Qur'an Translations into Central Asian Languages: Exegetical Standards and Translation Processes

Abstract

One of the most important issues when studying Qur’an translation is the question of the extent to which the translation process is informed by a specific hermeneutical strategy. By analysing three translations published by one of the most active international actors in this area, the King Fahd Qur’an Printing Complex in Medina, the current study is an exploratory attempt to systematise common features of Qur’an translations produced for Central Asian Muslim communities (in this case, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Tajik). By comparing selected verses and supplementary materials, the analysis undertaken in this article suggests the existence of a specific dynamic in exegetical strategy, according to which both typical ‘Salafi’ visions of the text (mostly in terms of theological issues) are combined with ‘domestic’ interpretations of the Qur’an that are popular in Central Asian Islamic milieux. Despite a predominantly ‘static’ Salafi trend in exegetics, the translations addressed in this study show some level of variation, which appears in the way the overall exegetical framing of the translation is made relevant to the local Muslim context.