The Qur'an - Arabic vs. English

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Hi everyone. As you may have read from my first thread, I have been studying Islam, and reading "No god but God" by Reza Aslan. Whilst giving the history of Islam in this book, he talks about a claim (perhaps a bit dated, from 1000CE maybe?) that there is no true way to appreciate the Qur'an but in Arabic, and that converts were required to learn Arabic in order to read (and truly appreciate the beauty of) the Qur'an. My question is, will the Qur'an retain its power through an English translation? I don't see why it would not, but claims otherwise make this question valid in my mind. Are there plenty of Muslims who cannot read Arabic? I know only a small percentage of Muslims live in the Middle East, though, so I suppose with this statement I am answering my own question. Has anyone here read the Qur'an only in English? Can I appreciate all of its beauty in English or will some of it be lost through translation? Thanks for your time.
 
Peace,

It is good to see your interest and knowledge growing. I have read the Qur'an many times in English and a few times in Arabic. When I first began reading it in Arabic, I only knew a slang form of an Arabic Dialect and was not really aware of the true Beauty of Arabic so for a long time English Translations made the most sense to me. Since I reverted I have been trying to learn the true Arabic and be able to appreciate the fullness of the Qur'an. So far I have only read Surahs 1 and 2 with at least a little knowledge of Arabic. From that I will say the true fullness of the Qur'an comes through and with each reading I seem to gain more understanding.

I would say it is possible to appreciate the Qur'an, but it is not quite as full of an understanding and English has many limitations in trying to understand the full thought.

I would say that as an analogy reading the Qur'an in English is similar to reading a reader's Digest Condensed version of a great novel. You can enjoy it and learn from it, but you will never know what you missed until you read the full version.
 
I agree Woodrow. Although, I myself have only recently begun to read the Qur'an. And in just English, although my copy provides both and footnotes than enlighten one as to what the original text says in the best way it can. well for that which can be best translated from arabic. I myself plan to read through the Qur'an a few times to get the best idea i can from it and then when I feel I am ready, learn arabic so that I can truely understand and appreciate the Qur'an
 
Hey. :)


If you want to get a glimpse of what the Qur'an is, i'll give you a taster of it in arabic:


[media]http://quran.jalisi.com/001fatiha_01.mp3[/media]

http://quran.jalisi.com/


In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,

The Beneficent, the Merciful.

Master of the Day of Judgment.

Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help.

Show us the straight path,

The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray.




​
Here's some more links [with audio arabic & english];
http://www.islamicboard.com/535847-post16.html
http://www.sabbir.com/DownloadHalal.html
http://kalamullah.com/noble-quran.html




If you find that amazing, then know that no other language can match that. :) In it's beauty, eloquence, depth etc. It is the speech of the Most Merciful, which He sent to His final Messenger to convey to the rest of mankind, to bring them out of the darkness of misguidance, into the light of guidance.



No other word can compare to this Qur'an (since it is the speech of Allaah.) And even if you do read the english translation of the meaning - then you may understand it. But the height of it is when it's in the arabic language. :)

Therefore, you should read the translation of the meaning in the English language, yet if you are able to hear it in the arabic language. Then that is a great achievement.





Peace.
 
Last edited:
rezafan said:
Could I learn Arabic at a local mosque or Muslim center?
Click to expand...

Most Mosques will usually have some members that are proficient teachers, If one is available I am sure the Imam would be very happy to put you in contact with him. A lot of the larger Islamic centers do have Arabic classes usually on weekends or in the evenings. Some of the universities now offer Arabic as a language option. Keep in mind tho if it is spoken Arabic, it will not have the richness of the Qur'anic Arabic. But, it would enable you to read the Qur'an in Arabic. Some universities like UT here in Austin has an Excellent Islamic Department and offers many things such as Qur'anic Studies, Islamic Jurisprudence, Arabic, and many other Islamic related courses.
 
- Qatada - said:
If you find that amazing, then know that no other language can match that. :) In it's beauty, eloquence, depth etc. It is the speech of the Most Merciful, which He sent to His final Messenger to convey to the rest of mankind, to bring them out of the darkness of misguidance, into the light of guidance.


No other word can compare to this Qur'an (since it is the speech of Allaah.)
Click to expand...

I'm not asking to make fun, but from genuine interest:

Is it the position of Islam that Arabic is the actual language of Allah? Or do you just say this because that is the language in which the Qur'an was delivered to Muhammad (pbuh)?

I'm assuming that God has no native tongue (especially as he possesses no physical body and thus no tongue at all), but that as the all-knowing one he has knowledge of all languages by which men communicate with one another, and he uses them as suits his purposes when choosing to communicate with human kind.
 
Grace Seeker said:
I'm not asking to make fun, but from genuine interest:
Click to expand...


It's okay.


Is it the position of Islam that Arabic is the actual language of Allah? Or do you just say this because that is the language in which the Qur'an was delivered to Muhammad (pbuh)?
Click to expand...


Yeah, the Qur'an was revealed to Allaah's final Messenger (peace be upon him) in the arabic tongue. Yet Allaah isn't limited to any language.


I'm assuming that God has no native tongue (especially as he possesses no physical body and thus no tongue at all), but that as the all-knowing one he has knowledge of all languages by which men communicate with one another, and he uses them as suits his purposes when choosing to communicate with human kind.
Click to expand...


Allaah does have attributes, i.e. He is the Seeing, Hearing etc. Yet there is none like Him. So Allaah is not formless, yet we do not know how his attributes are since we are only limited to understanding this existence.

So if Allaah says He has eyes, we do not say they are like human eyes, but we do say that Allaah has eyes since He has stated that. To see Allaah will be the greatest blessing in Paradise. And one of the worst punishment for the disbelievers is the fact that they will never see Allaah, which is a great loss.


The second part of your statement is true.



And Allaah knows best.




Peace.
 
- Qatada - said:
Hey. :)


If you want to get a glimpse of what the Qur'an is, i'll give you a taster of it in arabic:


http://quran.jalisi.com/001fatiha_01.mp3

http://quran.jalisi.com/


In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,

The Beneficent, the Merciful.

Master of the Day of Judgment.

Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help.

Show us the straight path,

The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray.




​
Here's some more links [with audio arabic & english];
http://www.islamicboard.com/535847-post16.html
http://www.sabbir.com/DownloadHalal.html
http://kalamullah.com/noble-quran.html




If you find that amazing, then know that no other language can match that. :) In it's beauty, eloquence, depth etc. It is the speech of the Most Merciful, which He sent to His final Messenger to convey to the rest of mankind, to bring them out of the darkness of misguidance, into the light of guidance.



No other word can compare to this Qur'an (since it is the speech of Allaah.) And even if you do read the english translation of the meaning - then you may understand it. But the height of it is when it's in the arabic language. :)

Therefore, you should read the translation of the meaning in the English language, yet if you are able to hear it in the arabic language. Then that is a great achievement.





Peace.
Click to expand...

That is so beautiful it makes me cry...
 
What is the opinion about Edward Henry Palmer english translation of the quran?
Critistims?
 
JMF said:
You wouldn't happen to have more of this work done by Sa'd Al Ghamidi (my favorite). The translation along with Ghamidi is great!
Click to expand...


:salamext:


Some are by different recitors (with translation of the meaning), but you might like them insha Allaah :)


http://kalamullah.com/noble-quran.html

http://sabbir.com/DownloadHalal.html



And if you go down this page:

http://kalamullah.com/quran.html


You'll see more of Sa'ad al Ghamdi's which include Prophet Yusuf [Joseph] (12), Mary/Maryam, and Ta-Ha [narrative of Prophet Moses.] :)



May Allaah reward you.
 
:w:

Salaam bro/sis,

When I was a little kid I learned how to write in Arabic (Hingad in my language) and then afterwards I was taught to memorize whatever Surah I was assigned for that weekend. I think I memorized three chapters of the Quran and I did not understand anything that I read. I stopped going to Madrassa after the age of 12 and then at the age of 15 I decided it was time to read the Quran and find out exactly for myself what it meant. I'm almost done the Quran alhamdulilah (and soon I want to become a hafiz) and to be honest I understand it so much more now. I've been able to appreciate it and it's message it conveys. Everything in the Quran is clear and concise (do this, stray away from this, Allah is one and do not prescribe anything to him etc) and I completely understand what it's all about. I can go to my father and make sure what I'm reading I understand but other then I can mostly understand it for myself. English is my first language (not my mother tongue) and because of that I can understand the Quran better.

:sl:
 
I think the main reason an English Quaen is not as good as the Arabic version of the Quarn is because arabic words have so many different meanings, this is where most of the misunderstanding come from.
 
ranma1/2 said:
once again. anyone have a comment?
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I have never read it. But from what I have read in articles about the history of English translations it is an early translation and Palmer was not very skilled in translating Arabic into English.

1883); translation of the Qur'an (1880) for the Sacred Books of the East series, a spirited but not very accurate rendering.
Click to expand...

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Henry_Palmer

There were earlier alleged translations, however, it has been shown that most of them were deliberate mistranslations in an attempt to spread falsehoods.

It is important to remember that as Muslims we do not believe any translation to be the Qur'an. In order to be the Qur'an it must be written in the original Arabic.


I believe it is generally accepted that Pickthall and Yusuf Ali were the first to complete reasonably acceptable translations into English. Although it is acknowledged that both do have translation errors and/or incomplete meanings..
 
rezafan said:
:sl:
Hi everyone. As you may have read from my first thread, I have been studying Islam, and reading "No god but God" by Reza Aslan. Whilst giving the history of Islam in this book, he talks about a claim (perhaps a bit dated, from 1000CE maybe?) that there is no true way to appreciate the Qur'an but in Arabic, and that converts were required to learn Arabic in order to read (and truly appreciate the beauty of) the Qur'an. My question is, will the Qur'an retain its power through an English translation? I don't see why it would not, but claims otherwise make this question valid in my mind. Are there plenty of Muslims who cannot read Arabic? I know only a small percentage of Muslims live in the Middle East, though, so I suppose with this statement I am answering my own question. Has anyone here read the Qur'an only in English? Can I appreciate all of its beauty in English or will some of it be lost through translation? Thanks for your time.
Click to expand...



Salaamu alaikum warahmatullah!

My first Qur'an is an English Qur'an which was Revised and Edited by SAHEEH INTERNATIONAL.. THE QUR'AN (english Meanings), it had a Subject Index and many footnotes... it was like reading a Bible published by Gideons International - Easy to Understand and I do appreciate it.

I started reading it last September 2006 and finished it cover to cover in one month. I have been reading it every Salah time in the Mosque... after Salah. I've read it again to fully grasp the whole context of the whole book for another 2 times.... Then I bought 3 Arabic Qurans with English Translations and Roman Transliterations.

The English translation of the Qur'an cannot replace the beauty of it in its original form or language. But, for a Non-Arab... it is a must to read the English in order to fully understand the Qur'an. Once we have reached the stage when our English Qur'an has pig ears on almost every pages and Hi-Lighted marks on almost every verses... then - it's time to move to the next level... Arabic. The Arabic Qur'an according ot my sponsor who is a direct descendent of Ibrahim (AS) is the language of a small tribe here in Saudi... they still speak this Arabic form in that village.

Since Islam is a universal Religion... and that no Arab is greater than a Non-Arab... and vice versa... I noticed that any foreign nationality can speak the Quranic Arab and you will never notice their accent.

Perhaps, this is the reason why Allah chose this Language... there is of course a bigger reason. However, since I started praying my salah in Arabic... I felt better and more grounded to Islam. although most of my supplications are still mainly in English and my native tongue... I have made the Salah prayers purely in Arabic Qur'an.

I don't see why anyone cannot appreciate the Qur'an in any other language. In fact, the English translation that I have read... was the most interesting book I have ever read in my entire life. Allah knows that the Qur'an will be translated in all languages... there is Reward in reading it in our native tongues... but the Reward is greater for the extra effort in reading it in the original form... specially during Sallah... Hearing the qur'an recited in Arabic is more pleasing and relaxing than hearing it recited in any other language. For Scholastic or Academic reasons - other languages will serve its purpose.

The Darussallam Qur'an with Transliterations doesnt have a very good English meanings in it... I would recommend the one published by SAHEEH INTERNATIONAL. to be used for further reference when reading the Arabic form.

I hope this helps....

May Allah be pleased with us all and Bless us always... Ameen.
 
Can anyone tell me what is the best way to read the Qur'an to gain the greatest understanding? Should one start at the beginning and keep going or is should certain Surahs be read before others?
 
Sarada said:
Can anyone tell me what is the best way to read the Qur'an to gain the greatest understanding? Should one start at the beginning and keep going or is should certain Surahs be read before others?
Click to expand...

:sl:

I believe we should always read Surah 1 al-Fatiha, prior to reading any other part of the Qur'an. somehow that seems to place my intentions into a very receptive and understanding mood.

Outside of that, there is no prescribed order. I just think that we need to be cautious that we do not take any ayyat out of context and at a very minimum read 4 or 5 ayyats before and after any ayyat that seems to have meaning for us. If at all possible I find it best to read entire Surahs, this does help with understanding.
 

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