Mistranslations of Islamic Scripture (English): Difference between revisions

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Modern Islamic scholars have argued that the verse describes a visual representation of what Dhul-Qarnayn saw as the sun set into the “horizon”. Such explanations are frustrated by authoritative sources, themselves represented by the likes of ''Tafsir Al-Jalalayn'' (p. 251), and numerous classical authorities (which explain that the setting of the sun is in a well containing a murky mud). The same interpretation is found in al-Tabari’s commentaries (p. 339) as well as in the ''Concise Interpretation of al-Tabari'' (p. 19 of part 2) in which he remarks that the well in which the sun sets "contains lime and murky mud". The words “apparent” or “looks like” do not appear in classical explanations or commentaries. Indeed, the verse appears to reflect the [[Cosmology of the Quran|cosmological views]] [[Muhammad|Muhammad]] would have been expected to have in seventh century Arabia. Furthermore, since the earth is in fact round, [[Flat Earth and the Quran|not flat]] (as the Qur'an appears to suggest), Dhul-Qarnayn could never have reached some "farthest point", since no such point exists on a globe. Other modern Islamic scholars have suggested that it was Dhul-Qarnayn's “opinion” and not the Qur'an's.  

===(2:10) Sickness in the heart of disbelievers===

===(39:6) Fetuses in stomachs===

The word ''butun'' which is translated in this verse as "womb" means "stomach".

===(9:29) Killing disbelievers===

{{Quran|67|5}} discusses the [[Jinn]] (mythical creatures that are described in Islamic scriptures as living among humans)<ref>Mawdudi, Sayyid Abul Ala, Tafhim ul Quran, Markazi Maktaba Islami, Delhi, 1995, vol. 6, p.110</ref> and stars from the "lowest heaven" which are used as missiles against any mischievous jinn that attempts to eavesdrop on conversations between angels.<ref>"...''The Jinns would go to the lowest heaven and listen to the Angels conversing amongst themselves about events of the Future which they heard from Allah. The Jinns would then inform the fortune-tellers. This is why before the time of the Prophet (saws) many fortune-tellers were very accurate in their predictions. However, upon the Prophet's arrival the heavens were guarded intensely by the Angels, and any Jinn who tried to listen was attacked by meteors (shooting stars)''..." - [http://www.islamawareness.net/Jinn/world.html The World of Jinn] - Invitation to Islam, Issue 4, January 1998</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>

**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)

*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).

Below are the three most popular and readily available translations of the verse from Islamic sources.

{{Quote||'''Yusuf Ali:''' And we have, (from of old), adorned the lowest heaven with Lamps, and We have made such (Lamps) (as) missiles to drive away the Evil Ones, and have prepared for them the Penalty of the Blazing Fire.}}The below translations from non-Islamic sources are also generally accepted, albeit not frequently cited in Islamic circles.{{Quote||'''Arberry:''' And We adorned the lower heaven with lamps, and made them things to stone Satans; and We have prepared for them the chastisement of the Blaze.}}

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>

====Distorted translations====

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.

Another two translations include their modifications without using brackets, giving the impression that their understanding of the verse was already, in essence, conveyed by the original Arabic.  

In two other translations, the lamps and the projectiles used against the devilish jinn are referred to as separate entities, though this disagrees with the Arabic text in which there is a pronoun used to refer to the "projectiles" whose clear antecedent is the plural word "lamps".

====Reinterpretations presented as translations====

Another three translations go a little further, asserting that the "devils/evil ones" refer to evil human cohorts and not to the jinn.

====Incorporation of modern science into translation====