Which Quran English translation is the best?

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- truth_seeker
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #30 - August 28, 2011, 11:40 AM

Quote from: Zebedee on August 28, 2011, 01:01 AM
I haven't been able to take that translation seriously since I came upon this gem:

Q. 3:200

O you who believe! Endure and be more patient (than your enemy), and guard your territory by stationing army units permanently at the places from where the enemy can attack you, and fear Allah, so that you may be successful.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱصْبِرُوا۟ وَصَابِرُوا۟ وَرَابِطُوا۟ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

what's wrong with it? I don't understand arabic
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #31 - August 28, 2011, 12:32 PM

well they translated one word Rabitoo to a whole sentence: guard your territory by stationing army units permanently at the places from where the enemy can attack you.

Rbitoo I believe means be on your gaurd, unless it has a different ancient arabic meaning, but there is no mention of army and permant units and enemy attacking you at all!!

Teach us to care and not to care / Teach us to sit still.
What do we live for; if it is not to make life less difficult to each other
You are the music while the music lasts.
T.S.Eliot
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #32 - August 28, 2011, 02:04 PM

I'm surprised no one noticed that the logic of the verse would really be no better than:

'Turn the tap clockwise, place your cup under it, and fear allah and the water will come'
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #33 - August 28, 2011, 02:18 PM

Taqwa does not mean fear btw

Teach us to care and not to care / Teach us to sit still.
What do we live for; if it is not to make life less difficult to each other
You are the music while the music lasts.
T.S.Eliot
- cosmicdancer
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #34 - August 28, 2011, 02:54 PM

Quote from: Fara7 on August 28, 2011, 12:32 PM
well they translated one word Rabitoo to a whole sentence: guard your territory by stationing army units permanently at the places from where the enemy can attack you.

Rbitoo I believe means be on your gaurd, unless it has a different ancient arabic meaning, but there is no mention of army and permant units and enemy attacking you at all!!

True - they are adding a fuller interpretation - but in the context of the conflict with the Meccans, that is pretty much what the verse is talking about.
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #35 - August 28, 2011, 03:23 PM

Yeah, but it's also just a general injunction to be patient, and to persevere, etc. In any case, that isn't a translation.

Quote from: truth_seeker on August 28, 2011, 11:40 AM
what's wrong with it? I don't understand arabic

Well, a more literal translation would be something like...

O you who believe! Be patient and persevere and be ready and have taqwa of Allah that you might be prosperous.

Half the words in that 'translation' simply don't appear in the verse.
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #36 - August 28, 2011, 03:28 PM

Quote from: Fara7 on August 28, 2011, 02:18 PM
Taqwa does not mean fear btw

It's an interesting word. I read in Tafsir Qurtubi that it derives from a word meaning 'to be sparing in one's words,' kinda like the word khushoo3 means, in addition to humility, 'to still one's voice.' It seems that the Qur'an does lend itself quite well to a broad and more esoteric, even mystical, scope of interpretation.
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #37 - August 28, 2011, 05:28 PM

Quote from: Hassan on August 28, 2011, 02:54 PM
True - they are adding a fuller interpretation - but in the context of the conflict with the Meccans, that is pretty much what the verse is talking about.

But its supposed to be a translation not interpretation, this is not accurate, its like when I watch a foreign movie with sub-title, sometimes the subtitles are a total joke... if you watch Arabic channels and watch English speaking movies, you'll see the subtitles are totally nothing to do with the conversation sometimes... I noted the same in Holland, sometimes the subtitles are just made up lol

Teach us to care and not to care / Teach us to sit still.
What do we live for; if it is not to make life less difficult to each other
You are the music while the music lasts.
T.S.Eliot
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #38 - August 28, 2011, 05:29 PM

Quote from: Zebedee on August 28, 2011, 03:23 PM
Yeah, but it's also just a general injunction to be patient, and to persevere, etc. In any case, that isn't a translation.

Well, a more literal translation would be something like...

O you who believe! Be patient and persevere and be ready and have taqwa of Allah that you might be prosperous.

Half the words in that 'translation' simply don't appear in the verse.

I'd agre with this translation.

Teach us to care and not to care / Teach us to sit still.
What do we live for; if it is not to make life less difficult to each other
You are the music while the music lasts.
T.S.Eliot
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #39 - August 28, 2011, 05:31 PM

Quote from: Zebedee on August 28, 2011, 03:28 PM
It's an interesting word. I read in Tafsir Qurtubi that it derives from a word meaning 'to be sparing in one's words,' kinda like the word khushoo3 means, in addition to humility, 'to still one's voice.' It seems that the Qur'an does lend itself quite well to a broad and more esoteric, even mystical, scope of interpretation.

Yes Khushoo3 and taqwa are difficult to translate to English, as not one word will encompass the meaning the words.

Teach us to care and not to care / Teach us to sit still.
What do we live for; if it is not to make life less difficult to each other
You are the music while the music lasts.
T.S.Eliot
- cosmicdancer
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #40 - August 28, 2011, 05:55 PM

Quote from: Fara7 on August 28, 2011, 05:28 PM
But its supposed to be a translation not interpretation

Yes, true. I guess the Saudis are very keen to emphasise the idea of Jihad as it suits their Wahhabi ideology.

Like I say, they do have a point though - this is from LisanulArab:
والرِّباطُ والمُرابَطةُ: مُلازمةُ ثَغْرِ العَدُوِّ،

الرِّباطُ في الأَصل: الإِقامةُ على جِهادِ العدوِّ بالحرب

قال القتيبيّ: أَصل المُرابَطةِ أَن يَرْبطَ الفَرِيقانِ خيولها في ثَغْرٍ كلٌّ منهما مُعِدّ لصاحبه، فسمي المُقامُ في الثُّغور رِباطاً

قوله عزّ وجل: يا أَيها الذين آمنوا اصْبِرُوا وصابِرُا ورابِطُوا؛ وجاءَ في تفسيره: اصبروا على دِينكم وصابروا عدوَّكم ورابطوا أَي أَقيموا على جهاده بالحرب. قال الأَزهري: وأَصل الرِّباط من مَرابِطِ الخيل وهو ارْتِباطُها بِإِزاء العدوّ في بعض الثغورِ،

قال اللّه تعالى: ومن رِباطِ الخيل تُرهبون به عَدُوَّ اللّه وعدوَّكم؛ قال الفرّاء في قوله ومن رباط الخيل، قال: يريد الإِناث من الخيل، وقال: الرِّباطُ مُرابَطةُ العدوِّ وملازَمةُ الثغر،
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #41 - August 28, 2011, 06:03 PM

Quote from: Fara7 on August 28, 2011, 05:31 PM
Yes Khushoo3 and taqwa are difficult to translate to English, as not one word will encompass the meaning the words.

تقوى is linguistically related to وقاية "Precaution/Protection"

I remember a good explanation of Taqwa تقوى and اتقي الله it said something like it means to take the utmost care and precaution to avoid whatever (i.e. sin, harm etc...) like a man who is walking down a path where thorn bushes are on either side pulls his cloak tightly around him so nothing of it gets snagged on the thorns. Likewise a pious person takes extra and utmost care to avoid sin by steering clear of even the slightest doubtful areas.

That always stuck in my mind lol
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #42 - August 28, 2011, 06:05 PM

Thanks Hassan, some of the interpretation ‘ ie ribat the horses so the enemies fear you’ sound good, same concept of the change of the guard show, or when the army displays in front of the queen or the air show (what is that called in English??) but the idea is to display military readiness is the closest in my opinion.

Teach us to care and not to care / Teach us to sit still.
What do we live for; if it is not to make life less difficult to each other
You are the music while the music lasts.
T.S.Eliot
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #43 - August 28, 2011, 06:13 PM

The Royal Tattoo?

btw I believe Rabat ( الرباط ) in Morocco was originally a frontier garrison town.
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Re: Which Quran English translation is the best?
Reply #44 - August 28, 2011, 11:13 PM

Given that the Muhsin Khan translation is supposed to be a summary of Qurtubi, Tabari, and Ibn Kathir, I guess it makes sense that it interpolates tafsirs of certain verses. I still think it's pretty misleading to insert that much into it without putting it in parenthesis though, but maybe that's just me. I like my translations as literal as possible.
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