I've been studying various types of religions out of curiosity and to educate myself about belief and to further inform myself to the ways of other cultures. Islam must be next because where I live it seems Islamic people are persecuted and dehumanized.
My question boils down to which translation is most accurate.
I got into an argument were this was quoted:
Kill disbelievers wherever you find them. If they attack you, then kill them. Such is the reward of disbelievers. (But if they desist in their unbelief, then don't kill them.) 2:191-2
I would like to debunk this as FUD , I cannot find that in the version of the Koran that I have , the John Medows Rodwell translation.
And may I ask which translation the Sunni & Shia use?
As for translations i personally prefer the muhsin khan one though sometimes use other ones as i find for the overall meaning they are mostly the same.
Check this site out which provides various translations www.searchtruth.com so you can compare translations if you wish.
as for the translations of the verse you posted, that is
وَاقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَخْرِجُوهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَخْرَجُوكُمْ ۚ وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ ۚ وَلَا تُقَاتِلُوهُمْ عِنْدَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ حَتَّىٰ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِيهِ ۖ فَإِنْ قَاتَلُوكُمْ فَاقْتُلُوهُمْ ۗ كَذَ*ٰلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْكَافِرِينَ
And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah is worse than killing. And fight not with them at Al-Masjid-al-Haram (the sanctuary at Makkah), unless they (first) fight you there. But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.
i suggest you read the verses before and after to get a full idea of what is being said as many a time verses are just taken and misinterpreted
Abdullah Yusuf Ali's father was a Dawoodi Bohra, an Ismaili Shi'a (Searching for Solace: A Biography of Abdullah Yusaf Ali -- Translator of the Qur’an [by MA Sharif]). Obviously, his mother was Sunni, as I haven't come across any mention of what sect she adhered to. As far as I know, from what I've seen in Shi'a forums, most Shi'a posters tend to post translations by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Shakir, and Pickthall.
Usually, to understand verses - it is not enough to merely read a translation. It is always better to read authentic tafsirs on the verses - and even better to get scholarly explanations on the verse.
Here is, one scholar response:
The problem here is quoting one part of this verse (2: 191) because the remaining part says "and drive them away from wherever they drove you away, for oppression is worse than killing." Therefore, this verse does not give a license to kill even idolatrous Arabs who are meant in this verse but only those who committed aggression and oppression against Muslims by driving them from their homes and towns without justification. So it is a case of legitimate fight against severe oppression which the Qur'an describes as "worse than killing".
The same verse also continues to prohibit Muslims from fighting near the Sacred House unless the enemies fight against them first.
If you continue in the same section, you will find that the next verse indicates that if the oppressors desist from fighting and aggression, then Allah is indeed Forgiving and Merciful. The following verse clearly states that the reason for fighting is "to stop oppression especially that the common oppression at that time which took the form intimidation, torture to death or murder of those who chose Islam. This is why the verse says: "until persecution is no more and the choice of religion is between the person and God". The same verse continues to say that if they desist (i.e. from oppression) then there should be no more hostility except against the oppressors.
to understand verses - it is not enough to merely read a translation.
The Message of the Qur'an by Muhammad Asad is Absolutely the best for non-Arabic readers
After comparing the original Arabic text with the translation I can endorse what Amazon.com tells about it:
(this translation is widely considered to be the foremost in conveying the meaning and sensibility of the original Arabic text, making this edition a must-have for both veteran scholars and English readers with a budding interest in Islamic studies.)
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