Mistranslations of Islamic Scripture (English): Difference between revisions

Added 9:29.
[unchecked revision][unchecked revision]
m (Added a hadith about Muhammad's followers continuing to fight for truth.)
(Added 9:29.)
Line 90: Line 90:


{{Quote||'''M.A.S. Abdel Haleem:''' The [disbelievers] schemed but God also schemed; '''God is the Best of Schemers.'''}}
{{Quote||'''M.A.S. Abdel Haleem:''' The [disbelievers] schemed but God also schemed; '''God is the Best of Schemers.'''}}
===(9:29) Fight people until they pay the jizya willingly while they are humbled===
{{Quran|9|29}} tells Muslims to fight the People of the Book until they pay [[Jizyah|jizya]] with their hands (عَن يَدٖ) ('an yadin) while they are humiliated/belittled (صَٰغِرُونَ) (Saghiroon).
Several translators mistranslate 'an yadin as willingly and Saghiroon as humbled.
{{Quote||'''Mustafa Khattab:''' Fight those who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day, nor comply with what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, nor embrace the religion of truth from among those who were given the Scripture, until they pay the tax, '''willingly submitting''', fully '''humbled'''.}}
{{Quote||'''Saheeh International:''' Fight against those who do not believe in Allāh or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allāh and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth [i.e., Islām] from those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they give the jizyah '''willingly''' while they are '''humbled'''.}}


===(10:5) Moon is a (reflective) light===
===(10:5) Moon is a (reflective) light===
Line 106: Line 114:


*ٱلسَّمَآءَ (''as-samaa'a'') means heaven or sky.<ref>https://www.almaany.com/en/dict/ar-en/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%A1/</ref>
*ٱلسَّمَآءَ (''as-samaa'a'') means heaven or sky.<ref>https://www.almaany.com/en/dict/ar-en/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%A1/</ref>
*ٱلدُّنْيَا (''ad-dunya'') is translated "the world" or "the lower". The world" is called "the lower", because according to Islamic cosmology the heavens appear one atop the other and the earth is the lowest in this structure.
* ٱلدُّنْيَا (''ad-dunya'') is translated "the world" or "the lower". The world" is called "the lower", because according to Islamic cosmology the heavens appear one atop the other and the earth is the lowest in this structure.
**So ٱلسَّمَآءَ ٱلدُّنْيَا can be understood as "the lowest heaven", "the heaven right above this flat earth", "the sky above The Lower".
**So ٱلسَّمَآءَ ٱلدُّنْيَا can be understood as "the lowest heaven", "the heaven right above this flat earth", "the sky above The Lower".
*بِمَصَٰبِيحَ (''bi-masaabeeh'') - this word means "lamps" and is still used as such in modern Arabic (see Google images for مصابيح).
* بِمَصَٰبِيحَ (''bi-masaabeeh'') - this word means "lamps" and is still used as such in modern Arabic (see Google images for مصابيح).
*رُجُومًا (''rujooman'') - it is from the same root as رجم (''rajm''), meaning "[[Stoning in Islamic Law|stoning]]", which is the Islamic punishment for sex outside marriage (Satan, or Iblis, is known as ''al-Rajeem'' or "the stoned one" ''-'' الرجيم in Arabic).
*رُجُومًا (''rujooman'') - it is from the same root as رجم (''rajm''), meaning "[[Stoning in Islamic Law|stoning]]", which is the Islamic punishment for sex outside marriage (Satan, or Iblis, is known as ''al-Rajeem'' or "the stoned one" ''-'' الرجيم in Arabic).


Line 129: Line 137:
A further twelve translations confirm the above translations.<ref>{{Quote||'''Abdel Haleem:''' We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps and made them [missiles] for stoning devils for whom We have also prepared the torment of a blazing fire.}}{{Quote||'''Muhammad Ahmed - Samira:''' We have adorned the lowest sky with lamps, and made them missiles against the devils, for whom We have prepared a torment of most intense fire.}}{{Quote||'''Qaribullah:''' We have adorned the lower heaven with lamps, and We made them a stoning for the satans, We have prepared the punishment of the Blaze for them.}}{{Quote||'''Faridul Haque:''' And indeed We have beautified the lower heaven with lamps, and have made them weapons against the devils, and have kept prepared for them the punishment of the blazing fire.}}{{Quote||'''Syed Vickar Ahamed:''' And indeed, We have decorated the lowest heaven with lamps, and We have made them (like) missiles to drive away the Satans, and have prepared for them the penalty of the blazing Fire.}}{{Quote||'''Muhammad Taqi Usmani:''' And We have decorated the nearest sky with lamps, and have made them devices to stone the devils, and We have prepared for them the punishment of Hell.}}{{Quote||'''Muhammad Sarwar:''' We have decked the lowest heavens with torches. With these torches We have stoned the devils and We have prepared for them the torment of hell.}}{{Quote||'''Hamid S. Aziz:''' And certainly We have adorned this lower heaven with lamps and We have made these missiles for Satan, and We have prepared for them the chastisement of burning.}}{{Quote||'''Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali:''' And indeed We have already adorned the lowest heaven with lamps and made them outcast (meteorites) for Ash-Shayatin (The ever-vicious "ones", i.e., the devils) and We have readied for them the torment of the Blaze.}}{{Quote||'''Ali Quli Qara'i:''' We have certainly adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and made them missiles against the devils, and We have prepared for them punishment of the Blaze.}}{{Quote||'''Abdul Majid Daryabad:''' And assuredly We have bedecked the nearest heaven with lamps, and We have made them missiles for satans: and for them We have gotten ready the torment of the Blaze.}}{{Quote||'''Sher Ali:''' And verily, WE have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and WE have made them the means of driving away satans, and WE have prepared for them the punishment of the blazing Fire.}}</ref>  
A further twelve translations confirm the above translations.<ref>{{Quote||'''Abdel Haleem:''' We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps and made them [missiles] for stoning devils for whom We have also prepared the torment of a blazing fire.}}{{Quote||'''Muhammad Ahmed - Samira:''' We have adorned the lowest sky with lamps, and made them missiles against the devils, for whom We have prepared a torment of most intense fire.}}{{Quote||'''Qaribullah:''' We have adorned the lower heaven with lamps, and We made them a stoning for the satans, We have prepared the punishment of the Blaze for them.}}{{Quote||'''Faridul Haque:''' And indeed We have beautified the lower heaven with lamps, and have made them weapons against the devils, and have kept prepared for them the punishment of the blazing fire.}}{{Quote||'''Syed Vickar Ahamed:''' And indeed, We have decorated the lowest heaven with lamps, and We have made them (like) missiles to drive away the Satans, and have prepared for them the penalty of the blazing Fire.}}{{Quote||'''Muhammad Taqi Usmani:''' And We have decorated the nearest sky with lamps, and have made them devices to stone the devils, and We have prepared for them the punishment of Hell.}}{{Quote||'''Muhammad Sarwar:''' We have decked the lowest heavens with torches. With these torches We have stoned the devils and We have prepared for them the torment of hell.}}{{Quote||'''Hamid S. Aziz:''' And certainly We have adorned this lower heaven with lamps and We have made these missiles for Satan, and We have prepared for them the chastisement of burning.}}{{Quote||'''Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali:''' And indeed We have already adorned the lowest heaven with lamps and made them outcast (meteorites) for Ash-Shayatin (The ever-vicious "ones", i.e., the devils) and We have readied for them the torment of the Blaze.}}{{Quote||'''Ali Quli Qara'i:''' We have certainly adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and made them missiles against the devils, and We have prepared for them punishment of the Blaze.}}{{Quote||'''Abdul Majid Daryabad:''' And assuredly We have bedecked the nearest heaven with lamps, and We have made them missiles for satans: and for them We have gotten ready the torment of the Blaze.}}{{Quote||'''Sher Ali:''' And verily, WE have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and WE have made them the means of driving away satans, and WE have prepared for them the punishment of the blazing Fire.}}</ref>  


====Mistranslations====
==== Mistranslations====


The following two translations distort the idea of stars being used to stone jinn by describing the missiles as being made out of/from the stars, but not being the stars themselves.
The following two translations distort the idea of stars being used to stone jinn by describing the missiles as being made out of/from the stars, but not being the stars themselves.
Line 172: Line 180:


==Hadith==
==Hadith==
=== The sun will rise "in the West"===
===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.  
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.  
Line 222: Line 230:
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]].
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]].


=== Abu Bakr insults a Meccan polytheist===
===Abu Bakr insults a Meccan polytheist===
In a hadith found in Sahih Bukhari a Meccan polytheist at Hudaybiyyah tries to discourage Muhammad from fighting. In response Abu Bakr tells him to suck on al-Lat's clitoris (فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ امْصُصْ بَظْرَ اللاَّتِ). This has been covered up in the English translation by Muhsin Khan. In this translation the incident is translated as 'Abu Bakr abused him'.
In a hadith found in Sahih Bukhari a Meccan polytheist at Hudaybiyyah tries to discourage Muhammad from fighting. In response Abu Bakr tells him to suck on al-Lat's clitoris (فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ امْصُصْ بَظْرَ اللاَّتِ). This has been covered up in the English translation by Muhsin Khan. In this translation the incident is translated as 'Abu Bakr abused him'.


Line 241: Line 249:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came to me and I told him about the slave-girl (Barirah) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Buy and manumit her, for the Wala is for the one who manumits." In the evening the Prophet (ﷺ) got up and glorified Allah as He deserved and then said, "Why do some people impose conditions which are not present in '''Allah's Book (Laws)'''? Whoever imposes such a condition as is not in '''Allah's Laws''', then that condition is invalid even if he imposes one hundred conditions, for Allah's conditions are more binding and reliable."}}
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came to me and I told him about the slave-girl (Barirah) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Buy and manumit her, for the Wala is for the one who manumits." In the evening the Prophet (ﷺ) got up and glorified Allah as He deserved and then said, "Why do some people impose conditions which are not present in '''Allah's Book (Laws)'''? Whoever imposes such a condition as is not in '''Allah's Laws''', then that condition is invalid even if he imposes one hundred conditions, for Allah's conditions are more binding and reliable."}}


=== Satan lays eggs in the marketplace of Medina and hatches them ===
===Satan lays eggs in the marketplace of Medina and hatches them===
The following hadith contains two narrations. The second of these has not been translated into English. It says that people should not be first to enter the marketplace, nor the last to leave it, because it is where Satan lays his eggs and hatches them.
The following hadith contains two narrations. The second of these has not been translated into English. It says that people should not be first to enter the marketplace, nor the last to leave it, because it is where Satan lays his eggs and hatches them.


59

edits