Translating Qur’anic Past Tense Structures Which Speak about the Hereafter

Abstract

The study investigates the translation of past verbs in the Noble Qur'an which report Hereafter future events into English. It may be needless to say that the question of viewing time varies among languages. However, it is to be borne in mind that the holy script, believed to be the revelation of God, differs from humans in this matter. For instance, the use of the past tense to convey the future is one of its exclusive features. The purpose is to emphasize the certainty of such incidents and, therefore, push the receivers for more commitment to good deeds and further avoidance of bad deeds.The question raised is whether prominent translators of the Noble Qur’an employ the suitable equivalent techniques which relay the above function by bridging the gap between the past and future.The paper chooses examples of such constructions in the Noble Qur'an. Then, their renditions by Thomas Irving, Mohammed Habib Shakir and Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall are cited and investigated. A number of techniques are chosen by the translators, mainly the present simple, future simple and the modal ‘shall..