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

              Once my dear brother, Fawzi Farraj, in one of his comments said that the translation will make the meaning weaker and sometimes it changes it no matter how much the translator was faithful and efficient.

               The Bible is a good example, as Jesus (PBUH) used to speak in Aramaic with the people of Israel but the first known translation of the Bible was in Greek. Hence no matter how much the Greek translators of the Bible were faithful, the meaning should have been interpreted in wrong manner in many aspects. Also that was followed by different translations which appeared with man-made modifications on it. All of that happened with the disappearance of the original Aramaic Bible so we can’t determine the efficiency of the translations (meaning that the original scripture of the Bible was lost).

               For the noble Quran the case is different as the Arabic language ,in which the Quran was sent down to Mohammed (PBUH), still exists and I will not be exaggerating if I say that the Quran itself helped the Arabic language to survive against the call for its division into different (public) languages (meaning that we will see Shami language, Egyptian language, Khaliji (Gulf) language, Moroccan language…….etc and the original Arabic language will be lost). Hence the believers’ belief  has increased more and more on the fact that the promise of GOD is the truth:

((WE have sent down the message and WE are protecting it (from corruption) )) The noble Quran, Chapter 15, Verse 9

All that is supported by the existence of the first written Quran till now. Hence the Quran survived against the attempts to remove some verses from it or to remove some chapters and keep some others………………..etc and I am sure that these attempts are well known to everyone.

               As for the translation of the Quran, there is no fear because the original scripture of the Quran exists (and will always exist) but the translation of the Quran can not be considered as the Quran itself. It is better to call it the interpretation of the Quran from the translator’s point of view. Hence the translator is expected to commit mistakes whether he had a good intention or (a bad intention) as the Quran has the following specifications:

((And no one knows its interpretation other than GOD)) The noble Quran, Chapter 3, Verse 7

((for each revealed thing (in the Quran) there is a time for its fulfillment and you will come to know (when that time comes).)) The noble Quran, Chapter 6, Verse 67

               One of the translations of the noble Quran which I want to discuss in this article is the English translation of the noble Quran by Mohammed M. Pickthall. Using that translation, the enemies of the Quran accuse us of following a book which is violent and self-contradicting. I don’t want to dispraise Mohammed M. Pickthall as he surely had a good intention and he will have a reward (by the will of GOD) for all the effort he made for translating the Quran but his translation should be discussed.

               From my point of view, I think that the way he translated the Repentance chapter gave an impression that it is a very violent chapter which is permitting Muslims to be violent for all the times and places. For example the verse 5 in the Repentance chapter (in Arabic) says:

((فَاقْتُلُواْ الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدتُّمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَاحْصُرُوهُمْ وَاقْعُدُواْ لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍ)) التوبة الآية 5

((faktoloo almoshrikeena haitho wagattomohom wa khothohom wa ehsoroohom wa ake’do lahom kolla marsad)) The repentance, Verse 5

You can refer the article named (The Repentance chapter) to know the reason of these verses and what is meant from them. Anyways the translation of Mohammed M. Pickthall was as follows:

((slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush)) Quran 9:5 Pickthall

This did not specify the Meccian soldiers. It is easily known (to us) that the idolaters meant in this verse are the Meccian soldiers and not all idolaters for all times, but this fact will not be known for a (non- Muslim) who is reading the translation of the Quran for the first time. So from my point of view it was better to be translated as follows:

((slay the pagan Meccian soldiers wherever you find them, take them captives, besiege them and prepare for them each ambush)) The noble Quran, Chapter 9, Verse 5

So the one who is quoting this verse from the translation of the Quran will understand that it a story and not an order for all the times and places. Another problem in Pickthall’s translation of the Quran is his translation of the following noble verse:

))جعل الارض قرارا )) النمل الآية 61

((Ga’l Al-arda karara)) The ants, Verse 61

He translated it as follows:

((Is not He (best) Who made the earth a fixed abode)) Quran 27:61 Pickthall

 So the enemies of the Quran accused us on believing a book that says that the earth is fixed and does not move. From my point of view the noble verse should be translated as follows:

((HE made the earth a resting-place)) The noble Quran, Chapter 27, Verse 61

Another problem was his translation of the story of Zul-Qarnain (the man with two Horns). He translated it in a way that gives an impression that the Quran says that the earth is flat and that Zul-Qarnain reached the extreme west of earth. It also gives an impression that the Quran says that the sun-setting place in the universe is a hot water!!!!!!

There are so many other examples, but it will be so long to mention all of it.

Suggestion:-

          Why don’t we put a section in (Ahl-Alquran) website for reading the noble Quran? We can also put an English translation of the Quran which reflects the views of the people of the Quran. We can consider that as a big project which requires the participation of a lot of brothers and sisters from this website to discuss the meaning of some words and verses. What do you think as I am ready to participate in the translation of the Quran (by the help of GOD almighty)?

Such a project will make the participants read further and further and more thoroughly in the Quran.