AN APPEAL
to the Publishers of the
'ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS
OF THE QUR'AN'
Please do not DO
what the
Bible
Editors DID
Last revised and updated September
29, 2000
THIS
APPEAL is a humble attempt
by
an ordinary everyday reader
of
the various Translated English Texts of
The
Glorious Qur'an
to
show the serious shortcomings...
IT
IS NOT a scholarly criticism
done
by a Scholar
who
knows the language of the Qur'an...
Examples from the English Bible:
In the fourth
century CE, Jerome - the famous Christian scholar and apologist of the
early Christian Church, translated the Bible into Latin. He took the liberty
with John's Gospel to promote the enigmatic belief of his own Church for
Jesus Christ. He translated the originally used Greek term "monogenes"
(meaning, "of a single kind")
as "unigeitus" (meaning, "only begotten")
in his famous Latin Version called The Vulgate. Since that time the translators
who have used Jerome’s Vulgate as their source document have inadvertently
applied this INNOVATED term "only begotten",
while translating John 1:18 and 3:16. The 19th ecumenical council held
at Trent in 1562-63, chose the Jerome's Vulgate in Latin as the AUTHENTIC
text in the matter of theology and that received the HOLY BLESSINGS from
the Church to endorse this fourth century INNOVATION, as the HOLY TRUTH.
Million Christians have since died believing with faith that Apostle John
had himself written Jesus was "only begotten"
in his Gospel, which the Apostle did not.
Here is
another example. The authors of the Gospels had used the Greek word “Theos”
for “The supreme divinity, God or god”
and the word “Kurios”
for “Master, Teacher, Owner or the Head of
a house” in their manuscripts. One would expect
that the translators of these manuscripts would also use two
distinctly separate terms in English to describe
these two separate terms. Surprisingly, that has not been the case with
every translator. Some have used the word “LORD”
for “Theos” and
“Lord” for “Kurios”.
The first LORD is in all capital types and the second Lord is in the upper
and lower case. However, the translators who want to exalt the status of
their Jesus as “God” have used the capital types for the term "Theos"
as well as for "Kurios".
In the ‘New American Standard Bible’ (1963), under the Book of Psalms,
the opening sentence of the Psalm 110 appears like this:
THE LORD
says to my Lord. When this same text is repeated
in Matthew 22:44, in the same New American Standard Bible, the text appears
like this: THE LORD
SAID TO MY LORD. Such INGENUITY within
the translated texts of the Bible is one of the reasons why the readers
of the New Testament call their Teacher Jesus as “MY
LORD”, and do believe a Messenger of
God, as “GOD”.
Upon reading the "Sayings" of Jesus readers discover that Jesus himself
had a GOD and he was not The God.
THE NOBLE QUR'AN IN THE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Under
study is the published text from a publication entitled; 'Interpretation
of the meanings of THE NOBLE QUR'AN IN
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. (Hard cover copy, summarized
in one volume).
The Interpretation of THE QUR'AN is done by
Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali. Published
by DARUSSALAM, P. O. Box 22743, Riyadh 11416, Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. Tel: (009 661) 4033962 Fax: (009 661) 4021659.
This is not a personal criticism but an attempt to show The Truth
as I perceive it. This does not mean I cannot have a mistaken perception.
ALLAH KNOWS
THE BEST
SHAHADAH
The first and the
most important of the "Five Pillars of Islam" is the Shahadah or Kalimah
Shahadah. The most essential and significantly imperative text of this
Shahadah happens to be "La illaha-illallah".
One cannot enter Islam and become a Muslim
unless that person comprehends the meaning of this Kalimah (word) and testifies.
Hence, its translation should be very precise and its interpretation accurate.
On page 919
of the publication under study, Appendix I - Glossary, appears: La
ilaha-illallah: (the arabic text) None
has the right to be worshipped but Allah.
SHAHADAH
is the creed that is fundamental to Islam. A Muslim does not ONLY
bear witness or confess, while reciting his or her Shahadah that the reciter
will not worship any another entity beside Allah. Even the conceptual admission
of a thought or belief that there IS another entity beside Allah (The God),
negates the Shahadah of a True Believer. In brief, the Shahadah goes much
beyond worshipping.
This Arabic
phrase appears, beside in other verses, in Surah Muhammad (47), verse 19.
Below are the comparative translations:
Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali:
Know therefore that there is no god but Allah...
Translation by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall:
So know (O Muhammad)
that there is no God save Allah,...
Translation by Farooq Malik
Therefore, you should know that there is no
god but Allah;...
Translation by Mohammad Asad:
Know, then, [O
man] that there is no deity save God...
Translation by the publication The
Noble Qur'an:
So know (O Muhammad
s.a.s.) that La illaha illallah (none
has the right to be worshipped but Allah),...
Note: The
literal translations provided by the translators; Yusuf Ali, Pickthall,
Malik and Asad, for the Shahadah La illaha
illallah has the philosophy of "double
negation". My Appeal to the publishers, editors
and the translators of the Qur'an is; Let us not part with the Sublime
Perfection and Blissful Philosophy that is within the Revealed Text.
What Allah has Truly Revealed
about Jesus?
I have first quoted the translations done by other Muslim Scholars and
thereafter the translation from the publication; The Noble Qur'an.
I have used
the RED prints
for the actual translated text
and the BLACK prints for the bracketed text, which are the Interpretations.
These TRANSLATED TEXT should
not have words that are derived from the interpretations and not to
be found in the Arabic Text. No reader of the translated
text would expect any Addition or Deletion.
I have underlined
the variations, after
comparing the other texts.
Readers can do their own research or seek
more info from the editors.
The Verses under study are from Surat An-Nisa, Chapter 4. The "other comparative
texts" are copied from the ISL Software - Alim 6.0
Verses Number 156 and 157:
Transliteration of the verses:
wa- bi- kufr -him wa- qawl -him calaa maryam
buhtaan(an) caz.em(an)
wa- qawl -him 'in(na) -naa qatalnaa al- maseh.
cesaa ibn maryam rasol 'allaah wa- maa qatalo -hu wa- maa s.alabo -hu wa-
laakin shubbiha la- -hum wa- 'inna 'alladhena ikhtalafo fe -hi la-
fe shakk min -hu maa la- -hum bi- -hi min cilm 'illaa ittibaac az.- z.ann
wa- maa qatalo -hu yaqen(an).
Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali:
That they rejected faith: that they uttered
against Mary a grave false charge. That they said (in
boast) "We killed Christ Jesus the son of
Mary the Apostle of Allah"; but they killed him not nor crucified him but
so it was made to appear to them and those who differ therein are full
of doubts with no (certain)
knowledge but only conjecture to follow for of a surety they killed him
not.
Translation by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall:
And because of their disbelief and of their
speaking against Mary a tremendous calumny; And because of their saying:
We slew the Messiah Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger They slew him
not nor crucified, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who
disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof
save pursuit of a conjecture ; they slew him not for certain,
Translation by Farooq Malik
They went in their unbelief to such an extent
that they uttered terrible slander against Maryam (Mary).
They even say: "We have killed the Messiah, Isa
(Jesus), son
of Maryam, the Rasool of Allah." Whereas in fact, neither did they kill
him nor did they crucify him but they thought they did because the matter
was made dubious for them. Those who differ therein are only in doubt.
They have no real knowledge, they follow nothing but merely a conjecture,
certainly they did not kill him (Jesus).
Translation by Mohammad Asad:
and for their refusal to acknowledge the truth,
and the awesome calumny which they utter against Mary, and their boast,
"Behold, we have slain the Christ Jesus, son of Mary, [who
claimed to be] an apostle of God!" However,
they did not slay him, and neither did they crucify him, but it only
seemed to them [as if it has been]
so; and, verily, those who hold
conflicting views thereon are indeed confused, having no [real]
knowledge thereof, and following mere conjecture.
For, of a certainty, they did not slay him:
Translation by the publication The
Noble Qur'an:
And because of their (Jews)
disbelief and uttering Maryam (Mary,
a.s.) a grave false charge (that
she has committed illegal sexual intercourse); And
because of their saying (in boast), "We
killed Messiah 'Isa (Jesus),
son of Maryam (Mary), the
Messenger of Allah," - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but
the resemblance of 'Isa (Jesus) was
put over another man (and they killed
that man), and those who differ therein are
full of doubts. They have no (certain)
knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed
him not [i.e.
'Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary) a.s.]:
Note: The
underlined text in the above translation happens to be the translators'
own interpretation. And, some of the crucial words mentioned, e.g., "over
another man" do not appear in the Arabic Text.
Verses Number 158 and 159:
Transliteration of the verses:
bal rafaca -hu 'allaah 'ilay -hi wa- kaana
'allaah cazez(an) h.akem(an)
wa- 'in min 'ahl al- kitaab 'illaa la- yu'minanna
bi- -hi qabla mawt -hi wa- yawm al- qiyaamah yakon calay -him shahed(an)
Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali:
Nay Allah raised him up unto Himself; and
Allah is Exalted in Power Wise. And there is none of the People of the
Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment
He will be a witness against them.
Translation by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall:
But Allah took him up unto Himself. Allah
was ever Mighty, wise.
There is not one of the People of the Scripture
but will believe in him before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection
he will be a witness against them
Translation by Farooq Malik
Nay! The fact is that Allah took him up to
Himself. Allah is Mighty, Wise. There is none of the People of the Book
but will believe in this fact before his death; and on the Day of Resurrection
Jesus will bear witness against them.
Translation by Mohammad Asad:
nay, God exalted him unto Himself - and God
is indeed almighty, wise.
yet there is not one of the followers of earlier
revelation who does not, at the moment of his death, grasp the truth about
Jesus; and on the Day of Resurrection he [himself]
shall bear witness to the truth against them.
Translation by the publication The
Noble Qur'an:
But Allah raised him ['Isa
(Jesus)] up (with
his body and soul) unto Himself (and
he a.s., is in the heavens). And Allah is
Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise. And there is none of the people of the Scripture
(Jews and Christians) but
must believe in him ['Isa (Jesus), son of
Maryam (Mary), as only a Messenger of Allah and a human being]
before his ['Isa (Jesus) a.s., or a Jew's
or a Christian's] death (at
the time of the appearance of the angel of death).
And on the Day of Resurrection, he ['Isa (Jesus)]
will be a witness against them.
Note: Upon
the comparison of the above five translated texts, one does notice that
within the first four texts there is practically no text within the brackets.
In the fifth translation, the text within the brackets [( )] practically
equals that of the Revealed Text. And, some of these bracketed texts are
of questionable nature. The separation of the "Unquestionable Divine Text"
from the "Questionable Human Text" needs a better method of keeping them
apart than the use of [( )].
The general impression created upon a reader's mind, after reading
the entire text, could be what was not intended to be, by the Allah (S.W.T.).
Sheikh Ahmed Deedat: He
gave us an excellent example in his famous booklet 'Resurrection or
Resuscitation' to show how the decisive texts in the New Testament
have been changed by the placing of a few words "within the brackets" and
"without the brackets". He records that in the "most ancient" manuscript
the text under Gospel Luke 3:23 reads;
"And Jesus himself began to be about
thirty years of age, being as was supposed the son of Joseph, which was
the son of Heli,"
This text was later edited, and it now reads;
"And Jesus himself began to be about
thirty years of age, being (as was supposed)
the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,"
I have copy of the authorized Kings James Version wherein the
phrase "as was supposed" is printed within
the brackets. I also have a copy of the New American Standard Bible
wherein the phrase is printed without the brackets. In other
words, the [( )] keep appearing and disappearing.
Tafsir At-Tabari within the quotations
(“)...(”)
It has been an age old accepted norm and practice
to place the quoted texts or the actual spoken words within the Quotation
Marks (“)...(”). The
important question is; Should an implied text or a direct quote from any
Tafsir (commentary), written by any scholar, be placed within the quotation
marks (“)...(”) even
though it is shielded with brackets [(...)]?
Besides, in this instance the implied Tafsir
Text from At-Tabari coveys a totally different Message than that which
is provided by the reputable Muslim translators such as Abdullah Yusuf
Ali, M. Asad and F. Malik.
Surah Az-Zukhruf (43), Verse Number 81:
Transliteration of the verses:
qul 'in kaana li- ar- rah.maan walad fa- 'anaa
'awwal al- caabiden
Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali:
Say: "If (Allah)
Most Gracious had a son I would be the first to worship."
Translation by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall:
Say (O Muhammad):
The Beneficent One hath no son. I am first among the worshippers.
Translation by Farooq Malik
O Prophet tell the Christians: "If the Compassionate
(Allah) had a
son, I would be the first to worship him."
Translation by Mohammad Asad:
Say [O Prophet]:
“If the Most Gracious [truly]
had a son, I would be the first to worship him!”
Translation by the publication The
Noble Qur'an:
Say (O Muhammad):
“If the Most Gracious (Allah)
had a son (or children as you pretend),
then I am the first of (Allah’s)
worshippers [who deny and refute this claim
of yours (and the first to believe in Allah Alone and testify that He has
no children)].” [Tafsir
At-Tabari]
Sexually Explicit Texts &/or
Commentaries !!!
Here are just two
examples, both from Surah Al-'Imran. Below is the translated text of verse
39 from the publication The Noble Qur'an:
Then the angels called him, while
he was standing in prayer in Al-Mihrab (a
praying place or a private room), (saying): "Allah
gives you glad tidings of Yahya (John), confirming
(believing in) the
word from Allah [i.e. the creation of Isa
(Jesus), a.s., the Word from Allah ("Be!" - and he was!)], noble,
keeping away from sexual relations with women, a Prophet, from among
the righteous."
Here is a translation by Pickthall
of the same verse. Please notice the "extended meaning" of one word from
the Revealed Text that is underlined above and compare it with the
dignified word used below.
And the angels called to him as he
stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah giveth thee glad tidings of (a
son whose name is) John,
(who cometh) to confirm a word from Allah.
lordly, chaste, a Prophet of the righteous.
In verse 46 Allah (swt)
has glorified his righteous Messenger Isa (a.s.). Does the inserted sexually
explicit commentary from a Hadith add to the
"glory" of the Messenger or uphold the Exalted Dignity of the Revealed
Words of Allah)? You be the judge after reading them.
"He will speak to the people, in the
cradle [1] and
in manhood, and he will be one of the righteous."
Commentary: [1] (V.3:46)
Narrated Abu Hurairah (r.a.): The Prophet (s.a.s) said, "None spoke in
cradle but three: (The first was) Jesus, (the second was) a man from Bani
Israel called Juraij. While he was offering his prayers, his mother came
and called him. He said (to himself), "Shall I answer her or keep on praying?"
(He went on praying and did not answer her). His mother said, "O Allah!
Do not let him die till he sees the faces of prostitutes." So while he
was in his hermitage, a lady came and sought to seduce him, but he refused.
So she went to a shepherd and presented herself to him to commit illegal
sexual intercourse with her and then later she gave birth to a child and
claimed that it belonged to Juraij. The people, therefore, came to him
and dismantled his hermitage and expelled him out of it and abused him.
Juraij performed the ablution and offered prayer, and then came to the
child and said, "O child! Who is your father?" The child replied, "The
shepherd." (after hearing this) the people said, "We shall rebuild your
hermitage of gold," but he said, "No, of nothing but mud." (The third was
the hero of the following story): A lady from Bani Israel was nursing her
child at her breast when a handsome rider passed by her. She said, "O Allah!
Make my child like him." On that the child left her breast, and facing
the rider said, "O Allah! Do not make me like him." The child then started
to suck her breast again. [Abu Hurairah further said, "As if I were now
looking at the Prophet s.a.s. sucking his finger (in way of demonstration.")].
After a while they (some people) passed by, with a lady slave and she (i.e.
the child's mother) said, "O Allah! Do not make my child like this (slave
girl)!" On that the child left her breast and said, "O Allah! Make me like
her." When she asked why, the child replied, "The rider is one of the tyrants
while this slave-girl is falsely accused of theft and illegal sexual intercourse."
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3436).
"The Islamic Faith of Monotheism"
Surat Al-Ahqaf (46) Verse Number 13:
Transliteration of the verse:
'inna 'alladhena qaalo rabb -naa 'allaah thumma
istaqaamo fa- laa khawf calay -him wa- laa hum yah.zanon
Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali:
Verily those who say "Our Lord is Allah" and
remain firm
(on that Path)
on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.
Translation by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall:
Lo! those who say: our Lord is Allah, and
thereafter walk aright,
there shall no fear come upon them neither
shall they grieve.
Translation by Farooq Malik
Indeed those who say: "Our Rabb is Allah,
and then remain firm
shall have nothing to fear or to regret.
Translation by Mohammad Asad:
for, behold, all who say, "Our Sustainer is
God",
and thereafter stand firm [in
their faith] - no fear need they have,
and neither shall they grieve:
Translation by the publication The
Noble Qur'an:
Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is (only)
Allah," and thereafter
stand firm on the Islamic Faith of Monotheism
on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
Note: The
editors have added in their footnotes the details of what is meant by standing
firm on "the Islamic Faith of Monotheism". The phrase "the Islamic Faith
of Monotheism", which is mentioned above as the "translated
text of the revealed verse", does not appear
in the Revealed Arabic text. It is the editors' supposed stretched out
extended interpretation and hence should be mentioned within the parenthesis.
It gives rise to the false impressions that one has to enter the religion
of "Islam" or accept "the Islamic Faith". I am presenting below the
translation of Verse 2:62 which conveys a similar Message to "...whoever
believeth in Allah and the Last Day and doeth right".
Translation by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall
of verse 2:62:
Lo! those who believe (in
that which is revealed unto thee, Muhammad),
and those who are Jews, and Christians, and Sabaeans
whoever believeth in Allah and the Last Day
and doeth right surely their reward is with their Lord, and there shall
no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve.
PLEASE COVER-UP THIS TEXT
My personal opinion
Surah Al-Fatiha,
Ya-Sin and Ar-Rahman are the ones that are the most often read Chapters
of the Holy Qur'an by the Believers and their Family Members - old
and young. Please read the text that
appears in the footnote of verse 56 of Surat Ar-Rahman (55), and if you
are also of the opinion that it is so SEXUALLY EXPLICIT that it should
not be read by your Family Members, please cover it up with a white sticker
label or a black marker and replace it with any of the alternate texts
that are reproduced below. I repeat,
is purely my personal opinion as one of the readers of the Holy Book. I
am not a qualified learned scholar in the matter, so please you be the
judge after reading below:
Surah Ar-Rahman (55), Verse Number 56:
Transliteration of the verse:
Fii -hinna qaas.iraatut.- t.arfi lam yat.mith
-hunna 'insun qabla -hum wa- laa jaann
Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali:
In them will be (Maidens)
Chaste restraining their glances whom no man or Jinn before them has touched
Translation by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall:
Therein are those of modest gaze, whom neither
man nor jinn will have touched before them,
Translation by Farooq Malik
Therein will be bashful virgins, whom neither
any man nor jinn has touched before.
Translation by Mohammad Asad:
In these [garden]
will be mates of modest gaze, whom neither man nor invisible being will
have touched ere then.
Translation by the publication The
Noble Qur'an:
Wherein both will be Qasirat-ul-Tarf [chaste
females (wives) restraining their glances, desiring none except their husbands],
with whom no man or jinni has had Tamth
[1] before
them.
[1] (V.55-56) Tamth
means: Opening their hymens with sexual intercourse.
My Note: IF
any of your Family Member - old or young,
was to open an English Dictionary here it is what he or she may read (or,
similar text) under the word hymen; "the thin fold of mucous membrane,
stretched across external orifice, at the entrance to the vagina".
IF the editors had consulted any good Vocabulary of the Holy Qur'an,
such as the ones compiled by Dr. Abdullah Abbas Nadwi or by Dr. John Penrice
for the Arabic word Tamth or Yattamithu they would have found
the dignified translation befitting to the Holy Scripture viz.; "to touch
a woman in order to deflower her" or "to deflower a virgin".
"Hadeeths"; i.e. "music and/or
singing" ?
Sura Luqman (31) Verse Number 6:

Translation by the publication The
Noble Qur'an:
And of mankind is he who purchases
idle talks (i.e. music, singing)
to mislead (men)
from the Path of Allah without knowledge, and takes it (the
Path of Allah, or the Verses of the Qur'an) by
way of mockery. For such there will be a humiliating torment (in
the Hell fire).
The ARABIC phrase translated by the Editors as
"idle tales"
is
"lahw al-Hadeethi", please
see the Arabic text above. In
the Dictionary and Glossary of the Qur'an the word "lahw"
is translated as "ludicrous
(ridiculous)" and the word "al-Hadeethi"
is translated as "the narrative,
the story, the tale, the event, the discourse, the saying, etc." In
the literal sense the Verse tells us not to purchase (patronize) "ludicrous
(ridiculous) Hadeeths" and mislead men from the Path of Allah, without
knowledge of the real facts.
Note: It
is a normal practice with the majority of the translators to leave the
commonly used proper nouns such as; "Allah", "Rasul", "Nabi", "Qur'an",
"Hajj" and so forth, untranslated. Any attempt to translate such words
may not convey their honestly intended accurate meanings. "Hadeeth" is
also one such word that if left untranslated would convey the intended
meaning. To indicate that the word "Hadeeth" means "music
or singing" is leading the readers away from
the truth. I did not find the word "music"
or "singing" mentioned in the Arabic Dictionary.
Insh'Allah , more text will be added....
FYI... so far I have not received any message
or comment from the editors and/or the publishers of THE NOBLE QUR'AN.
Please do communicate if you have received any... Akbarally Meherally
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