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The Reflection of Scientific Facts in the Translation of the Qur'an

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The Reflection of Scientific Facts in the Translation of the Qur'an International Journal of Language and Linguistics 2015; 3(4): 193-202 Published online June 3, 2015 (http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ijll) doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20150304.11 ISSN: 2330-0205 (Print); ISSN: 2330-0221 (Online) The Reflection of Scientific Facts in the Translation of the Qur’an Bakri Al-Azzam 1, Muhammad Al-Ahaydib 2, Hussein Abdo Rababah 2 1The Hashemite University- English Department, Zarqa, Jordan 2Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, College of languages and Translation, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Email address: [email protected] (B. Al-Azzam), [email protected] (M. Al-Ahaydib), [email protected] (H. A. Rababah) To cite this article: Bakri Al-Azzam, Muhammad Al-Ahaydib, Hussein Abdo Rababah. The Reflection of Scientific Facts in the Translation of the Qur’an. International Journal of Language and Linguistics . Vol. 3, No. 4, 2015, pp. 193-202. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20150304.11 Abstract: The purpose of this study is to explore the possibility of preserving scientific facts in the translation of the Qur’an, as one of its challenging and inimitable features. It should be pointed out that many scientific subject matters, dealt with in the Qur’an, give rise to translation challenges. Such matters are scientifically proven by today's scientific discoveries, but not dealt with sufficiently in translation. Lack of knowledge in many scientific issues results in incompatibility between the translation product and the advanced knowledge of today; this requires that translators of the Qur’an should be equipped with thorough scientific knowledge in order to enable the target text accommodate the source text's scientific facts. The theoretical part of the study is based on the idea that scientific facts in the Qur’an have not been adequately scrutinized from a translational perspective. Most of their efforts focus on the linguistic aspects and literal semantics of the sacred text, stripped from scientific implications. In order to prove the translators’ unintended neglect of these facts, a number of translations are examined and enough supporting explanation of scientific resources is provided to show the congruence between what was revealed in the Qur’an before fourteen centuries, and what modern sciences have uncovered. The study draws the conclusion that scientific knowledge in different scientific fields is essential in the translation of the Qur’an, as it is a possible fact that the translator is liable to commit mistakes in the translation of scientific statements if s/he is not expert or specialist in the scientific discipline under question. Therefore, translators should be knowledgeable in all aspects of the Qur’an in order to be able to provide an authentic rendition in the receptive language. Keywords: Scientific Translation, Qur’an Translation, Scientific Facts, Science over time, and it still differs from time to another. This gives 1. Introduction the possibility of translating the sacred text differently and Translating the Qur’an into other languages is a according to the scientific ground that the commentator may rely on. The Qur’an exegesis at the time of revelation, for challenging task due to many peculiar syntactic, semantic st and linguistic features that it enjoys. Dealing with example, differs from the exegesis of the 21 century as linguistically and culturally based problems is not always many scientific theories have been recently proved to be true demanding, as capturing some co-text meanings can be by modern sciences. This gives modern exegetes and sufficient, if provided with explanatory details. In other translators alike a solid scientific ground to build their words, translators of the Qur’an are usually concerned with argument on, a situation that was not available during the rendering its linguistic and cultural aspects, while delving time of revelation, as what applies to commentators applies deep to discover the Qur’an’s extra-linguistic values is to translators who provide their translation on the basis of gratuitous. In order to relay such components, translators their linguistic background and Qur’an commentaries. In should have capacious knowledge in different areas, as the other words, it is digging in the unseen which complicates Qur’an is inimitable in historical, psychological, educational, the whole issue, and doubles the translation problems. In this economic, social, and administrative aspects (cf. Al-Najjār regard, Bucaille (2003:4) is quoted as “for many centuries, 2008:15). humankind was unable to study certain data contained in the Understanding and interpreting the Qur’an has differed verses of the Qur’an because they did not posses sufficient scientific means. It is only today that numerous verses of the 194 Bakri Al-Azzam et al. : The Reflection of Scientific Facts in the Translation of the Qur’an Qur'an dealing with natural phenomena have become 1.2. Significance of the Study comprehensible……with its compartmentalization of ever- increasing knowledge, it is still not easy for the average QurAan readers and eCegetes are likel0 interested in the scientist to understand everything he reads in the Qur’an linguisti meaning of its verses. It should be noted that la k without having recourse to specialized research. To of attention is usuall0 given to the deep s ientifi meaning of understand all verses of the Qur’an, one is nowadays the verses. This dearth of attention has let man0 re entl0 required to have an absolutely encyclopedic knowledge dis overed truths pass unnoti ed and uninterrupted in QurAan embracing many scientific disciplines.” eCegeses and ommentaries. It is the advan ement of s ien e The Qur’an calls its readers to be attentive to how they are and te hnolog0 that threw its stone in the s ientifi still water created, and contemplate the surrounding environment to of the QurAan. The importan e and signifi an e of this perceive the wonders of creation. This is exemplified in the resear h paper stems up from the translation of the QurAan as whi h Ali well as understanding the modern s ientifi phenomena and ,(وXQ اgرض آbcت `_^[\]YZ وXQ أSTUVW أLMNO PQون) verse (1999:1543) translates as "On the earth are signs for those of fa ts hidden deep in the meaning of QurAan. The translation assured faith, as also in your own selves: will ye not then of the s ientifi meaning in the QurAan verses were negle ted see?". This is lear eviden e that man should s ientifi all0 be ause of the la k of s ientifi knowledge of the translators. apprehend and think of the wa0 he is reated, and should also The0 usuall0 used to fo us on the translation of the linguisti give a similar thought to the environment around him, as it side or the superfi ial part of the verse. ,owever, the glows with man0 s ientifi signs. This all is not onl0 for the superfi ial or linguisti meaning is as important as the deep real believers, who re ite the QurAan on a dail0 basis, but also or s ientifi meaning in the total translation pro ess. for s ientists who an regard the QurAan as a book of s ien e 1.3. Methodology to prove their theories. Indeed, some s ientifi fa ts of the QurAan have been onfirmed and made plausible-- thanks to The resear hers have reviewed and anal0zed three s ientifi progress, while others are not 0et onfirmed but translations for eight verses of the QurAan. For the sake of should be measured as highl0 probable. In the meantime, the brevit0, Roman Numerals are used to designate the three QurAan should not be onsidered as purel0 s ientifi , sin e it translations. Thus, (I) stands for AliAs translation, (II) stands is religious par excellence and should not be eCpe ted to for Arberr0As and (III) stands for Pi kthallAs. Then the0 have have a s ientifi purpose per se (Bu aille ibid:5). been anal0zed and dis ussed in order to eCplore the defe ts in The fa t that the translator knows the teCt before rendering the translation of s ientifi fa ts in QurAan into 1nglish. it gives him readiness and preparedness to de ipher the The urrent translation problem will be dis ussed on the material and onsider all its linguisti and eCtra-linguisti basis of three bona fide interpretations of the QurAan. The dimensions. Translating this form of s ien e-in ubating teCt scientific signs , as a translation hallenge, will be is less hallenging than other teCt-t0pes, be ause the s ientifi all0 dis ussed and anal0zed with referen e to these meanings are definite and do not hold further semanti translations, in order to mull over the size of the translation possibilities. Translating the QurAan s ientifi teCt is different problem. Furthermore, assistan e is sought from handful from translating a teCt that is entirel0 te hni al as the former reliable eCegeses to la0 hands on the translation problem, and is not as su h patterned, though it in ludes man0 s ientifi suggest a new s ientifi all0-based translation of the verses eCamples that an support one of its main inimitable features. under dis ussion. And in order to attest the a ura 0 of the Simultaneousl0, the QurAan is neither purel0 ordinar0 nor is it QurAani verses of the stud0 and tighten the argument, purel0 literar0, but a $oint book of iod that hosts man0 referen e is made to different s ientifi studies that endorse literar0 and ordinar0 teCtual features. This means that the s ientifi truths eCpli ated in the eCamples of the stud0. translation of the s ientifi part of the QurAan re4uires independent translation attempts to over this orner of the 2.
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