The Quran being changed? Muslims?

Question

I know the Quran has not changed in Arabic...but take a look at the different English versions here: http://islamicbookstore.com/books-the-qur-an-holy-qur-an-in-arabic--its-translations-and-commentaries.html
They show an excerpt from several different translations. Look at the mess this can cause. Proof that people can switch words around any time they want. How does this make you feel? Alhemdullilah we still have it in Arabic!

If anyone checks out the site I seriously suggest reading several entries. Go down the page too they do get very different. =(

ΚαταЋσЮs, no matter what language one translates from it is NEVER quite the same. Arabic is very precise. This makes it the perfect language to use to preserve something. Greek? ...look at the bible! It is not so well translated. I was Christian and had several bibles -- the footnotes about the translations was very interesting.

It is true, even Arabs don't speak Quranic Arabic and words have changed their meaning.

Mona, we DO have to worry about it. This is how people are initially learning about Islam. Did you even see the discrepencies in the text?

ΚαταЋσЮs because there are words in Arabic that don't have simple translations in other languages and I speak three so I should know. It doesn't matter how precise one language is or not when it comes to translation.

Answer 1

that is true, i think it is because there are many people who speak arabic but they speak slang, and not fus'ha which is what the quran is written in, so if someone who just speaks arabic just translates it then some things are going to not make sense because the words are different, it is the smae as translating from old english to american english.

then you also have to take into account the non-muslims who translate the quran, and the people who paraphrase, so yes the arabic is the best way to read the quran

Answer 2

asslaam-u-alaikum,
That is exactly why some people tend to have different versions about a particular topic broached in QURAAN. Reason for this could be that several authors have interpretted the arabic used in QURAAN in their own way, considering arabic is such a rich language that for one word there are several meanings. A muslim should make sure he is aware of who the authentic authors are so that when he gives the QURAAN for reading to any nonmuslim. he knows what he is giving. Some are PHARMADUKE PITHALL, YUFUF ALI, IMAM AHMED RAZA are some authentic names i know.

Answer 3

: Uthman destroyed just about every copy of the early text he could get his hands on. The eleven earliest copies known have tens of thousands of variations in the text. The Arabic in today s printed copies is Seventh Century Arabic. Who really reads, or understands it in today s world? It s like trying to read Seventh Century English. There is no formal attempt by Qur anic scholars to verify the events of early Islam, or the true authorship of the Qur an. Too much blind faith, absence of fact. Even the history of Islam is extraordinarily violent since the beginning. There are too many terrible, and miserable things to think of in Islam.

Answer 4

You don't have to worry about it........Because Allah has taken the responsibility for preservation of Quran......
These translations are different because they r in different language.........as u said.....Quran in arabic is preserved.
So better to learn Arabic than to rely on translation.

Answer 5

This is why we are encouraged to learn Arabic. So much is lost in translation, which is exactly what happened with the Bible. If we don't learn Quranic Arabic, we're deprivating ourselves of the true meaning of the words we are reading.

Answer 6

Seeing as how so many Arabic words have several meanings, it's no wonder there are so many variant translations of the Qur'an. I have seem Muslims use the most liberal stretches of the imagination to say a verse (in Arabic) means one thing, while a fellow Muslim will argue with them and say it means something else.

The Arabic language seems a strange choice for "God" to use for revelation, since Arabs insist it is so hard to translate into other languages.

Greek would be a much more appropriate language, as it is clear and not so ambiguous. The fact Arabic can easily be interpreted so many ways makes it a poor choice for such a "clear" message.

Edit: since you're chatting...if Arabic is so precise, how come there are so many DIFFERENT translastions of the Quran in each language. If Arabic is so precise, it should be very easy to translate precisely. Since that is not the case: you are wrong. Period. No debate, no parole.

Answer 7

We have the same problem with the bible. Look at all the different translations from word for word literal to liberal paraphrase.

Answer 8

The English translation is just a rough explanation of the Arabic text. Only the Arabic text can be trusted as the unchanged/unedited Word of God .

Answer 9

Salam

Impossible, the book has no contraditions in arabic or english or any other language. Its on the human element that changes what they desire. They cannot and will never change the meaning of the Quran and have been shown its perfection in every language. The Lord protects the book and there is nothing anyone on the face of this earth that can do anything about that ever!

Answer 10

Alhamdulillah!