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Ulm-ul-Qur’an An Introduction to the Science of the Qur’an
(How to Study and Understand the Quran) By:
Dr.
Hasanuddin Ahmed, I.A.S.
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CHAPTER
- 10
ILMU TARJAMATIL QUR’AN
TRANSLATION OF THE QUR’AN
The discipline of
translation of the Qur'an started when the Qur'an was introduced to people,
whose mother tongue was not Arabic and when such people accepted Islam who
were not acquainted with Arabic language. This discipline is one of the
important 'ulum' of the Qur'an. For the knowledge of this discipline
it is necessary to have sufficient information about the art of translation. Art of Translation
Man is endowed with the
ability to convey his feelings and experience to others through language. For
this process of communication and intercourse man acquired both spoken
language and the written language (through script). Different people and
different regions developed their own languages. It was not possible for one
group to know the language or languages of others and to converse with them.
Thus necessity was felt to convey one's feelings and experiences into the
other language. This process of conveyance or transference from one language
to another is translation. What is Translation? Translation can be
defined as the action or process of delivering from one language into
another. It is the expression or rendering of sense of words, sentences,
passages etc from one language into another. By translation (tarjama)
is meant the process of expressing the meaning of a text in a language
different from the language of the original, in order that those not familiar
with the original may know about it and understand it. Objective of Translation
The basic aim of
translation is to appropriately express the meaning of the original text into
another language. The beauty and thoroughness of the translation is that it
should not only be a correct rendering of the words of the original text but
should be a fair representative of the feelings and ideas of the original.
Even after transference into another language the spirit of the original
should remain intact. The Requirements of Translation
Translation is a regular
skill. It has its own techniques. Like other arts and skills, apart from
aptitude it requires earnestness, training, constant practice and hard
work. To enter into the field
of translation it is necessary to have the knowledge of two languages. The
language of the original and the language in which the original is to be
rendered. One who translates should have greater command of the language into
which the text is to be translated. He should be well versed with diction,
idioms, terms and synonyms of the language. One
requirement of translation is to have knowledge of the subject. The
translator should be aware of the details and the background of the text
which he has to render into another language. He should be able to grasp the
spirit of the orignial and then he should be able to give it a new garb. Development of the Standard of Translation
and the Evolution in its Language
Just in the same way as a
translator by constant effort and practice adopts better expression for the
original, when the tradition of translation advances, changes occur in the
language itself. According to the requirement of translation new words and
terms are coined, and new ways of expression are introduced in the language.
Everyone who has studied the history of the art of translation is aware that
when during the early Abbasid reign, books from Greek, Syriac, Pahlavi and
Sanskrit languages were, translated on a very large scale and in an organised
way, into Arabic, changes in the translated Arabic were more obvious than
changes in the Arabic language itself during that period. The changes are so
marked that the understanding of Arabic of early translations is difficult
even for those whose mother tongue is Arabic.[1] Difficulties of Translation
There are different
categories of translation just as there are different planes of communicating
the thought through language. In every category the requirements of
translation are different. Translation in the field of knowledge and of
scientific literature is comparatively easier. If one has command over the
subject and knows the words and terms of both the languages translation can
be done with ease. The use of dictionary is helpful and should be sufficient
for such translations. In such translations the problems of style, proper use
of words and such other literary niceties do not come in the way. The second category is of
such translations which belong to cultural subjects such as stories, novels,
etc. The job of the translator is not just to provide a synonym but to
reflect one cultural relevance into another. Translations of pure literary
compositions both in prose and poetry come under the third category. To
render one creative composition into another language is very difficult and
delicate work. Especially in translating the poetic compositions, if the same
exactness, and logical approach as in the case of scientific literature is
adopted, the results will not necessarily be satisfactory. The similes,
metaphors, symbols, metonyms, idioms etc of every language have their own
peculiarities. The concept they express is more important than their simple
dictionary meaning. In such translations
communication of the spirit is of utmost importance. Every language has its
own beauties and niceties which cannot be transferred into any other language
through translation. Rendering of poetic composition
and more so of revealed literature demands creative capabilities. The
difficulty of translating such
literature would be in direct proportion to the existence of finesse,
emotions, exceptional expression and exquisite ideas in the original text. The beauty of poetry of
one language cannot be fully rendered into another language. If the lofty
ideology of one language is transferred to another, it loses a major portion
of the beauty and resilience of the original. Every language has its
own mood and its own terminology. Translating from one language into another
poses various genuine difficulties. Translation of a word of one language
into another is difficult. Even if a synonym is found there will be marked
difference between their shades of meaning. Every word consists of
various planes of emotion and concept. Its full reflection in another
language if not impossible is certainly very difficult. Often an exact
equivalent of a word is not at all found in another language. In that case
the translator has either to search for the nearest equivalent or to express
the idea by expanding the meaning of the word of the original. Limitations of Translation
Words of different
languages do not express all the shades of meaning of their counterparts,
though they may express specific concepts. "Translations have their
limitations and shortcomings. No matter how successful a translation is, it
cannot convey the original sense, feelings or impressions and it can never be
perfect. The masterpiece of a language cannot be rendered in purity and
precision in another language. Every language has its own spirit and ethos.
The nuances of thought and delicate shades of meanings and ideas, depth of feeling and sensivity of expression
cannot be conveyed with selfsame characteristic of style and diction as in
the original language. Translation, therefore,
has the inherent weakness of imperfection".[2] Limitations of Translation of the Qur'an
The Qur'an can be counted
as aesthetic literature and in addition it is a revealed Book. As such its
translation is much more difficult than the translation of poetry. The requirements of
translation of the Qur'an are the same as the requirements of the translation
of any literary and poetic composition. In addition the translator is required
to have a grasp of the basic message of the Qur'an. Since translations suffer
from inherent shortcomings and limitations, it is difficult to get the very
correct meaning of the Qur'an through translations. Many translations of the
Qur'an attempt to provide significantly accurate meaning and do go some way
to help people understand its meaning, but they alone cannot create a
capability of comprehension. As already emphasized translations have their
own limitations and shortcomings. Attempts to translate the
untranslatable Qur'anic terms and representative words may be futile and
suffer from an additional handicap as they represent human efforts to
translate the divine word into worldly languages. In translation it is not
possible to keep the artistic beauty and grandeur of the original text. The Qur'an has used
brevity as one of its stylistic devices. Short ayaat of the Qur'an
contain elaborate matter. This feature poses the greatest difficulty for the
translator. In view of the above it
is almost impossible to transfer the original text of the Qur'an word by word
in an identical fashion into another language. Translation of the Qur'an ‑‑ Lawful
of or Unlawful? In the 3rd/9th century
there was tension between the Arabs (who were the conquerors) and the multitude
of Muslims who were non‑Arabs. The Syrians, Iraqians and Egyptians had
possesed languages near to Arabic. Their languages were soon absorbed into
Arabic. The Iranians were the only nation who had separate language. They had
rich heritage of culture. They assumed importance in administration, and acquired more
importance in politics. The Arabs insisted that Persian should be kept below
Arabic. In this atmosphere the question arose: Is translation of the Qur'an
lawful? Abu Hanifah and his
immediate disciples held very liberal views. They even declared that reciting
the translation in salat was permissible. They held that the parts of
the Qur'an might be translated into Persian i.e., into any language other
than Arabic but that it was not lawful to put the whole together in one
volume unless the orginal text was placed opposite the translation. Scholars
of later date however, declared translation of the Qur'an to be absolutely
unlawful. This tendency continued even till 1929 when there was opposition to
the English rendering of the Qur'an by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall.
Denunciation of translation and the translator (Pickthall) of Qur'an appeared
in Al‑Ahram, Cairo from the pen of Sheykh Muhammad Shakir, a retired
professor of Al‑Azhar.[3]
Scholars who opposed translation of the Qur'an however, pronounced that the
writing of a commentary in Persian i.e., any language other than Arabic was
lawful. The verdict perhaps was to forbid translation in a form that could
assume the status of an (authorised) version or a substitute of the Qur'an. Translation is 'Tafsir'
Translations of the
Qur'an, in a way, can better be termed as 'tafsir' (commentary), for
the translator in the process of rendering the Qur'an into another language,
at first tries to grasp the meaning of the Qur'an passage by passage. This is
exactly what the commentator does. In the process of rendering the translator
contributes his own interpretation. Translation, in a sense, is a kind of tafsir
since expression of the meaning in another language require 'tafsir'. The only difference is
that the translator restricts himself to the rendering of the words while the
commentator elaborates the meaning he has grasped. In other words it can be
said that translation is the shortest possible 'tafsir'. The commentators
even in Arabic have differed with each other regarding the meaning of certain
Qur'anic words and given explanations of the Qur'anic passages from various
angles. Similar differences faced by the commentators can also be found
between the translators. The Difficulties Encountered by the Translators of the Qur'an
Eminent scholars who had
command of the Arabic as well as of their own language and had the capability
of understanding the meaning of the divine message, translated the Qur'an
into their respective languages. All such scholars have no doubt, rendered
valuable services. It is however, necessary to keep in mind the difficulties
they had to face. To render the full
purport of any religious and revealed book into another language is not possible.
The Qur'an is not only a revealed scripture but also a charter of a
revolutionary movement. It is a collection of authentic revealed messages
which are guidance for all times. Translations of the Qur'an therefore,
suffer from an additional handicap. When we talk of the
Divine scriptures we mean the Qur'an and the Qur'an alone, as no other divine
scripture today is free from human interference. As in the case of terms of
any science or discipline the terms of the Qur'an are absolutely
untranslatable. The principle of 'the nearest equivalent' may be inevitable
but it is deceptive. Narrowing down of the meaning of the Qur'an to a limited
extent in a foreign language would only mean missing out other and more
important dimensions of the original terms of the Qur'an. No human language
can possibly be adequate for conveying highest spiritual thought. A shade of
meaning conveying the sense only in part can be expressed in a nearly
equivalent word of another language. Thus if the terms or the representative
words of the Qur'an are translated, in effect it amounts to fossilisation of
the partly conveyed meaning. This becomes more significant when we see that
the translators are usually guided by their predecessors No matter how hard the
translator tries, his achievement will fall short of his own estimation and
will hardly do justice to the original text of the Qur'an. There cannot be one
single word in any language to convey the exact meaning of Qur’anic term. A
group of words however, can give some idea of a term. In other words
explanatory notes are required to convey the real meaning of the terms. Qur'anic term is full ray
of light. When a translator looks at it through the prism of an imperfect
equivalent or a modern analytical language, he misses a great deal of its
meaning by confining his attention to one
particular tinge. When we talk of the
difficulties of translating the Qur'an we refer to the difficulties
encountered by the translators themselves. No one can feel the difficulties
involved better than the translators. A selection of their observations is
therefore, presented: In the foreword of his
translation (which is the first English translation of the Qur'an by an
Englishman who is a Muslim) Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall says: "The Qur'an cannot
be translated. That is the belief of old fashioned Sheykhs and the view of
the present writer. The Book is here rendered almost literally and every
effort has been made to choose befitting language. But the result is not the
Glorious Qur'an, that inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men
to tears and ecstasy. It is only an attempt to present the meaning of the
Qur'an, and peradventure something of the charm ________ in English. It can
never take the place of the Qur'an in Arabic, nor is it meant to do so”.1 In the introduction to
his translation (the first American version) T.B.Irving (Al Hajj Ta'lim ‘Ali)
says: "Translation
is literally impossible because interpretation in another language is an on‑going
process, especially with a document that must be used constantly. Almost
every day I learn a new rendering for a word or phrase; then I must run this
new thread of meaning through other passages. The Qur'an is a living Book. We
must respect yet find a way to interpret this sacred text, and not deform its
meaning."2 In the preface of his
English translation of the Qur'an Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi says: "
Of all great works the holy Qur'an is perhaps the least translatable. Arabic
is not at all easy to translate into a language so widely and radically
differing from it in structure and genius as English, unless it be with the
aid of loose periphrasis and lax paraphrase. Even so the fire of the original
is quenched, its vivacious perspicuity is lost, and the so‑called
literal translation looks rugged and dreary. That the language of the Arabs
abounds in nuances and both the noun and the verb are extremely flexible, is
a fact well known to every student of that tongue. The difficulty is increased hundred fold when one has to
render into English, with any degree of accuracy and precision, a work so
rich in meaning, so pithy in expression, so vigorous in style and so subtle
in implications as the Holy Qur'an. To reproduce even partially its exotic
beauty, wonderful grandeur and magical vivacity without sacrifing the
requirement of the English idiom and usage, is the despair of the translator
and an ideal impossible of attainment. The result is that every fresh attempt
at translating the Holy Writ bring home, in varying degrees, the truth of the
old saying that nothing is so unlike an orignial as its copy."1 In the preface to the
third edition of his English translation Muhammad Zafrulla Khan says: "Translation is a difficult task of great delicacy,
especially when the original is as rich and vast in meaning as Arabic. The
difficulty is multiplied manifold in the case of a translation of the Qur'an,
which being verbal revelation is the very word of God, and whose meaning is
limitless and inexhaustible" 2 In view of the
difficulties expressed above the translations of the Qur'an should be read
with caution. It is perhaps not safe to recommend any of the translations of
the Qur'an to one having no Islamic back‑ground with the assurance that
by reading it he can grasp the exact meaning of the Qur'an. Such presentation
of the Qur'an in a different language may even result in confusion and
misguidance. Each translator, in
English as well as other languages has expressed in his own words that
translating the Qur'an is difficult. It is necessary to have an idea about
the variety of difficulties. The nature of one aspect of the difficulties
have been elaborated by Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi: "The impediments
confronting an honest translator may be summed up under six main heads and
various subheadings: 1. In the first place comes the comparative
poverty of the English language in several respects. 2. Next repetitions of synonyms, chiefly
for the sake of emphasis, is of frequent occurrence in Arabic; in fact, at
times it is of considerable literary merit and beauty. In the English
language there is no sanction for it. 3. Another serious difficulty is caused by
the case with which ellipsis occur in the best and finest Arabic style and
both words and phrases have to be supplied by the reader to make the sense
complete. At one time, it is only the subject that is mentioned and the
predicate is entirely suppressed, and at another, the reversse is the case.
The obvious duty of the translator on all such occasions is to supply the
commission, although his attempts in many cases must be hazardous. 4. Yet another perplexity is caused to the
translator by the abrupt grammatical transition, in one and the same
sentence, frequent in Arabic: 5. A further complication is caused by what
is known as i.e., a personal or relative pronoun having different antecedents
in one and the same sentence. The translator cannot afford to allow such
ambiguities; he has to make his choice. 6. Finally, there is no real equivalence in
the import of many of the Arabic and English words generally held to be
synonyms."1 The efforts made are
described by Allama Abdullah Yusuf Ali in the following words: "I felt that with such life experience as has fallen to
my lot, my service to the Qur'an should be to present it in fitting garb in
English. That ambition I have cherished in my mind for more than forty years.
I have collected books and materials for it. I have visited places,
undertaken journeys, taken notes, sought the society of men, and tried to
explore their thoughts and hearts, in order to equip myself for the task.
Some times I have considered it too stupendous for me, the double task of
understanding the original, and reproducing its nobility, its beauty, its
poetry, its grandeur, and its sweet practical reasonable application to every‑day
experience. Then I have blamed myself for lack of courage, the spiritual
courage of men who dared all in the Cause which was so dear to them. Watered
by tears, my manuscript began to grow in depth and earnestness if not in
bulk. I guarded it like a secret treasure. Wanderer that I am, I carried it
about thousands of miles, to all sorts of countries and among all sorts of
people".1 The Need for the Translation of the Qur'an:
In spite of the fact that
translations of the Qur'an have their own limitations and cannot be
completely relied upon, their use is inevitable for those believers whose
mother tongue is not Arabic. The Qur'an is a guidance
for the entire humanity. Although its language is Arabic the Qur'an is not
confined to the Arabs. According to its claim all human beings irrespective
of nationality and race are equal in receiving guidance from it. The message
of the Qur'an is universal and its addressees are all human beings: “(O Prophet) Say "O
men ! I am sent unto you all as Messenger.” (Qur’an 7:158) Since the Qur'an was
revealed in a particular region and a particular period in history, it was
but necessary for it to be intelligible to the people of that particular
region and that particular period. The limitation of space and time, however
is restricted to the language only. The message of the Qur'an is universal
and comprises such values by which people of all countries and of all times
can be benefited. One logical conclusion can be drawn from this: The
responsibility of setting the Qur'an
free from the bondage of the Arabic language devolves on the believers. In connection with the
translation of the Qur'an two amazing features are evident: 1. During the last 1400 years the language
of the Qur'an has not changed.[4] 2. The Qur'anic teachings and values have
relevance to all times. It is not the case with the translations of the
Qur'an. One translation of the Qur'an loses the relevance within say, fifty
or hundered years and the need of another translation is felt. Of all the religious
books of the world the text of the Qur'an alone is fully preserved. This fact
is important and full of implications. It is the most valuable asset for the
Muslims as well as for the entire humanity which should be fully cherished. Allah has taken the
responsibility of preserving the text of the Qur’an: "We have, without
doubt sent down the Message; and We shall assuredly
guard it ( from corruption )". (Qur'an 15:9) Of the various methods of
preservation one is the salat: In the obligatory prayer five times a
day recital of some portions of the Qur'an is prescribed. Recitations of Translations in 'Salat':
There are translations of
the Qur'an in almost all the languages of the world. In several languages
(e.g., Persian, Urdu, English, French etc.,) the translations are in considerable
number. It may however, be noted that "There is only one text of the
Qur'an in circulation today and it is exactly the same that the Prophet of
Islam received from Allah and handed down to posterity through his
illustrious Companions. In other words, the textus receptus of the Qur'an in
today's world is the exact textus originale”.[5]
The Qur'an in translation
is not so authoritative as the Qur'an in its original wording. A translation
of the Qur'an cannot be used as a `root' or `source' of the Islamic doctrine. In the presence of the original therefore, no translation of
the Qur'an in any language can be considered as official version. No
translation can claims to be perfect. In view of this position the majority
of the Muslim scholars are of the view that translation of the Qur’anic
passages cannot be recited in the obligatory prayers i.e., 'salat' and
that such recitations would render the 'salat' invalid. From the point of view of
the preservations of the Qur'an, uniformity of the 'salat' as well as
demonstration of unity of the Ummah also recitation of the original
text in the 'salat' is necessary. The universal practice among the
entire Ummah is that the original text of the Qur'an alone is recited
in the 'salat' and translation in any language whatsoever is not
recited. There is however, a
difference of opinion in this regard. Some scholars (in particular some
Hanafites) say that someone not familiar with the Qur'anic language may
recite short passages in his mother tongue until he has learnt them in the
Qur'anic language. There is also an
authority that the Prophet once allowed a group of Iranians to recite the
translated portion of the Qur'an temporarily till they learn Arabic. Sheikh
Mahmud Shaltut, Ex Azhar Rector permits the use of a translation of the
Qur'an for devotional purposes in the prescribed five daily prayers. Is knowledge of Arabic san quanon for understanding the Qur'an?
Since the Qur'an is in
Arabic it is but necessary to have command over Arabic Language in order to
understand its contents. However, we should take into consideration that an
overwhelming majority of believers is not Arabic knowing and that it is not
practically possible for all such believers to learn Arabic. When such is the
case, it is inevitable for those whose mother tongue is not Arabic to seek
the help of translation in spite of the limitations of translation. Requirements of translation of the Qur’an:
The translator must be a
believer. The translator must have
adequate knowledge of both Arabic and of the language of translation. The
translator must be acquainted with the related sciences (Ulum al Qur’an). Are the translations of the Qur'an inevitable?
The understanding of the
Qur'an is so very essential for the Muslims. As for those whose mother tongue
is not Arabic the teachings of the Qur'an can be understood in two ways. Either by learning Arabic
language or through translations. Learning of Arabic with other avocations if
not impossible, would certainly be a difficult task. In view of the above it
is inevitable for non-Arabic knowing believers to take the help of
translation (preferably more than one) in their attempt to understand the
text of the Qur'an. There is one – and
important – justification for the translation of the Qur'an in other
languages: During the lifetime of
the Prophet himself, we notice, that on more than one occasion selected
messages of the Qur'an were translated: 1. Due to the hardened attitude of the
Makkans, some Muslims, were facing great hardship. The Prophet directed them
to migrate to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) where a liberal Christian monarch entitled
Negus (Najaashi) was in power. The Makkans sent a delegation headed by
Amar bin Al‑A'as for extradition of the 'fugitives'. Najaashi called
the Muslims. Jafar bin Abi Talib pleaded the case of the Muslims with great
ability. On this occasion translation from a passage from Surah Maryam
(19) was recited in front of Negus. It might even be taken as a clear
indication that the Muslim migrants were prepared to recite the translation. 2. Similarly when the Prophet sent a letter
to the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, among others, it contained ayaat
of the Qur'an. It was necessary to translate the contents of the letter as
well as the ayaat. According to the report translators were called for
interpreting the conversation between Heraclius and Abu Sufyan as well as
translating Prophet's letter and the ayaat contained therein. 3. When some Iranians who had accepted
Islam applied for permission to say their prayers in Persian, the Prophet
asked Salman Farsi to translate Surah Al Fatiha and sent it to them.
However, this was a temporary arrangement till the Iranian converts learn
Arabic. There is yet another
justification for the translation of the Qur'an for the understanding of non
Arabic knowing believers: A substantial portion of the Qur'an itself consists
of translation. This is an interesting fact which is not generally noticed.
The conversations of Prophets quoted in the Qur'an were certainly not in
Arabic language. Allah in His mercy and grace has presented the translation
in Arabic for the understanding of the first addressees the Arabs. Since the message of the
Qur'an is eternal and universal it has to be conveyed to people of different
linguistic groups in their own language. Such believers whose
mother tongue is not Arabic, for the sake of understanding and guidance,
should certainly take help from translations in their respective languages.
In view of the limitations of translations however, they should invariably
consult more than one translation. In addition they should always keep an eye
on the original text which is by grace of Allah available to them in tact and
try their best to take advantage of the original to the maximum possible
extent. All the valuable efforts of the scholars, commentators and
translators are for the correct understanding of the Qur'anic text. The
believers should not entirely depend on the judgement of others but should
try to discover and arrive at the meaning through their own sustained
efforts. They should realize that taking guidance from the Qur'an is
necessary as well as possible without having command of the Arabic language.[6]
They should try to understand the Qur'anic concepts contained in the Qur'anic
terms which are untranslatable. Use of brackets in translations
The translators of the
Qur'an whose main aim is to be true to the original on the one side tries to
see that not a single word is used in their rendering the equivalent of which
is not found in the original text. On the other hand they are fully aware of
their duty to convey the sense of the original as they have understood. This
requires addition of a word or two. To reconcile both the contrary approaches
the translators have resorted to the use of brackets. A word or a phrase
which they are obliged to add is put in bracket to show that its equivalent
is not found in the Qur'an. It is the constant effort of the translators to
see that the contents in the brackets are to the minimum possible extent. The
use of brackets with minimum possible contents distinguishes the translation
from 'tafsir' (commentary) wherein elaborate explanations are offered. The necessity of using
brackets can be understood if we take one stylistic device of the Qur'an into
consideration. The omission of one word in an ayah which would be
needed to express the sense
completely, is called ellipsis. We find elliptic ayaat in the Qur'an
as a part of its style in which one or more words or phrases are omitted.
Without incorporating the interpolations, which are obvious to a careful
reader the meaning of the ayah is not quite clear. Such additional
words or phrases are used in brackets, by the translators. In short, the
words in brackets have been added by the translators in an attempt to explain
or interpret the text of the Qur'an.[7] Like footnotes, brackets
are also used to avoid introduction of myriad of qualifying clauses and
endless digression in the body of the work. Corruptions in some earlier scriptures through translations
When we discuss about the translations of the Qur'an and
their limitations we should keep in mind a historical fact which is very
relevant. Some earlier religious books especially the Old and the New
Testaments were mostly corrupted during the process of translation. Parts of
Old Testament which were from earlier times preserved by oral transmission
were recorded in writing from 100 AD onwards. The corpus or collection of the
various translations of these parts in Aramaic were called targum or tarjum. The word 'tarjama'
(Arabic and Urdu equivalent of translation) itself is derived from 'targum'.
The clergy which was expected to safeguard the text of the Old Testament
translated it according to its own liking due to ignorance and with selfish
motives. It was possible to do so because during the process of rendering the
translator has a choice to select a synonym. Even if a text is rendered
faithfully and sincerely there is a possibility of deviation from the
original. When the translation is motivated the result would be obvious.
Ironically in case of the Old and the New Testament the translations were
declared as version or even authorised version and the original text
disappeared. In respect of the Old
Testament which the Qur'an refers to as Taurat the original text is
extinct. Only translations and translations of translation are available. When the Qur'an is
confronted with more than fifty translations in English one should take
lesson from the bitter experience with Bible and guard against the possible
damage the translations can do.
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