George Sale and his Translation of the Qur’ān: A Study

Abstract

The Holy Qur’ān is the Word of Allah, and its interpretation is divine; with this belief, Muslim scholars have approached the Qur’ānic text. Nevertheless, the translation and tafsīr (exegesis) of the Holy Qur’ān have remained a significant contribution of Muslim scholars for ages. On the other hand, Western scholars, particularly Orientalists, have also attempted to translate the Qur’ānic text into different European languages. Similarly, George Sale was the first Orientalist scholar to translate the Holy Qur’ān into English directly from Arabic. This paper attempted to evaluate, examine and analyze the translation of George Sale critically. This paper focused on the objectives of Sale’s preliminary discourse, which he has prefixed to his translation and commentary. This paper has analyzed and critically examined the aims and objectives behind the translation and Commentary of Sale and his missionary affiliations. This paper argues that Sale’s methodology in translation and tafsīr has remained far from the approach of Muslim scholars. The purpose of his translation into the English language has fulfilled the aims of the Orientalist movement. This paper is qualitative and analytical. The study recommends that George Sale’s omission, additions, interpolation, and misquotations from the sources he had claimed to use are biased on methodological principles. Finally, the results are based on the available English translations of the Muslims and the methodology of principles of tafsīr recommended by Islamic traditions.