translations of the Qur’an.