Peace Callum,
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Originally Posted by czgibson *Is the translation I am using recommended? I must say that the style is slightly off-putting, given that it seems to be an imitation of 16th-century Elizabethan English. I don't know how this is considered appropriate for the Qur'an. There must be good translations with different styles of English; can you recommend any? |
The translation you are using is okay, but there are errors in the commentary. I think the best possible translation for you is that by Muhammad Farooq-i-Azzam Malik.
http://islamicbookstore.com/b6848.html http://islamicbookstore.com/b5897.html http://islamicbookstore.com/b8488.html
The english is very smooth and clear. We have a thread about the different translations here:
http://www.islamicboard.com/showthread.php?t=2194 (Which Translation of Qur'an do you prefer?)
I would encourage you to read this article about translations as well:
http://www.islamonline.net/askabouti...uestionID=3571 Quote:
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*I notice that the Qur'an is often (always?) given an adjective on the front of the book (e.g. The Holy Qur'an, The Noble Qur'an). Is is considered at all disrespectful to refer to it as simply "The Qur'an"?
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No, its not considered disrespectful.
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*In the text of the book I am using, certain words and phrases appear in brackets. Does this show that these are ideas from the translator, and not from the original Qur'an? If so, the remaining words sometimes make little sense without the bracketed word(s). For example, Sura 2, ayah 92:
There came to you Moses
With clear (Signs); yet
Ye worshipped the Calf
(Even) after that, and ye
Did behave wrongfully.
I'm interested in "Signs" here. Do the brackets signify a tentative translation of a specific Arabic word? Or is the meaning "signs" implied in another Arabic word from somewhere else in the ayah? Or am I wrong about the significance of the brackets?
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You are right that the brackets are the interpretation of the translator. However, in many cases they enclose a meaning that is implied in the original arabic. The word used in arabic is
bayyinat meaning clear proofs. Here are several other translations of the verse:
Pickthall Translation: And Moses came unto you with clear proofs (of Allah's sovereignty), yet,while he was away, ye chose the calf (for worship) and ye were wrongdoers.
Yusuf Ali Translation: There came to you Moses with clear (Signs); yet ye worshipped the Calf (even) after that and ye did behave wrongfully.
Daryabadi Translation: And assuredly Musa came unto you with evidence, then ye betook the calf after him, and ye were wrong-doers.
Muhsin Khan Translation: And indeed Musa (Moses) came to you with clear proofs, yet you worshipped the calf after he left, and you were Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers).
Muhammad Asad Translation: And indeed, there came unto you Moses with all evidence of the truth - and thereupon. in his absence, you took to worshipping the (golden] calf, and acted wickedly.
Hopefully, that clarifies what exactly is from the verse and what is interpretation.
Peace.