The History of Qur’an Translation in German

Abstract

This article examines the history of Qur’an translations in German from the beginning until now. The first translations appeared late in the 17th century with the work of Schweigger. The translations of this period are presented with the aim of supporting the church and rejecting Islam. Most of them were based on the Latin version of Ketton that had been done in the 12th century in Spain. Then because of Enlightenment and interest in the Orient among Europeans began a new wave of translations with the aim of gaining knowledge by Orientalists. Some of these translators like Rückert payed attention to the aesthetic aspect of the Qur’an too and tried to put it in German. Among the works of Orientalists, the translation of Paret is very scientific and reliable. The Ahmadiyya Muslims translated the Qur’an in the late 60s of the last Century with the aim of promoting the beliefs of this sect. Afterwards, other Muslims have translated the holy Qur’an and tried to present optimal and understandable translations for Germans.