Hello com7fy8,
I’m going to comment on three of your remarks; and will do so over three posts.
You Wrote:
‘I understand that there are Muslims who do not consider an English translation to be authentic scripture, that only Arabic is their divine language; and so they might not consider the English translation of the Qur'an to be accurate or acceptable, never mind divine.’
Comment:
The Qur’an is the supreme authority in Islam. It is the fundamental and paramount source of its creed, rituals, ethics and laws. It was, or course, revealed to Muhammad (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) in Arabic; and it is this version that is considered to be the true Qur’an, the direct word of Allāh (Subḥānahu ūta'āla). No translation is considered to be the Qur’an; and no translation carries the same status as the Arabic. Muslims consider translations to be mere renditions of the Qur’an.
Muhammad Abdel Haleem - Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of London - writes:
‘Arabs themselves find English translations of the Qur’an disappointing, unconvincing, and lacking in the cohesion, clarity and grandeur, as well as the rhythm and power, of the original Qur’anic verses.’
(Understanding The Qur’an - Themes and Styles: page 9).
The first translation of the Qur’an into English was made by Alexander Ross (printed in 1649). Ross was not a specialist in Qur’anic studies and spoke no Arabic! He took his ‘translation’ from the French.
According to Professor Haleem this work of Ross was:
‘…..the beginning of a long tradition of translations and studies of the Qur’an in English. Some – Rodwell (1861) and Bell (1937) – sought to refute it in the light of the Bible, while others – Sale (1734), Palmer (1880), Pickthall (1930) and Arberry (1955) – brought increasing levels of scholarship in Arabic and appreciation of Arabic literature, and decreasing levels of prejudice to bear on their translations – no prejudice being apparent in the last two. There are now numerous translations in English, but not one has been made by more than one person at a time, and no Arab Muslim specialist in Qur’anic studies has made a translation.
‘The Qur’an’s unique qualities in the Arabic need to be analysed in English, and a new approach adopted towards its translation. Even the best of the available translations pose very serious difficulties in the proper appreciation and understanding of the Qur’an. The Arabic original, however, will remain to the Muslims the sacred speech, “‘a sublime scripture”(41:41).’
(Understanding The Qur’an - Themes and Styles: pages 9-10).
One thing to watch out for in any translation are the words contained in brackets.
Brackets are not found in the Qur’an itself; and are, in every case, commentaries - or clarifications - made by the translator. They can be very misleading. Here’s an example. It is taken from the Sura ‘Al-Fatiha’ (The Opening). This Sura is very important. It comes at the beginning of each
rak‘a (section) of the Islamic formal daily prayers; and without it the prayer is not complete.
‘In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists). The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of resurrection). You (Alone) we worship and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything). Guide us to the Straight Way. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians).
This translation is by Muhammad Al-Hilali and Muhammad Khan, and was published by the King Fahd Complex in Saudi Arabia.
Here is a translation by Professor Haleem:
‘In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy! Praise belongs to God, Lord of the Worlds, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy, Master of the Day of Judgement. It is You we worship; it is You we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path: the path of those You have blessed, those who incur no anger and who have not gone astray.’
Note that this translation makes no mention of Jews or Christians. This is because the original Arabic Qur'an does not mention them either.
Professor Haleem writes:
‘The followers of the path are described in three ways: (i) they are blessed/favoured by God. Consequently, (ii) they are not the object of anger and (iii) they are not astray. This is the persuasive nature of Qur’anic language, which in this passage does not include anything repellent or discouraging. Every section, in the way it is presented, is acceptable in itself and leads naturally to the subsequent section. The request of the believer, then, appears to be significant and perfectly acceptable to right-minded people.
‘Blessing the followers of the path is attributed to God: ‘the path of those You have blessed’. Being the object of anger and being astray are not related to God in this way.
‘The second group is those who incur anger. Anger can be from God, the angels, human beings or other creatures. It is wrong to say, ‘With whom You are angry or wrathful’, as many translators do, since this deviates from the original Arabic and adds a quality of God which does not appear anywhere in this passage. In fact the entire picture of God in
Sirat al-Fati˙a is benign and beautiful, the Most Beneficent, Most Merciful, Caring Lord. Even as the Master of the Day of Judgement, He is the Source of Help, who gives guidance and blessings. He is not said to be angry or leading people astray. Non-Muslim believers can without difficulty appreciate such a picture of God, and the sentiments expressed throughout the
sira are equally acceptable to believers in God whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims.’
(Understanding The Qur’an - Themes and Styles: page 20).
Another thing to watch out for is the deliberate misrepresentation of the Qur’an by the devious process of quoting a verse out of its context (never happens on this site, of course
). For example:
‘Slay them wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, for persecution is more serious than killing.’
(Al-Baqara: 191).
Here is the verse in its context:
‘Fight in Allāh’s cause against those who fight you, but do not overstep the limits: Allāh does not love those who overstep the limits. Kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, for persecution is more serious than killing. Do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque unless they fight you there. If they do fight you, kill them - this is what such disbelievers deserve - but if they stop, then Allāh is most forgiving and merciful. Fight them until there is no more persecution, and worship is devoted to Allāh. If they cease hostilities, there can be no (further) hostility, except towards aggressors…….So if anyone commits aggression against you, attack him as he attacked you, but be mindful of Allāh, and know that He is with those who are mindful of Him.’
(Al-Baqara: 191-194).
Professor Haleem writes:
‘Slay them wherever you find them,’ has been made the title of an article on war in Islam. (‘Slay them wherever you find them: Humanitarian Law in Islam,’ by James J. Busuttil).
‘In this article ‘them’ is removed from its context, where it refers back to ‘those who attack you’ in the preceding verse. ‘Wherever you find them’ is similarly misunderstood: the Muslims were anxious that if their enemies attacked them in Mecca (which is a sanctuary) and they retaliated, they would be breaking the law. Thus the Qur’an simply gave the Muslims permission to fight those enemies, whether outside or inside Mecca, and assured them that the persecution that had been committed by the unbelievers against them for believing in God was more sinful than the Muslims killing those who attacked them, wherever they were. Finally, it must be pointed out that the whole passage comes in the context of fighting those who bar Muslims from reaching the Sacred Mosque at Mecca to perform the pilgrimage.’
(Understanding The Qur’an - Themes and Styles: page 64).
