Translations of the Qur’an - REPOST

As I understand it, many of the meanings of the Holy Qur'an were established a long time ago by scholars.  Even though a word could have many meanings those scholars chose one of those meanings and it became standard.

Example... the infamous 4:34

Supposedly this verse says that if a man has suspicion of his wife he can not only admonish her, desert her, but he can resort to beating her.

As I have read, the word always known as "beat" in this verse has many many meanings and some of those other meanings are employed in the rest of the Qur'an.  It's even more suspicious that after translating this word as "to beat" the translators commentary says someone should never resort to it - as if apologizing for Allah.

But Allah was not wrong.  Whomever said this word should have the meaning "to beat" is wrong.  I believe the phonetic arabic word is "Daraba".  And I believe in this notorious verse it really was meant to mean divorce, or to strike someone from your life.

However, none of the new translators have ever looked at this verse or any of the others since those old scholars said this is this and this means that.  No one is rediscovering the literal meaning of the Qur'an.  Yes, there are some phrases that are of no question, that are so easy to translate that no translator could be mistaken.  But there are some like 4:34 that have commentators telling us something different from what they translated.

Also, since Qur'an translations are written by individuals we get only individual perspectives in the commentary.  Not to mention the fact that one translator is of one culture, whereas another is from a completely different culture.  Perhaps one translator is part of a sect, maybe he is too muslim, maybe he is a non-muslim.  And why is there no women translators?

Qur'an Translation Innovation seemed to stop in the mid of the 1900's.

Does that help?

Friend,

The translation is infamous.  Of course not the real truth it attempts to translate.

Yes, all the individual authors are different yet all use the same word because they are using the same ancient tafseers.

I wish I could learn Arabic and read what is truely there, but while that is beyond my reach I am going to demand that people use their heads and hearts.  My heart says that no one should have a God-Given right to beat me for anything that I do.  If I ever to harm to myself or others or my community then justice will come from Allah and those around me should forbid me to perform harm around them - they should push me away, strike me from their lives.  This seems logical to me as prompts me to believe in this theory about the word Daraba in this verse.

I have learned of new translators who wish for the Qur'an to be the center of Islam yet again.  They are not only modernizing the speech but are trying to bring a better translation into the world.  This badly translated verse is one for the few things they want to change.  They believe in this same theory.

I want to know if other average muslims think these reformer scholars are nuts or not.  In my heart and my mind I believe they are doing justice for the sake of Allah by showing a different meaning - a meaning that needs no apology, no commentary that says "don't really do this".

2 new translations to come will be by

Edip Yuksel

& Yahiya Emerick

Both these people believe this verse and a few others were not understood with a full heart and mind.

By the way, thanks for discussing this with me.  I find that few people want to talk about the Qur'an anymore but it's center of my life.  I feel a great desire to show it's glory to the world, yet I feel the English speaking world can't see the glory through the inept translation.

As Salamu Alaikum

The Glorious Qur'an is also the central point of my life. Alhamdulillah

I personally don't feel anything wrong with any of the translations of the Qur'an that I have studied. Insha Allah I am not looking for any modernizing or literal means.

In my opinion there are many people who regard themselves as scholars and changing the rules and Fatawas to suit today's times and moods Auzo Billahe minash Shaitanir-Rajim.

They sit on their behind and click a mouse and think they are better in knowledge than those who traveled hundreds if not thousands of miles to verify one Hadith or Fatawa Astaghfirullah!

Insha Allah I will pass on this discussion as the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) was warned us: that one of the sign of the Hour is when religious ignorance will prevail and religious knowledge will be taken away by the death of religious scholars. (Al-Bukhari volume 1 Hadith no 80)

It is better not to talk about these issues without knowledge, that is why sensible avoid these discussions.

Wa Alaikum Salam