Translation of the Quran: Challenges and Strategies

Abstract

‘Say: If men and jinn should combine together to bring the like of this Quran, they could not bring the like of it, though some of them were aiders of others.’ Abstract It is now the 15th century A.H. and the Holy Quran, the only divine book, free from distortion, continues to shed light on the world and provide guidance for people of the world—Muslims in particular—throughout their lives. This boundless divine ocean plays a significant role in promoting moral, cultural, social, and other aspects of the society; provided that God’s Word is utilized properly. In order to benefit from this divine revelation, attempts should be made to grasp and digest the Quranic concepts and teachings. Today, translation is considered as a way of understanding the Quranic teachings though in the past there were some objections against the translation of the Quran. Unfortunately, most of the existing translations of this holy book do not contribute to our objective, i.e., understanding the Quran properly for they do not establish communication between the message of the Book and the readership. Thus, the author of the present paper intends to deal with the existing problems and challenges, as well as presenting the strategies necessary in the translation of the Quran.