Republic of Yemen

University of Aden

Translation Studies

Islamic Translation

Submitted by:

Maimona Abdullah Ahmed

Elham Hussein Abu-baker

Supervised by:

Dr. Aswan Al-Husseini

2023-2024
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Introduction

As the backbone of any religion, scriptures and religious texts serve as its

foundation. Their purpose is to provide structure, clarity and a means of perpetuating

the religion, as well as enabling rapid proliferation and establishment of the religion.

To ensure a religion's survival and spread, it has always been crucial to ensure that the

scripture is accurate, safe, and comprehensible. Many sacred scriptures such as,

Torah, Bible, Buddhist, Qur’an would remain incomprehensible to most readers

without translation, thereby creating the need to translate them and thus make them

accessible and suitable to the needs of various populations from various cultural

contexts.

Religious translation is one of the most complicated and difficult kinds of

translation as religious texts need to be translated with utmost fidelity and care.

Therefore, the translator will encounter many problems in these texts, which are

hindering the translation process and require special treatment, i.e., the adoption of

certain strategies. Furthermore, Arabic and English languages are two different

cultures and Islamic expressions are mainly associated with Arabic language and

nations' cultures, so the translator must produce simple and concise translations that

non-Arab Muslims can understand. In order to keep the sense of the expression, a

translator must understand the meaning of the expression in the source language

perfectly otherwise, the meaning will be lost. For a translator, this would pose a huge

challenge to do a complete and perfect translation. The wide gap separating the

Arabic language culture and the English language culture of non-Arab non-Muslim
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cultures needs to be acknowledged when translating such texts and bridged by

different techniques and devices.

Islamic Translation

Ugwueye & Ezenwa-Ohaeto (2011:174) state that "Religious or sacred

language is vested with a solemnity and dignity that ordinary languages lack". Keane

(1997:49) also denotes that, "Religious language is deeply implicated with underlying

assumptions about the human subject, divine beings and the ways their capacities and

agencies differ."

In general, Islamic translation refers to the process of translating texts related

to Islam or religious topics from one language to another such as Quran, Hadith,

Sirah, Tafsir, Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh), Religious Sermons and Lectures.

According to Hassan Ghazala (2004), Islamic term means every new word,

expression, or concept in Arabic language whose source is the Holy Qur’an, the

Prophet’s sunnah, and Islamic jurisprudence. This includes three types of terms in the

language:

1. The first type: new terms that were not originally part of the vocabulary of Arabic

language such as zakat, jihad, Holy Qur’an, testimony (shahada), martyrdom,

paradise and hell (Al-Jannah and Al-Nar)

2. The second type: terms that already exist in the Arabic language but with a new

concept or a new semantic dimension, such as prayer, fasting, Hajj, the times of

the five prayers, purity, ablution, worship, supplication (duaa), circumambulation,

conquests, charity, polytheism, etc.

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3. The third type: Islamic terms that agree with terms in the Arabic language in form

and content, such as: the Kaaba, tribute (jizya), war, punishment, torment,

hypocrite, believer, infidel, etc.

Short History of Islamic Translation

The birth of Islam was the turning point in the seventh century. In the history

of the Arab people, this was the most significant period of time. The political,

cultural, and linguistic map of their era was altered by the advent of Islam. Indeed,

the most significant period in the history of Islamic translation in the Arab world was

during the time of the prophet Mohammed peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

The prophet sent messages letters to non-Arabic speaking communities and political

leaders urging them to accept Islam in order to spread Islam. This made the prophet

to seek out translators in order to translate the Arabic messages into other languages

and to pushed Muslims to learn other languages as well. Zaid Ibn Thabet was one of

the prophet's translators; he played a crucial role in converting the prophet's letters

from Arabic into other languages and vice versa (Baker:1998). Similarly, Khan

(1983) mentioned that Zaid Bin Thabet was assigned by prophet Muhammad to

translate Arabic letters into Syriac, Hebrew, and Persian, and vice versa. The

translation of Quran, is one of the most important markers to the history of Arabic

translation. The first official translation of Quran was carried out into Persian during

the Abbasids (c. 750-1258). Of course, now it has been translated into almost all

languages of the world with various versions of each (Mustapha, 1998).

In subsequent centuries, Islamic texts were translated into other languages,

particularly during periods of Islamic expansion and Muslim rule in various regions.
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For example, during the Islamic civilization's expansion into Spain (Al-Andalus),

scholars translated numerous Islamic texts into Arabic, Hebrew, and Latin due to the

cultural communication between Muslims and Europeans (Dadawi:2012). In more

recent times, the availability of translations of Quran and other Islamic texts in

multiple languages has increased significantly. This has been driven by the desire to

make Islamic knowledge accessible to non-Arabic speakers, and advancements in

translation technology. As a result, there are now translations of Quran and other

Islamic texts available in numerous languages, including English, French, Spanish,

Urdu, Malay, and many more.

The Most Important Terminologies

There are several important terminologies that are commonly encountered in

this field:

 Adhan: the call to prayer.

 Allah: the Islamic name for God in the Arabic language.

 As-Salamu Alaykum: the Islamic greeting, which translates “Peace be upon

you.”

 Du’a: varying forms of personal prayer and supplication.

 Dhikr: remembrance of Allah in one’s heart or by reciting His names or

sections from the Qur’an.

 Fiqh: understanding. Islamic jurisprudence.

 Hadith: the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah

be upon him).

 Hajj: annual pilgrimage to Makkah, which each Muslim must undertake at

least once in a lifetime if he or she has the health and wealth.

 Halal: any action or thing which is permitted or lawful.

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 Haram: anything unlawful or not permitted.

 Hijab: often used to describe the head scarf or modest dress worn by women.

 Hijrah: departure; exit; emigration. The emigration of the Prophet Muhammad

(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) from Makkah to Madinah.

 Jahannam: hell-fire; hell.

 Jannah: paradise, heaven, the Garden.

 Jihad: personal individual struggle against evil in the way of Allah.

 Jinn: being created by Allah from fire.

 Ka’bah: a cube-shaped structure in the center of the grand mosque in Makkah.

 La ilaha ila Allah: “There is no god other than Allah.” This is the most

fundamental belief in Islam and is a portion of the first pillar of Islam.

 Shari’ah: Islamic law based upon the Qur’an and Sunnah.

 Astaghfir Allah: I seek forgiveness from God.

 Salah: prayer. This is the second pillar of Islam.

 Qur’an: that which is read or recited. The divine book revealed to the Prophet

Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

 Taqwa: righteousness; goodness; piety; a state of God-Consciousness and fear

of Allah.

The Most Important Problems of Translating Islamic Terms

According to Hassan Ghazala (2004), the most important of these problems

are as follows:

1. The absence of the Islamic term in the target language, which makes

translating it more difficult. For example, "‫ "زكاة‬is not charity, and this English
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term denotes "‫ "صدقة‬which is voluntary. As for zakat, it is obligatory and the

Muslim has no choice in it, and it does not exist in English. Therefore, perhaps

adding the word "compulsory/obligatory" to charity makes it closer to the

concept of "‫ "زكاة‬in Islam. This is true, perhaps they could not have provided

anything better than what they did. But compulsory charity is a contradiction

for the English reader, because there is no compulsory charity in English;

charity is always voluntary for him. However, he can understand the strange

term “obligated charity” in a general sense that serves the purpose. The same

applies to Islamic terminology that is not part of the vocabulary of the foreign

language and its concepts or the concepts of other religions, such as ","‫الحديث‬

‫اد‬WW‫ ""الجه‬and its terms, "‫ام‬WW‫ "القي‬,""‫ر‬WW‫ الفط‬,"‫اة‬WW‫ "زك‬,"‫ "الحج‬,"‫بيت‬WW‫ك ال‬WW‫ "مناس‬and many

others.

2. The specificity of the Islamic term in terms of its meaning, function, and

emotion. An example of this is "‫""الصالة‬,"‫"الفقه‬,"‫"الصيام‬,"‫الشريعة اإلسالمية‬. These

terms exist in English with direct synonyms, but these synonyms do not carry

the specificity of Islamic terms and the religious and spiritual emotional

charge that accompanies them. Prayer is not just an act of worship performed

in a specific way and at specific times. Rather, it is, first and foremost,

standing before Allah with reverence, and submission to Allah Almighty.

Anyhow, this does not mean that the translation is wrong or rejected in such

examples. Rather, what is meant here is that it cannot live up to the original in

everything, and it is correct if we count it as conveying the idea, but it is

devoid of this specificity.

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3. Difficulty in expressing Islamic terminology in a foreign language. This is due

to the absence of any effect of this term in the target language. Let us take

‫ ""االعتكاف‬for example; is it:

 "Prayer in seclusion"?

 or "Seclusion in the mosque with the intention of worshiping Allah

only"?

 or "Retiring into the mosque for worship, especially in the last ten days

of Ramadan"?

This also applies to many terms that are confusing to express in English, such

as: "‫ات‬W‫"ميق‬,"‫رام‬W‫"إح‬,"‫"الظهـار‬," ‫"صحيح البخاري‬,"‫ "مقام إبراهيم‬and many others. The

translator is confused when faced such terms. Hence, he has to convey the

Islamic term in the fewest possible words, and if necessary, resort to a

footnote. He has no other way, and it is an acceptable way provided that he

does not go to extremes.

4. Conflicting equivalent with the Islamic term. The clearest example of this is

the problem of the term "‫ات‬WW‫دد الزوج‬WW‫" تع‬. When we search in specialized

dictionaries, we find that this term is incorrectly translated as bigamy or

polygamy because these two terms are negative and are used to express the

crime of polygamy -in Western societies- for men and women. The following

definition of the term bigamy was mentioned in Webster's Encyclopedic

Dictionary (1996): The crime of marrying while one still has a wife or

husband living, from whom no valid divorce has been affected. In short, it is

the crime of having multiple wives or husbands. Do you think anyone would

accept to call polygamy a crime? On the other hand, how is the term used in

English to equate polyhusband with polywifes? So, the term is rejected for two
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strong reasons that have nothing to do with our Islamic law. The concept of "

‫ "تعدد الزوجات‬in the English sense is polygyny. However, none of these terms

convey the issue of "‫ات‬WW‫دد الزوج‬WW‫ "تع‬in Islam. Perhaps a term such as

polymarriage/ multimarriage is suitable, even if it is not recognized in English,

or adding legal to the term polygyny is suitable for the matter and conveys the

general meaning of the Islamic term, meaning legitimate or legal polygamy,

even if there is a conflict between the two English terms in relation to the

English at first glance, but it is sufficient to clarify it as legitimate pluralism.

5. Cultural conflict: there are some foreign terms that conflict culturally with

their Islamic equivalents. We must be careful about them in translation. For

example, "‫ "الزكاة‬which translated and annotated in English dictionaries by

Webster, Collins and others on (tax). This is not acceptable in our concept of

""‫ زكاة‬in Islam. The most appropriate translations for it have been discussed.

Translating ‫ ""جهاد‬into (war) or ""‫ فتوحات إسالمية‬into (Islamic colonization) and

the like is absolutely unacceptable. The word "‫ "جهاد‬is not just a war, but rather

a fight for the sake of Allah, or (holy war), at the very least. Likewise, "‫الفتوحات‬

‫ "اإلسالمية‬it is not colonialism in any way, but rather it is a‫ " "جهاد‬for the sake of

Allah and the conquest of the country to spread Islam, the religion of mercy

and justice. Therefore, the accepted term in English is conquests.

6. Lexical shortage: many Islamic terms need more than one foreign term to be

translated, because limiting their direct translation to one equivalent term

keeps them ambiguous. In other words, there are Islamic terms that are

ambiguous if translated as they are, so they must be clarified by adding a word

or two in the foreign language. Our translation of ‫ ""االعتكاف‬into seclusion is

not enough; because it is not just isolation or solitude, but rather it is a special
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act of worship in the mosque, which we have previously translated. The same

applies to ‫واف‬WW‫ ""الط‬as the word circumambulation means circulation or

circumambulation around anything. But as an Islamic term, it is a

circumambulation around the Holy Ka'bah as a great act of worship. Then,

there is something missing in the translation, the translator should fill it by

adding for example (around the Ka'bah) to clarify it.

7. False friends: these are foreign terms that are apparently identical to Islamic

terms but implicitly different in meaning from them. Such terms are a trap that

some translators may fall into. An example of these terms is: the word ‫""فقير‬

which is found in English with exactly this word and in four scripts; “fakir,

faqir, faquir, faker”. Its meaning is not related to the meaning of ‫ير‬WW‫""فق‬

meaning the needy, but rather it is a reference to a member of an Islamic or

Hindu religious group, as the authentic English language references say,

although its origin is from the Arabic word ‫ ""فقير‬, meaning poor, but it is no

longer equivalent to it. Accordingly, the translator must be careful and precise

when translating such terms.

Methods/Strategies of Translation of Islamic Terms and Proposed

Solutions

According to Hassan Ghazala (2004), these methods deal with the translation

of the Islamic term. In other words, they are the methods proposed to overcome the

problems of translating Islamic terms. They are ranked according to the preference,

availability and the type of the Islamic text:

1. Direct literal translation: ‫( الكتاب‬The Book / Scripture).

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2. Direct equivalent+ categorized/ explanation word: this added word clarifies

the word it explains since it could be not clear for the English language reader.

"‫( "صوم رمضان‬fasting the month of Ramadan), the month was added to clarify

Ramadan.

3. Direct equivalent: ‫( صالة‬prayer), ‫( عبادة‬worship), ‫( صيام‬fasting) etc.

4. Direct literal translation with explanation: it is used when the literal translation

does not meet the need and the meaning needs to be clarified. Example: ‫الطواف‬

(circumambulation around the Ka'bah) added around the Kaaba to determine

the circumambulation around what it is. Other example (‫)الحجر األسود‬the black

stone: (the holy stone niched in the Ka'bah). Added: the holy stone niched in

the Ka'bah to be clarify.

5. Explanation: when there is no direct or indirect equivalent for the Islamic

term, and when the literal translation and the explanation word do not convey

the meaning, the translator is resorted to use the brief explanation. Example:

‫( زكاة الفطر‬a compulsory charity to be delivered by every Muslim towards the

end of Ramadan, the month of fasting).

6. Transliteration with explanation: in the case of the complete absence of an

Islamic term in the target language, the translator can resort, as a last resort, to

transliterate it exactly as it is pronounced in Arabic in Latin letters. Then, he

explains it in the foreign language. Example: ‫( الكعبة‬Ka'bah: the House of Allah

and the direction of prayers). This method of translation is required even if the

Arabic Islamic term is officially recognized and included in the foreign

language, for the simple reason that it may not be known to a wide base of

readers.
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These proposed procedures and solutions for translating Islamic terms are at

the same time the stages of their translation and steps that the translator can follow in

their order according to their preference. However, the text type and the nature of the

required translation must be taken into consideration. For example, a brief translation

of the meanings of the Holy Qur’an, which is limited to the direct equivalence of

meanings, requires following these stages precisely. As for a long explanatory

translation of the meanings of the Holy Qur’an, it may give priority to direct literal

translation followed by explanation, explanation, and transliteration with extended or

brief explanation. As for translating (jurisprudence books), priority may be given to

the last stage mentioned above, as the nature of the translated text allows this by

ensuring that the context explains the translated term in Latin letters. However, in the

case of translating a very short text, such as a transcript of university from the College

of Sharia or Da’wah and Fundamentals of Religion, for example, a very short

summary is required, and priority is given to the direct equivalent or brief literal

translation, or to the transliteration of the term in English - accompanied, if necessary

- by one or two explanatory words at the most.

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Conclusion

Translation of the Islamic texts is very important because millions of non-

Arab people need to know and understand the Islamic texts (Qur'anic and Prophetic

Traditions). Such translation is really uneasy task for any translator. In various parts

of the world, and the need is increasing daily -and at all levels- to know this true

religion, the problems of translating Islamic terminology can be dealt with in several

ways, with different procedures and solutions. The great efforts made in this field are

the greatest evidence of the possibility of translating these terms despite the many

complexities presented by a large number of them. Many of them have been

overcome and they are acceptable and even good. Thus, the translators should be

aware of the Arabic language, its structure, linguistic properties, and history, and for

surely the exegesis of Qur'ān And Hadith (Prophetic Traditions). The translators

should also know more about its culture, the lexical, syntactic and semantic levels in

order to be able to produce an accurate translation.

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References

Baker, M. (1998). Routledge encyclopedia of translation studies. London and New

York: Routledge.

Dadawi, M. (2012). Translation in Al-Andalus and its Role in European Renaissance.

Algeria: Dar Al-Tanweer.

Ghazala. H. (2004). Essay in Translation and Stylistics. Beirut: Dar El-llm

Lilmalayin.

Gramercy. (1996). War. In Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary. (2th ed., p.1283). New
York.

Khan, M. (1983). A chapter on Roman (Byzantine) sciences in an eleventh century

Hispano-Arabic work. Islamic Studies, 22(1), 41-70.

Keane, W (1997). Religious Language Annu. Rev. Anthropology. 26:47.71.

Mustapha, H. (1998). Qur’an Translation. In M. Baker (Ed.), Routledge encyclopedia

of translation studies (pp. 200-203). London: Routledge. Prince, C. (2002). T.

Ugwueye, E. & Ezenwa-Ohaeto, N. (2011). Religious Language: Problems and

Meaning. Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities. 12(1), 173-187.