Journal of Qur’anic Research and Studies

Reference Works on the Qur’an in English: A Survey by Abdur Raheem Kidwai

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:42:41 +0000

This article surveys and critically appraises all English language publications on the Glorious Qur’an up to the date of publication of the article.

Reference Works on the Qur’an in English A Survey

History of the Translation of the Meanings of the Qur’an in Germany up to the Year 2000: A Bibliographic Survey by Ahmad von Denffer

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:26:37 +0000

The following study consists of three sections, namely an introduction including a brief description of earlier bibliographical sources, secondly a description of the various full translations of the meanings of the Glorious Qur’an into German from 16th to 20th century, and lastly a complete bibliography of all translations, full or partial, that have been published in the same period, with some explanatory notes where appropriate.

It is understood that dealing with this subject in a language other than German cannot do justice to the matter and may also give rise to misunderstandings. However to undertake such an effort in spite of its risks is better than making no attempt. Errors and mistakes can be pointed out and corrected, whereas keeping silent on this subject will not provide any information about it at all.

History of German Quran Translations

Ukrainian Translations of the Meanings of the Glorious Qur’an: Problems and Prospects by Mykhailo Jackubovych

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:56:37 +0000

The present study is devoted to the analysis of the so far only partial translations of the meanings of the Glorious Qur’an into the Ukrainian language. Special attention is paid to the features of Ukrainian, its historical perspective and its potential for representing the meaning and message of the Glorious Qur’an. The results of this research would hopefully be of help for future translations. Despite the particularly close relation of this article to the problems of Ukrainian, some important principles of translation, based on traditional Islamic exegetic sources which are included in the study, may prove useful for the translators of the meanings of the Glorious Qur’Ān into other European languages as well.

Ukrainian Quran Translations Problems and Perspectives

The Way Leading to the Translation of the Glorious Qur’an into Hungarian by Ahmad Okvath Csaba

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:58:45 +0000

In this paper I shall try to present the attempts made by Hungarians in the field of translating the Glorious Qur’Ān into Hungarian, with a short relevant introduction about the historical background. This essay does not aim at analyzing these translations, it only makes an effort to give an outline of all the available Qur’an translations in Hungarian or, in some cases, it gives short samples from the translations accompanied by remarks.

On the Dichotomy Between Muhkam and Mutashabih by Hussein Abdul-Raof (Leeds University, UK)

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:25:28 +0000

In Qur’anic studies, the expression (Muhkam) is the antonym of (Mutashabih). The controversy, however, among Qur’anic exegetes is about the meaning of Mutashabih and the mode of reading or rather the linguistic analysis of Q3:7 and whether Qur’an scholars share with God the knowledge of unravelling the meanings of Mutashabih. The other interesting matter related to Mutashabih is concerned with the translation of this expression as ‘ambiguous’ while our discussion below illustrates that this word has other meanings and functions. The third matter related to the notion of Mutashabih is the claim made by Orientalists such as Leah Kinberg (2001) that ‘the other verses Q11:1 and Q39:23 contradict Q3:7’ (ibid:70). The fourth problem is the theological implications posed by Q7:28, Q18:29, and Q76:30, whether they are Muhkam or Mutashabih, the correlation between the Mutashabih and dissention, and the subsequent controversial issue of free will as opposed to predestination which has been projected through the opposition between Mu’tazili and mainstream exegetes.

On the Dichotomy between Muhkam and Mutashabih

The Qur’an, Orientalism, and the Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an by Muzaffar Iqbal (Founder-president of the Center for Islam and Science, Canada)

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:15:02 +0000

Built on the characteristic biases, claims, and false premises of the Orientalists, Encyclopedia of the Quran is a non-representative, discourteous, scandalous, and blasphemous hodgepodge of disparate material. It draws its material content from diverse Muslim and non-Muslim sources, but pours all of this material into a mould cast by the founding fathers of Orientalism—men whose understanding of religion in general and Islam in particular continues to dominate the field. They no longer openly call the most Noble Messenger of Allah an imposter and the Quran a forgery, as they used to two hundred years ago, but they are saying the same thing in a slightly refined language. They desire to extinguish the Light of Allah with their mouths; but Allah has willed to spread His Light in all its fullness, however hateful this may be to the disbelievers.

The Quran and the Orientalist Encyclopedia of the Quran

Egocentric or Scientific: The Christian Perspective of the Qur’ân? by Mustapha Abi and Abdullah Abdulkareem

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:59:52 +0000

This article attempts to analyze the Protestant missionary representation of the Qur’an as exemplified by the journal of The Moslem World (MW). The analysis has focused on two major themes, namely, the collection of, and textual variety in the Qur’an. This representation, as will be shown, is coloured by the writers’ beliefs as well as assumptions about the Qur’an in particular, and Islam in general. It can be said that the reasons for their distorted view of Islam are to be found within both Western society and their Christian faith. The manner and method by which the Qur’an was depicted originated primarily from Evangelical Christians’ conviction of their own faith as the ultimate religious truth and the sole legitimate form of religious belief and expression. In fact, MW was conceived with such a view of Islam in general given its missionary nature, a view championed and reinforced by its founder and then editor, Samuel Zwemer.