What Is the Ruling on Translating the Quran into Non-Arabic Languages?


Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa

Question

What is the ruling on translating the Quran into non-Arabic languages?

Answer

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

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.

Permissible

It is permissible to translate the Quran into other languages, provided that the translation is interpretive and conveys the meaning rather than a literal translation.

The interpretive translation is considered an explanation of the Quran’s meaning, while a literal translation often fails to convey the correct meaning and can lead to misrepresentation or distortion of the Quran’s message. Thus, literal translation may be impermissible in many cases due to the risk of misrepresenting the Quran.

Translation

Translation refers to transferring speech from one language to another, such as translating from Arabic to English or Turkish. This process involves conveying the meaning of the original language in another language while preserving its full meaning and intent, as if the words themselves were transferred from the first language to the second. [See: Zurqani, Manahil al-‘Irfan]

Translation is divided into two categories:

  • Literal translation (harfiyya)
  • Interpretive translation (ma‘nawiyya tafsiriyya)

Literal Translation of the Quran

This involves directly transferring words from the original language to their equivalents in another language, maintaining the same structure and order, where the translated words replace the words of the Quran, and the style of the translation replaces the style of the Quran. [See: Muhammad Husayn al-Dhahabi, al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassirun; ‘Itr, ‘Ulum al-Quran al-Karim]

An example of literal translation would be translating the verse:

“Do not be so tight-fisted, for you will be blameworthy; nor so open-handed, for you will end up in poverty.” [Quran, 17:29]

A literal translation would read: “Do not tie your hand to your neck nor stretch it to its full extent…” This expression does not capture the true intent of the verse or its profound rhetorical imagery. Therefore, this type of translation is not suitable for the Quran. [See: Zurqani, Manahil al-‘Irfan; ‘Itr, ‘Ulum al-Quran al-Karim]

Interpretive Translation of the Quran

This type of translation involves conveying the meaning of the Quran in another language, ensuring that the intended meaning in the source language aligns with the target language, without adhering strictly to word-for-word equivalents.

In essence, this is an interpretation of the meanings of the Quran, expressed in a language other than the original Arabic. The process entails grasping the intended meaning of the Quranic text to the best of one’s ability and then expressing it in the other language according to the context and purpose of the verse.

For this reason, scholars have referred to it as “interpretive translation,” which, compared to literal translation, is feasible because it serves as an interpretation of the Quran in another language. [See: Ibid.; Muhammad Husayn al-Dhahabi, al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassirun]

An example of this type of translation would be interpreting the verse:

“Do not be so tight-fisted, for you will be blameworthy; nor so open-handed, for you will end up in poverty.” [Quran, 17:29]

In an interpretive translation, we would explain that the Quran prohibits both extremes: miserliness and extravagance. The Quran presents these opposites in a vividly unpleasant manner that naturally repels people.

Conclusion

One of the benefits of interpretive translation is that it unveils the beauty and profound meanings of the Quran to non-Arabic speakers who are unable to perceive these through the lens of the Arabic language.

This form of translation also fulfills the responsibility of Muslims to convey the Quran, both in its original form and its meaning, to non-Arabic-speaking audiences. This type of translation bridges the gap between the original Arabic text and the meanings as understood and explained by scholars in the target language.

For further details on this topic please refer to these:

  • “Mabahith fi ‘Ulum al-Quran” by Qattan
  • “Tarikh al-Quran al-Karim” by Muhammad Tahir Ibn ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Kurdi
  • “Al-Madkhal li Dirasat al-Quran al-Karim” by Abu Shahba
  • “Al-Aslan fi ‘Ulum al-Quran” by Muhammad ‘Abd al-Mun‘im al-Qi‘i

And Allah knows best.

May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.

[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa

Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.