One last question for the Muslim responder (for now)….?

Question

In my last question about the Quran, I was old that it has never changed. Then someone suggested that I read it. Fair suggestion.

I don’t think that I speak, or read, the language that the Quran was originally written it. If it has been translated to English then wouldn’t that be a change? Translation causes human error. Thoughts?

Also, I’ll take you up on your suggestion to read it. I have had trouble getting through other spiritual text because of the dry subject matter written in a complex manner. I’m a reasonably intelligent college educated person; will the Quran be a difficult read?

Answer 1

A quran found in turkey is believed to be 1200-1400 years old and there is NO difference between that Quran and the Quran found today!!

By translating you are not changing the ARABIC text which will remain the same.. because ALLAH took the responsibility that unlike bible it wont be changed by HUMANS...

Yes it needs a lot of brain to read Quran... its not for an average person.. has it been for average person the all the non-believers would have attacked and said that it looks like it is written by an Ordinary MAN... so its the text from GOD and it has to be a bit hard for an average man.

Just consider QURAN and a MEDICAL BIOLOGY book... just like you cant become a doctor while studying a biology book at home in the same manner you cant become a good muslim by reading QURAN by yourself... you will get most of the things written in QURAN and BIOLOGY book but there will be some problems which you will face ... for which you will have to contact a TEACHER or IMAM...... Thats why most of the people take one violent verse out of QURAN w/o respect to its history, its chapter, and anything else and starts bashing ISLAM... thats truly UNFAIR!!!

PS: there are lots of Anti ISlamic site... i had an experience of visiting one.. and oh my LORD!!!! everything written over there was WRONG... LIES LIES LIES..... dont trust them at all.. and study ISLAM yourself and if required contact a Muslim Priest (IMAM)

Answer 2

Yes, the hard ones may be difficult, especially for someone with no real background in Islam. However, if you take a look at the translations of the suras (verses) towards the end, they tend to be shorter and, therefore, easier to comprehend.

And as a response to your point that "translation causes human error," you're absolutely right. That's why the translations of the Quran are always just one step from the original (meaning Arabic to whatever other language, directly). Also, to make sure the correct meaning is derived from these verses, there are usually footnotes at the bottom of the page explaining the circumstances of these verses. However, the Quran has remained in it's exact original state since it was revealed. Also, as others mentioned, the Quran should only be recited in Arabic as to not deviate from the original meaning through translation.

I hope this helps, and I'm impressed that you're so open to learning more about the Quran. This is an excellent characteristic to have, because most people prefer to just make judgements based on their own ignorance, which is dissapointing.

Answer 3

translation is never 100% accurate to the original langauge of the Quran. the original language of the Quran is more balanced, deep, strong, and perfect structure.

here is the strange thing about the Quran, yes the Quran is old, but can be understood at anytime. the language of the Quran is not the same as Sudia Arabia accent. the Arabic in the Quran is in the pure Arabic, which children, young, adults, and old people can understand it. however there are some verses need careful study to understand.

and whoever find difficulties reading the Quran, will get his reward twice. (can't remember the exact Hadith).

Answer 4

Dear Keven,

When I said it was never changed you misunderstood me. it HAS been translated, but not everything is right, since no1 in recent years (after the years of the prophet) has ever FULLY interpreted or understood the Quran. It has never been altered or messed with. It was originally written in Arabic. It was translated into different languages so people can learn about it. I myself read it in English. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE TRUE AND ORIGINAL QURAN YOU MUST READ IT IN ARABIC. Reading it in English gives a broad "idea". The Quran will be difficult to read but anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I am not looking to convert you, I am looking to teach other people about Islam as well as I am learning about other religions so we can all understand each other better. I can tell you are open-minded and if you want you can reach me through yahoo messenger at k_high_420 for a chat I would be glad to talk open-mindedly.

Answer 5

When u read the translation of Quran that is not the permenant meaning... in Islam, the translation always need to up-to-date. But the original Quran words ( in Arabic ) you cannot change it. When you read either in original language or in translation, you need to do some research... u must remember Quran is not direct words... it is simple if u can understand

Answer 6

There are translations and things can always be lost in translation but the the Quran is still in Arabic and to truly understand the text should be only read in Arabic

Answer 7

Qur'an is the very word of God, revealed to Prophet Muhammad (sm), the last of all prophets.

You can definitely read Qur'an in English translation to get idea, but you are not supposed to make rules or judgments out of it. To know the rulings of worldly matters and how they develop, you have to contact a well-learned Muslim scholar. Actually, by the bless of modern technology, we alll have internet so you can learn almost anything about Qur'an, Sunna, Islam online. You just have to choose trustworthy websites. Here, let me give you a good link which provides multilingual Qur'an:

http://www.al-islam.org/quran/

Some other people above mentioned links for Qur'an which are good, too. To know about Islam as a whole, you can visit http://islamonline.net/english/index.shtml

An excellent Islamic QA website: http://www.islamqa.com/

Someone earlier asked a nice question about Qur'an & Arabic, you can view the question and the answers, it received some very good logical answers. Here is the link:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AoTwA6rCsorbhnuc9NNrGWrsy6IX?qid=20060708021436AAKyRVj

Answer 8

When The Holy Qur'an is translated to English, it's only translation of the meanings, for non-Arabs to understand, BUT it's NOT to be used in prayers or read in them. Anyone who joins Islam, must read Quranic verses in his/her prayers in Arabic. So, the Holy Qur'an itself never changed, not a single letter.
Reading Qur'an isn't hard at all, God said: "And We made it (Qur'an) easy to learn". As an Arab-Muslim, I find it easy, although the Arabic used is the classic Arabic, but I understand most of it, and so would you.

Answer 9

I think you can read it online at
http://www.harunyahya.com/Quran_translation/Quran_translation_index.php

There you will find the list of sections from the quran in order.

All english quraans are the same. The only differences may be that instead of putting Lo! some have Ya! but every word has the same meaning like bad is the same as naughty but different ways to say it.

Enjoy your read!

Answer 10

no it's not difficult to read
and my dear yes quran was translated in to many languages. but it's not the real text which was tranlated but the meanings of quran was translated and that's not considered a change.
i advice you to start reading it right away and believe me you will find good meanings,manners and princibles. god bless you