Cover not available
Article published In:
Babel
Vol. 64:2 (2018) ► pp.205–224

The Qur’an translatability

The translation’s invisibility

| King Saud University
The Qur’an is the uncontested central religious text of Islam. Many Muslim scholars dogmatically believe that the language of the Qur’an is the miraculous word of God revealed directly to his Prophet, and disagree that it is possible to translate it into any other language. On the other hand, some scholars, old and new, have argued for the permissibility of its translations for linguistic and pragmatic reasons. The polemics surrounding the translatability of The Qur’an bring to light other enduring debates on the permissibility of translating the word of God into an earthly language even if it has been revealed in one, and if one can safely describe this as a translation.
The debate on the translatability of the Qur’an constitutes one of the most controversial issues in Arabic-to-other-languages translation. This paper aims at weighing, as objectively as possible, the justifications variously employed by each camp to rationalize its position. It also touches upon some of the philosophical issues of translatability itself, along with a critical discussion on the traditional Arabic linguists’ views of meaning and translation.
The paper assumes that some readers, particularly non-Muslim readers, are not fully familiar with certain rhetorical and linguistic issues that might be familiar to Muslim scholars. For reasons of clarity, the paper accordingly includes some detailed discussions of certain essential issues.
Keywords: translatability, cultural translatability, object centred text, i ʿjaz , tajweed , linguocentrism, sonority issues
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1The centrality of the Qur’an
    • 1.2Language particularity and message universality
  • 2.The times of uncertainty
  • 3.The miraclo-versity of the Qurʾan
    • 3.1Historicity of the term I ʿjaz
    • 3.2Synchronic I ʿjaz
  • 4.Is the Qurʾan translatable?
    • 4.1Arguments against the translation of the Qurʾan
    • 4.2Arguments for the translatability of the Qurʾan
  • 5.Equating the unequal
    • 5.1Translation and equivalence
    • 5.2The culture of revelation and the revelation of culture
    • 5.3The evolving reconceptualization
  • 6.Pseudo translations
  • 7.Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 1 October 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00037.ala
References (26)
References
Al-Badri, Ali. 1961. “Al Ḥaqāiq wa Abāṭiil ḥawla Iʕjaz al Qūrʾān” (Truths and Falsities Surrounding the Iʕjaz of the Quran). Cairo: Daru Ilkitab Al Jāmic i.Google Scholar
Al-Baqilāni, Muhammad. 1986. “Iʕjaz al Qūrʾān” (The Miracle of the Qurʾā n), ed. by I. Haider. Beirut: Al-Kutub Aṯaqfihah.Google Scholar
Abdulġfour, S. s.d. Zahirat attaʾwiːl wa ṣilātuha bi alouġah. Daru Al Maˤrifah Al Jamiˤiah.
Al-Fawazan, Muhammad. 2002. “Aiuhuma aoula bitarjamati ma؟ani Al-Qura’an AlKarim am tafseer al-oulamaai lahu”. Translation of the Meaning of The Quran Symposium. Al-Medinah Al-Mounawarah, Saudi Arabia, 23–25 April, pp. 30–31.Google Scholar
Almaraġy, Muhammad. 1981. “Baħth fi tarjamati Al-Quranu Al-Karim wa aħkamuha”. Beirut: Daru Alkitab AlJadid.Google Scholar
Al-Roamy, F. 2002. “Naqlu ma؟ani Al-Qura’an ila luġatin oxra: Atarjamatun am tafseer?” Translation of the Meaning of The Quran Symposium, Al-Medinah Al-Mounawarah, Saudi Arabia, 23–25 April, pp. 30–31.Google Scholar
Arrajhi, A.. 2016 Jami’ shiroħ ibin Taimiah. [URL]
Firth, J. R. 1952. “Linguistic analysis as a study of meaning”. In Selected Papers of J. R. Firth 1952–1959, ed. by F. Palmer (1968), 12–26. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Jacobson, R. 1959. “On linguistic aspects of translation”. In On Translation, ed. by Fang, Achilles; and Reuben, A. Brower, 13–18. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kelly, L. 1979. The true interpreter: A history of translation theory and practice in the West. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Moir, C. 2009. “Translational resonance, authenticity and authority in the Bible and the Quran: Translation and religious change”. New Voices in Translation Studies 51: 29–45.Google Scholar
Nida, E. 1964. Towards a science of translating. Leiden: Brill.Google Scholar
1977. “The nature of dynamic equivalence in translating”. Babel 23 (3): 99–103. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Nida, E.; and Taber, C. 1969. The theory and practice of translation. Leiden: Brill.Google Scholar
Parallelism, Mary, Jesus and the Palm Tree. (s.d.). [URL]
Quine, V. 1959. “Meaning and translation”. In On Translation, ed. by Fang, Achilles; and Reuben, A. Brower, 148–173. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Qur’an Transliteration [URL]
Rubel, P.; and Rosman, A. 2003. “An introduction: translation and anthropology”. In Translating Cultures: Perspectives on translation and anthropology, ed. by P. G. Rubel; and A. Rosman, 1–24. New York: Oxford.Google Scholar
Sammud, H. 1981. “Attafkiir al-balaġy ʿind alʿarab”. The Tunisian University Press.Google Scholar
Shahiid, A.; and Murtadha, M. 2003. Scholastic theology. London: Dar Al-Hadi Publications.Google Scholar
The Noble Quran [URL]
Toury, G. 1995. Descriptive translation studies and beyond. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Usul al-fiaqh: Oxford Islamic studies online. [URL]
Venuti, L. 1986. “The translator’s invisibility”. Criticism 281: 179–212.Google Scholar
Vogel, F. 2000. Islamic Law and Legal System: Studies of Saudi Arabia. Leiden: Brill.Google Scholar
Webster, J. 1988. “The language of religion”. In Registers of Written English: Situational Factors and Linguistic Features, ed. by M. Ghadessy, 85–107. London: Printer Publisher.Google Scholar
Cited by (2)

Cited by two other publications

Othman, Ahd
2024. Narratives of (un)translatability: the recurrent case of the Qur’an. Translation Studies 17:2 ► pp. 314 ff. DOI logo
Al-Sharafi, Abdul Gabbar & Rizwan Ahmad
2022. Translating the sacred. Babel. Revue internationale de la traduction / International Journal of Translation 68:3 ► pp. 317 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 30 june 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.