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Mistranslations of Islamic Scripture (English): Difference between revisions
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Mistranslations of Islamic Scripture (English) (view source)
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===(18:86) Sun sets in a muddy spring=== | ===(18:86) Sun sets in a muddy spring=== | ||
{{Main|Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring | {{Main|Dhul-Qarnayn and the Sun Setting in a Muddy Spring - Part One}} | ||
{{Quran|18|86}} describes the story of Dhul-Qarnayn (Alexander the Great) wherein he is said to arrive at a location where he observes the sun setting in a muddy spring. | {{Quran|18|86}} describes the story of Dhul-Qarnayn (Alexander the Great) wherein he is said to arrive at a location where he observes the sun setting in a muddy spring. | ||
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The al-Azhar site translates the origination point of sperm as from "between the pelvis and breast bone". | The al-Azhar site translates the origination point of sperm as from "between the pelvis and breast bone". | ||
===(9:29) Killing disbelievers=== | ===(9:29) Killing disbelievers=== | ||
{{Main|The Meaning of Qatal}} | {{Main|The Meaning of Qatal}} | ||
One of the most frequently mistranslated words in the Quran is the Arabic word [[The Meaning of Qatal|''qatal'']], which means to "kill", "massacre", or "slaughter". Yusuf Ali correctly translates it in An-Nisa’ {{Quran|4|157}} as "We ''killed'' Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they ''killed'' him not", but then distorts the same word as "fight" in At-Tawbah {{Quran|9|29}}, "''Fight'' those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day.", whereas the Arabic text reads "'' | One of the most frequently mistranslated words in the Quran is the Arabic word [[The Meaning of Qatal|''qatal'']], which means to "kill" (Arabic verb form I), "massacre", or "slaughter" (form II) or "fight to kill" (form III). Yusuf Ali correctly translates it in An-Nisa’ {{Quran|4|157}} as "We ''killed'' Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they ''killed'' him not", but then distorts the same word as "fight" in At-Tawbah {{Quran|9|29}}, "''Fight'' those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day.", whereas the Arabic text reads "''Fight to kill'' (form III of qatal) those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day" (emphasis added). Yusuf Ali reproduces this translation in Al-Anfal {{Quran|8|39}} and several other verses. | ||
===(67:5) Shooting stars=== | ===(67:5) Shooting stars=== | ||
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==Hadith== | ==Hadith== | ||
===The sun will rise "in the West"=== | |||
A sign of the last hour that appears in numerous hadiths is often mistranslated as the sun rising "in the West". This mistranslation occurs throughout the English translation of Sahih Bukhari by Muhsin Khan and sometimes in the translation of Sahih Muslim by Abdul Hamid Sadiqqui. | |||
{{Quote|{{Bukhari|4|54|421}}|Narrated Abu Dhar: | |||
The Prophet (ﷺ) asked me at sunset, "Do you know where the sun goes (at the time of sunset)?" I replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better." He said, "It goes (i.e. travels) till it prostrates Itself underneath the Throne and takes the permission to rise again, and it is permitted and then (a time will come when) it will be about to prostrate itself but its prostration will not be accepted, and it will ask permission to go on its course but it will not be permitted, but it will be ordered to return whence it has come '''and so it will rise in the west'''. And that is the interpretation of the Statement of Allah: "And the sun Runs its fixed course For a term (decreed). that is The Decree of (Allah) The Exalted in Might, The All- Knowing." (36.38)}} | |||
While the Arabic word al maghrib was commonly used to mean the West in general, in fact a much more specific form occurs in these hadiths. In every hadith narration of this prophecy, the Arabic phrase is always min maghribi-ha (مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا), which means that the sun is told to go and rise "from its setting place", without the definite article and with the possessive suffix. In one narration in Sahih Muslim (which is accurately translated), there is in addition the phrase min maghribi-ki (مِنْ مَغْرِبِكِ), which means the sun is told to go and rise "from the place of your setting". Earlier in the same narration, the sun is usually commanded to rise min matli'iha (مِنْ مَطْلِعِهَا) which means "from its rising place". This uses the same word as occurs in the Dhu'l Qarnayn story, {{Quran|18|90}}, matli'a ash-shamsi, "the rising place of the sun", and was not the word used throughout the Quran and hadiths to mean the East in general, which was al mashriq (ٱلْمَشْرِق). | |||
{{Quote|{{Muslim|1|297}}|It is narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) one day said: Do you know where the Sun goes? They replied: Allah and His Apostle know best. He (the Holy Prophet) observed: Verily it (the Sun) glides till it reaches its resting place under the Throne. Then it falls prostrate and remains there until it is asked: Rise up and go to the place whence you came, and it goes back and continues emerging out '''from its rising place''' and then glides till it reaches its place of rest under the Throne and falls prostrate and remains in that state until it is asked: Rise up and return to the place whence you came, and it returns and emerges out from it rising place and the it glides (in such a normal way) that the people do not discern anything (unusual in it) till it reaches its resting place under the Throne. Then it would be said to it: Rise up and emerge out '''from the place of your setting''', and it will rise '''from the place of its setting'''. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said. Do you know when it would happen? It would happen at the time when faith will not benefit one who has not previously believed or has derived no good from the faith.}} | |||
===Aisha's age at consummation=== | ===Aisha's age at consummation=== | ||
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The 'puberty' mistranslation also fails to achieve chronological sensibility. 'Aisha's father, Abu Bakr, was one of Muhammad's first followers. It would not have taken until puberty for 'Aisha to notice that her father followed the religion. | The 'puberty' mistranslation also fails to achieve chronological sensibility. 'Aisha's father, Abu Bakr, was one of Muhammad's first followers. It would not have taken until puberty for 'Aisha to notice that her father followed the religion. | ||
===Hadith in which Aisha mensturated=== | |||
A mistranslated hadith has a comment from Abu Dawud supposedly about Aisha menstruating when she was nine. This is Sunan Abu Dawud 4915 (Ahmad Hasan numbering; 4933 Dar-us-Salam). | |||
{{Quote|{{Abudawud||4915|hasan}}|Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: | |||
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) married me when I was seven or six. When we came to Medina, some women came. according to Bishr's version: Umm Ruman came to me when I was swinging. They took me, made me prepared and decorated me. I was then brought to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he took up cohabitation with me when I was nine. She halted me at the door, and I burst into laughter. Abu Dawud said: That is to say: I menstruated, and I was brought in a house, and there were some women of the Ansari in it. They said: With good luck and blessing. The tradition of one of them has been included in the other. | |||
}} | |||
Ahmad Hasan mistranslates Abu Dawud's comment as "That is to say: I menstruated". Aisha's phrase "I burst into laughter" is fa-qultu heeh heeh (فَقُلْتُ هِيهْ هِيهْ), "And I said heh, heh". The Dar-us-Salam English-Arabic edition of Sunan Abu Dawud translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (Hadith 4933) renders Aisha's words here: "She made me stand at the door and I started to breathe deeply". | |||
Abu Dawud's comment is ay tanaffasat (أَىْ تَنَفَّسَتْ), which is "That is to say 'I breathed'". The verb nun-fa-sin is used here in Arabic form V with the ta prefix and shadda (doubled) middle letter, which Lane's Lexicon says means "breathed". Form I can mean menstruated, but that is not the form used in the hadith.<ref>nun-fa-sin - [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/25_n/208_nfs.html Lane's Lexicon]</ref> | |||
===Hit women without leaving a mark=== | |||
Muhammad's 'Farewell Sermon' appears in various hadith collections and al-Tabari's History. A short version is found in ''Sunan Ibn Majah''. The Arabic words here translated 'and hit them, but without causing injury or leaving a mark' are a mistranslation. | |||
{{Quote|{{Ibn Majah||3|9|1851}}|Then he said: 'I enjoin good treatment of women, for they are prisoners with you, and you have no right to treat them otherwise, unless they commit clear indecency. If they do that, then forsake them in their beds '''and hit them, but without causing injury or leaving a mark.'''}} | |||
The highlighted phrase is fadribuhunna darban ghayra mubarrih (فَاضْرِبُوهُنَّ ضَرْبًا غَيْرَ مُبَرِّحٍ). A literal translation is, 'then beat them, a beating without severity'). The last word is defined in Lane's Lexicon as violence/severity/sharpness/vehemence<ref>[http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000219.pdf Lane's Lexicon] Book I page 182</ref>'. | |||
The same Arabic phrase appears in the other versions of the farewell sermon. The translators of Sunan Abu Dawud and al-Tabari's History both renders it 'beat them, but not severely'. | |||
{{Quote|1=[http://sunnah.com/abudawud/11/185 AbuDawud 10:1900]|2=Fear Allaah regarding women for you have got them under Allah’s security and have the right to intercourse with them by Allaah’s word. It is a duty from you on them not to allow anyone whom you dislike to lie on your beds but if they do '''beat them, but not severely.'''}} | |||
{{Quote|{{Tabari|9|pp. 112-113}}|"Now then, O people, you have a right over your wives and they have a right over you. You have [the right] that they should not cause anyone of whom you dislike to tread on your beds; and that they should not commit any open indecency. If they do, then Allah permits you to shut them in separate rooms '''and to beat them, but not severely'''. If they abstain from [evil], they have the right to their food and clothing in accordance with the custom. Treat women well, for they are [like] domestic animals with you and do not possess anything for themselves. You have taken them only as a trust from Allah, and you have made the enjoyment of their persons lawful by the word of Allah, so understand and listen to my words, O people.}} | |||
The versions of the farewell sermon found in {{Al Tirmidhi||5|44|3087}}, translated as 'and beat them with a beating that is not painful', and {{Al Tirmidhi||2|10|1163}}, translated as 'and beat them with a beating that is not harmful, consist of the same Arabic words as quoted above and found in other versions of the farewell sermon. | |||
In his tafsir, al-Tabari quotes Qatada clarifying that the phrase means ''ghayr sha'in'' (that is, 'without being disgraceful/outrageous/obscene/indecent').<ref>[https://tafsir.app/tabari/4/34 al-Tabari 4:34]</ref> while he records that Ibn Abbas explained it as 'Hitting with a siwaak and the like'. It appears that over time there were efforts to temper the abusive results of the Quranic verse. For further relevant hadiths and information see [[Wife_Beating_in_Islamic_Law#Additional_attempts_at_moderating_severe_beatings|Wife Beating in Islamic Law]]. | |||
==See Also== | ==See Also== | ||