‘Dhikr’ in Hebrew Translations of the Qur'an

Abstract

The term dhikr occurs frequently in the Qur'an and has various meanings in different contexts, including al-thanāʾ (‘praise’), al-sharaf (‘honour’), al-ʿayb (‘imperfection’), al-ʿiẓa (‘admonition’), al-ṣalawāt al-khams (‘the five prescribed prayers’), al-waḥy (‘revelation’), al-lawḥ al-maḥfūẓ (‘the preserved tablet’), al-Qurʾān, etc. Accordingly, dhikr has attracted the attention of Muslim scholars concerned with collecting and classifying Qur'anic words in al-wujūh wa'l-naẓāʾir works. This study will survey the ways in which translators of the Qur'an into Hebrew have dealt with the word dhikr, aiming to suggest alternatives as necessary, according to context, and focusing on two particular angles. First, we will undertake a critical survey of some of the Qur'anic contexts of dhikr in order to clarify the various meanings of the term based on tafāsīr, al-wujūh wa'l-naẓāʾir and asbab al-nuzul works, as well as Arabic lexicons, so as to eliminate ambiguities in understanding a particular Qur'anic usage. Secondly, we will provide the Hebrew equivalent of the word dhikr as it occurs in modern Hebrew translations and suggest some alterntive translations that agree with the significations of the word within the Qur'anic context.