Hey there!
This question is for followers of Islam... or those who know a lot about it. I had heard in the past that it is considered sacreligious if the Qur'an is translated from Arabic to any other language. Right now I'm taking a course on world religion and we are reading the Qur'an -in English-. Is it considered a taboo? How do you, as a Muslim, feel about it being translated, if in fact it is against your religion.
-Only answers pertaining to the question, please. I'm only interested in what the "rule" is on that, not anything else-
Thankyou!!! :)
2006-10-23 14:55:05 · 8 answers · asked by Stina 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
first of all i really appreciate,what u r studying,as i always believe,knowledge of different religions is very imp to find truth.ignorance always betrays u.
i don't agree with a guy above.Quran can best be understood in it's own language that's Arabic.as different languages always create disputes in different meaning,so Quran was revealed in Arabic,we always prefer it in Arabic,to avoid any dispute that may occur.
to read Quran's translation,is our need. reading Quran's translation is OK,but u must be sure,that source is authentic
like for example,my language is urdu,i don't know arabic,so i only trust mulana mudodi's translation n explanation from arabic to urdu,as it's the most authentic one.
hope my elaboration helps u.
2006-10-23 15:11:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's not sacrilegious to translate The Quran! GOD WANTS The Quran to be accepted by all, and he's most happy to have it translated, only if it's translated the way it is written in Arabic. And GOD WANTS people to read The Quran in a way so that they understand the meaning of each verse. It is not a taboo, and I consider it to be most wonderful because when I read the Quran in Arabic, it sounds very beautiful , but I don't understand it. But when I read the meaning in English, I understand what I read, and the meaning become quite clear and I am able to grasp the beauty of it.
2006-10-23 22:04:03 · answer #2 · answered by positive 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is not considered taboo as far as i know to translate the Quran into any other language. But the fact remains that Arabic is the most easiest and diverse language on earth possible. U cannot translate all words into appropriate english words. For example, the arabic word Rab. There is no proper equivalent for Rabb in English language. It means One and Only Lord for all the universe, its Creator, Owner, Organizer, Provider, Master, Planner, Sustainer, Cherisher, and Giver of security. Rabb is also one of Nammes of Allah. 'Lord' is the word as nearest to Rann.
Then there is the example of the word hoor. people will translate Hoor as virgin which is mentioned in 4 differnet places if I am not wrong. But Hoor dosn't mean virgin even if Many translators of the Qur’an have translated the word hoor as ‘beautiful maidens’ or girls especially in the Urdu translations.
The word hoor is actually the plural of ahwar (applicable to man) and of haura (applicable to woman) and signifies a person having eyes characterized by hauar a special quality bestowed upon a good soul, male or female in paradise and it denotes the intense whiteness of the white part of the spiritual eye.
But when one does translate the Quran into English, or any other language, it is to give atleast a fair idea of the Quran to the reader who does not know arabic. But it is best to know the Quran in arabic.
2006-10-23 22:10:35 · answer #3 · answered by Knowledge Seeker 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Quran may be translated into other languages for people who cannot speak Arabic, but a Moslem is supposed to make an effort to learn Arabic so that he could read the Book in the original language.
PS: Quran is written in Classical Arabic. It is nobody's mother tongue so even Arabs have to take up Arabic lessons to be able to understand the Holy Book
2006-10-23 22:05:09 · answer #4 · answered by Chevalier 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is OK to read a translation of the Quran but you must understand that it is a Translation. And in a something is always lost in translation.
For it to be the true word of God it must be in Arabic.
2006-10-23 21:59:32 · answer #5 · answered by Layla 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
no not at all!!, but it loses it's beauty in the Literary aspect that's all, the Quran in Arabic is written in such a strong beautiful language every world is so powerful.
in english it's more of a translation. and it's not considered taboo at all.
peace.
2006-10-23 22:01:41 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Not only is it not sacreligious to translate the Qu'ran into any language (including Hebrew), it is not actually supposed to be sold for money but given away. Of course in our fancy, frilly, you -gotta-have-a-gimmick world, people want to make money and that's understandable. However, have no fear, the Qu'ran is often translated into other languages. But, Islam only prays in Arabic.
2006-10-23 22:00:33 · answer #7 · answered by heyrobo 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
God didnt want non-arab speakers to be able to truely understand him, so he made the Quran is s special magical arabic so that arabs would have the extreme extreme advantage of knowing God and everyone else would have to rely on Arabs.
God also wanted Arabs to be in power by his laws from the Quran, so he made it that only Arabs could be truely relied upon to truely know Gods word.
Good to be an arab....yes sister?
2006-10-23 21:59:41 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 6⤋