QUESTION NO. 4
The Quran claims that its message is for the whole world (not just for Arabs). It further claims that it is easy to understand. If that is the case, it should be just as easy to understand through translations. However, the translations themselves are confounding and puzzling: e.g., the translation of Khan & Hilali differs greatly from Dr. Shabbir Ahmed’s, which in turn differs with Dr. Qamar Zaman’s in many critical areas.
- Again, why lead the non-Arabic population on the proverbial wild goose chase, as it were? Why not ordain one uniform translation that would have prevented schisms and disunity? An All-Powerful God certainly had the wherewithal to do so.
ANSWER NO. 4 BY AURANGZAIB:
The Quran is NOT and has never been “easy to understand!" The on ground realities do not confirm the accuracy of that theory.
The Quran presents a global humanistic Ideology. A very much deeper sense of philosophy is required to comprehend it. The General public is not usually supposed to be highly learned to closely follow an ideology. That’s why the Quran repeatedly laments “wa laakinna aktharan naasa laa ya’lamoon”!!! (But the multitudes of human beings are not qualified to be aware/to know/to understand). So, it is just a distorted translation of the respective Verse,,,,”La qad yassarnaa al Qurana liz-Zikr……”.
We can forget about this “easy” thing because the Quran here is talking about “making the Quran available in plenty/abundance” to the general public,,,,,,, and not making it “easy to understand." It is an anomaly in the comprehension of our senior scholars; and it can be easily proved by references from world’s most authoritative Arabic/English Lexicons. It is also crystal clear from the Quran’s very inquisitive style of narration, where it “challengingly invites those who have the capability of its comprehension”,,,,,Fa hal min Muddakir??? “IS THERE ONE WHO COULD HAVE ITS DEEPER AWARENESS”?
Again, the issue here is of individual efforts in translating the Quran. It is a veritable fact that every individual translator has his own limitations and weaknesses, level of competence and epistemology. However, gradually, the art of translating the Quran is improving, and more and more plausible and rational translations are being attempted, which are free from the influence of the old “Interpretations." Weaker ones are to be rejected under a certain criterion, which should not be difficult to standardize and apply. We already have the full concept of that criterion with us; and it can be easily elaborated for the benefit of the general public.
Uniformity in Translations, or call it a consensual translation, can only be brought about when the project is undertaken by Islamic governments on a collective basis. For the best results, they must make up their minds first, and then select a panel of Islamic scholars of repute, possessing all the required qualifications under a predetermined criterion. Then depute them to carry out this task with mutual consultations and agreement. When completed, the outcome must be declared authoritative and mandatory, closing the doors of further venturing or speculation by individuals.
The All powerful God certainly does not interfere into man’s life to the extent of forcing him to agree with each other!!! If He does so, man would become a ROBOT!