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Itineraries in the Translation History of the Quran

Presentation · July 2014

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.1817.8642

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Itineraries
in the Translation History
of the Quran

Prof. Reima Al-Jarf

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

3rd International Conference on Itineraries in Translation History.

University of Tartu, Estonia. June 13-14, 2014
 Aims of Study

 To trace the history of the translation

of the Quran, hierarchies and
hegemonies of the historical
translations of the Quran,
 Problems of those translations,
 To review the policies of Quran
translations into other languages.

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About the Quran

 The Quran is the holy book of 1.5 billion

Muslims, in almost all countries and
speaking many tongues.
 the Quran is the most important miracle
of prophet Muhammad.
 It is the unchanging Word of God.
 The Quran remained intact for 1435
years.
 It is the finest piece of literary Arabic.
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  It has been protected by God from distortion or
corruption.
 It consists of 604 pages.
 It contains 114 suras (chapters), each consisting of
a number of verses. Suras vary in length.
 Muslims are still taught to learn and recite the Quran
in Arabic, even if this is not their native language
and they cannot converse in it.

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 Content of the Quran

 It is a book of guidance (social, financial, family,

marriage, divorce, raising children, inheritance,
government…etc).
 basic beliefs of Islam (existence of God and the
resurrection).
 ethical and legal subjects
 general exhortations regarding right and wrong
 Narratives of the early prophets & historical events
of the prophet’s time
 Verses pertaining to natural phenomena.
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 Stylistic Features of the
Quran
 The Quran's message is conveyed with various
literary structures and devices.
 the suras and verses employ phonetic and thematic
structures that assist the audience's efforts to recall
the message of the text.
 It uses "rhymed prose". A change of rhyme from
one set of verses to another signals a change in the
subject of discussion.

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  The Quranic text has a nonlinear
structure (a web or net). It
seems to have no beginning,
middle, or end..
 The textual arrangement is
sometimes considered to have
lack of continuity, absence of
any chronological or thematic
order and presence of repetition.
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 Levels of meaning

 The Quran has an external appearance and a hidden depth,

(an exoteric and an esoteric meaning).
 This depth possesses a depth, after the image of the
celestial spheres, which are enclosed within each other. So
it goes on for seven esoteric meanings (7 depths of hidden
depth).
 the inner meaning of the Quran does not eradicate or
invalidate its outward meaning. it is like the soul, which
gives life to the body.

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 How Many languages

 the Quran has been translated

into more than 100 European,
Asian and African languages.

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 Chronology of Quran
Translations
Date Lang. Translator
7th century Persian The first translation of the Quran.
884 First translation in Alwar (Sindh, India
now Pakistan) by the order of
Abdullah bin Umar bin Abdul Aziz
upon request of the Hindu Raja
Mehruk.
1143 Latin First translation by Robert of Ketton's
for Peter the Venerable, Lex Mahumet
pseudoprophete.
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Date Lang. Translator
1647 French L'Alcoran de Mahomet by Andre du Ryer
1649 English 1st translation by Alexander Ross from the
French translation of (1647) by Andre du Ryer.

1734 English 1st translation by George Sale

1937 English by Richard Bell
1955 Arthur John Arberry
Now English 62 translations
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 4 Stages of Translation
Stage 1 Translation from Arabic into Latin.
Stage 2 Translation from Latin into other
European languages
Stage 3 Direct Translation from Arabic into
European
languages by Orientalists.

Stage 4 Translation of the Quran into European

languages by Muslims. Those are
considered scientific and objective.

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 Who Translated the Quran?

 It is translated by individuals,
organizations, King Fahad Complex
in Madinah, Al-Azhar,
 The Quran was translated by:
 Orientalists (non-Muslims)
 non-Arab Muslims
 Arab Muslims (18 translations).

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 Translation Techniques Used

 Some translators favored archaic English words and

constructions; Eg., A. Yusuf Ali and M. Marmaduke
Pickthall use the plural and singular "ye" and "thou"
instead of the more common "you".
 some used simple modern English;
 Some added commentary.
 Some translated the meaning of the verses.
 others gave a word-for-word translation.

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 Translation Quality

 English translations of the Quran vary in style,

accuracy of meaning.
 Translation of the Quran has always been
problematic and difficult, as the Quran possesses
an exoteric and an esoteric meaning.
 The Quranic message is conveyed with various
literary structures and devices.
 There are occasional misinterpretations
mistranslations and even distortions.
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  The Quranic text cannot be reproduced in another
language or form.
 An Quoranic word may have a range of meanings
depending on the context, making an accurate
translation even more difficult.
 it is not possible for a human to produce a book like
the Quran, as the Quran itself maintains.
 No human speech can match the Quran in its
content and form.
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 They Have ideological
errors.
 Misinterpretations and
distortions and adding what
is not there.
 Distorting the Prophets’
qualities & descriptions
such as being illiterate
‫الذين يتبعون الرسول النبي األمي‬
‫الذي يجدونه مكتوبا عندهم في‬
‫التوراة واالنجيل‬

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  Translating the words not the meaning.
 Ignoring the Arabic context.
 Rearranging the Suras (chapters).
 Lexical errors,
 Syntactic errors
 Having insufficient knowledge about Islam.
 Using free translation.
 Not knowing the special features of the Quranic
style.
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 Translation Standards

 To reduce misinterpretations, mistranslations and

distortions of meaning, Islamic organizations such
as Al-Azhar, Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs and
Endowments, King Fahad Quran Complex & Quran
scholars have set guidelines and policies for
selecting Quran translators, evaluating, approving
and publishing those translations.

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 Translation Standards

 The translator should be a native-speaker of

Arabic.
 Proficient in both Arabic & English (grammar,
philology and rhetoric).
 Should be specialized in the Quranic sciences,
Principles of Islam, Shariaa Law (explications,
stories behind verse & sura revelation, denotative
and connotative meaning of lexical items of the
Quran)
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 Translation Standards
 Follow the unified Quran
Explication issued by the King
Fahad Quran Complex to serve
as a basis for translators
translating the Quran into other
languages.

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 Translation Standards

 Translation should be based on accredited Arabic

explications of the Quran.
 Give an introduction about the Quran and its
content.
 Give an introduction about each sura and whether it
was revealed in Makkah or Madinah, and the
translation strategy.
 Give the lexical and rhetorical meanings of words.

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 Translation Standards
 Translators should not add scientific theories,
scientific explanations of ‘lighting & thunder’. Should
not add what astronomers think of the sky and stars.
 Should not use scientific technical terms.
 If some verses need more clarification, this can be
added in a footnote.
 Should refer to the story/occasion behind a verse
‫اسباب النزول‬
 Give the meaning of the whole verse or all the verses
when they share a theme, then give the lexical
meaning, meaning of whole verse, why it was
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