The Miraculous Nature of the Qura’n Defies Imitability and hence Translatability

Abstract

The Quran in Arabic is unmatched and irreplaceable due to cross-cultural gaps as well as linguistic differences between the Arabic language, in which the original Quranic text is expressed, and some European languages into which the Quran is translated. It is expected, for these reasons, that there will be a considerable loss and hence possible misunderstanding of the main message of the Quran. Nevertheless, translation of the Quran into languages other than Arabic is consensually appreciated by the majority of Muslim scholars as translations are indispensable for those who want to know about the basic rules of Islam, whether they are Muslims or not. This paper will therefore discuss issues related to some aspects of Qur'an translations by analysing selective translated Qur'anic verses that render the miraculous aspects of Quranic text, particularly those of linguistic and scientific nature. It will review some Quranic verses and compare their different English translations, showing, where possible, the general factors governing the systematic mechanism that helps to understand the miraculous nature of the original Quran. The polysemous nature of Quranic terms, the comprehensiveness, and the constantly used techniques of generalization make Qura’nic text resistant to any deficiency that might be caused by the passage of time. The generality of wording is one of the key elements for being time-resistant, so any new sense that occurs in the future should be included in the translation rather than excluded.