Why do they change the Koran "translations"?

Question

2:22
... who has made the earth AS FLAT and comfortable as a bed and placed upon it mountains standing firm... (Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Part 1), Surah Al-Fatihah Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 1 to 141, abridged by Sheikh Muhammad Nasib Ar-Rafa’i [Al-Firdous Ltd., London, 1998 second edition],

Today, it says "resting place". How does one word mean flat and then 8 years later mean resting place?

You can call it translation if you want. Its clearly been "updated" as people question its obvious flaws.

The big deal is, their entire religion is BASED off the Koran never changing.

There is no denying the Bible translations have changed recently. They ( christians) dont hinge their entire belief system off of "original" text.

Answer 1

Yes, you right. They changed the *translation* as people began to speak out against its errors. Specifically, the earth being flat.Among others.

Answer 2

Earth made as a carpet
The question refers to a verse from the Qur’an in Surah Nuh:

"And Allah has made the earth for you as a carpet (spread out)."
[Al-Qur’an 71:19]

But the sentence in the above verse is not complete. It continues in the next verse, explaining the previous verse. It says:

"That ye may go about therein, in spacious roads."
[Al-Qur’an 71:20]

A similar message is repeated in Surah TaHa:

"He Who has made for you the earth like a carpet spread out; has enabled you to go about therein by roads (and channels)...."
[Al-Qur’an 20:53]

The surface of the earth i.e. earth’s crust is less than 30 miles in thickness and is very thin as compared to the radius of the earth which is about 3750 miles. The deeper layers of the earth are very hot, fluid and hostile to any form of life. The earth’s crust is a solidified shell on which we can live. The Qur’an rightly refers to it like a carpet spread out, so that we can travel along its roads and paths.

2. Carpet can also be spread on other than an absolute flat surface
Not a single verse of the Qur’an says that the earth is flat. The Qur’an only compares the earth’s crust with a carpet. Some people seem to think that carpet can only be put on an absolute flat surface. It is possible to spread a carpet on a large sphere such as the earth. It can easily be demonstrated by taking a huge model of the earth’s globe covering it with a carpet.

Carpet is generally put on a surface, which is not very comfortable to walk on. The Qur’an describes the earth crust as a carpet, without which human beings would not be able to survive because of the hot, fluid and hostile environment beneath it. The Qur’an is thus not only logical, it is mentioning a scientific fact that was discovered by geologists centuries later.

3. Earth has been spread out
Similarly, the Qur’an says in several verses that the earth has been spread out.

"And We have spread out the (spacious) earth: how excellently We do spread out!"
[Al-Qur’an 51:48]

Similarly the Qur’an also mentions in several other verses that the earth is an expanse:

"Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse"
"And the mountains as pegs?"
[Al-Qur’an 78:6-7]

None of these verses of the Qur’an contain even the slightest implication that the earth is flat. It only indicates that the earth is spacious and the reason for this spaciousness of the earth is mentioned. The Glorious Qur’an says:

"O My servants who believe! truly. spacious is My Earth: therefore serve ye Me –(And Me alone)!"
[Al-Qur’an 29:56]

Therefore none can give the excuse, that he could not do good and was forced to do evil because of the surroundings and circumstances.

4. Earth is geospherical in shape
The Qur’an mentions the actual shape of the earth in the following verse:

"And we have made the earth egg shaped".
[Al-Qur’an 79:30]

The Arabic word Dahaha means egg shaped. It also means an expanse. Dahaha is derived from Duhiya which specifically refers to the egg of an ostrich which is geospherical in shape, exactly like the shape of the earth.

Thus the Qur’an and modern established science are in perfect harmony

Answer 3

To learn about the true meaning of the Ayat, you need to see the translation of the original Arabic word, then you can come to know whats the real word used there and whats the meaning of it, as I have heard that there are almost 70 words for "knocking the door" in Arabic, so you can understand how vast language it is and if someone translates it wrong, it can also mean that the translator doesnt' posess ther right grip on the language he is translating from.

Answer 4

I'm not gonna answer your question, but I like to tell you something, you said that you were a Muslim,which I don't believe, OK,if you were a Muslim and you found out that you have doubts about your religion, why didn't you go and ask any Imam about these questions, if you really was interested in the truth,you should have done some efforts to know the truth.
what you are doing here is copying question which are being asked by non Muslims all the time just to bash Islam.
you turned to be an enemy of Islam.
if you don't like it , it's OK for you ,but why are you trying to make others hate it without any reason.
do you want answers ? seek professional help, because people here are not professionals in Islamic studies,so their answers won't be 100% correct, or maybe this is exactly what you want.....?!

Answer 5

There is no change, there is a difference between the choice of words. If you really need to learn on what exactly does the Qur'an says, learn Arabic (while I think you already do and you use an alias called Ibn Sina) and see what exactly does it say.

The current Bible that we have has an on going fabrication of version and in some cases whole books are missing from one another.

Answer 6

translations change as language changes.
translations are never sufficiant.
some of the meaning is always lost from the original language.
if you read a translation you are always loseing the context, though you get the general meaning. figures of speech in one language are not the same as in another. and so a word for word translation isn't always the best way to understand what is being translated, though further study of the matter is always informative.
it's a shame that ancient texts always seem to be in a dead language.

Answer 7

here is the true verses
[2:21] O people, worship only your Lord - the One who created you and those before you - that you may be saved.

[2:22] The One who made the earth habitable for you, and the sky a structure. He sends down from the sky water, to produce all kinds of fruits for your sustenance. You shall not set up idols to rival GOD, now that you know.

[ 2:23] If you have any doubt regarding what we revealed to our servant,* then produce one sura like these, and call upon your own witnesses against GOD, if you are truthful.

Answer 8

Christians have done the same with the Bible over the centuries. New translations were called for by kings and leaders to strengthen their positions - which is why we have the King James version of the bible.

Answer 9

It is difficult to translate ancient Arabic exactly. Abdullah Yusuf Ali in his translation (1979) says " Who has made the earth your couch and the heavens your canopy". The interpretation of the translator may differ.

Answer 10

just like when they change the translations of the Bible. It's a more effective way of communicating policy change. Nobody but the non believers question it