Mistranslations of Islamic Scripture (English): Difference between revisions

This verse is a prime example of how professional Muslim translators, in this case; Yusuf Ali, (who has been authorized by the Saudi Islamic authority and Al-Azhar University), are forced to deceive western readers by altering the meaning of a verse to avoid exposing faults in the Qur'an. Yusuf Ali, in his translation, replaced the word "then" with "and". He also replaced “the best of creators” (plural) with “the best to create” (singular). The difference in the meaning is crucial because the word “then” means another phase, while the word “and” means bones and flesh are simultaneous or one phase, which conforms to modern science, but contradicts the original Arabic text. You do not need to be an expert in Arabic linguistics to translate correctly the plural form of “creators” meaning many creators, which actually contradicts the basic and most important Islamic concept of all, ''tawḥīd'' (توحيد), the doctrine of Oneness of Allah, the creator. The alternative is to admit Islam has its roots in [[The Pagan Origins of Islam|Arabian paganism]]. Similar misinterpretations are given by Dr. Rashad Khalifa and Muhammad Saad. On the other hand, the above translation by Pickthal is correct, conforming to the original Arabic text.