Which version of Quran do you use for your study?
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Salaam,
I am using the Monotheist translation one. I am still confused in many verses though. -\
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I use the Monotheistic Translation and the Clear Qu'ran personally. I tried reading what I believe is called the Sahih International but I stopped using it after I read the translation 'cut off their hand' in regards to thieves.
Salamun alaikum.
I am not here to promote any particular translation, but I just would like to highlight the meaning of the word "hand" in English language
hand noun, often attributive \hand\ the body part at the end of your arm that includes your fingers and thumb
?used in some phrases to refer to a person
hands power, possession, or control
Reference "Hand." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. <http//www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand>.
So, you can see - even in English language the word hands can either mean a body part OR "power, possession, or control."
So, "cut-off hands" can very well mean "cut-off power / possession or control" in English language.Say a banker steals client money entrusted on him ? cutting his physical hand is not necessarily the best way to cut-off his "power, possession, or control" to steal again ? but if we permanently bar him from securing a job in a position of financial trust, that effectively cuts off his ?yad? (arabic) Or "hands" (english) (implying power, possession, or control) to steal.
So, it is not the fault of the translator that he chooses to translate "yad" as "hand" - it is up to the reader to understand what he is supposed to understand from it - irrespective of whether he is reading the arabic or the english.
My personal suggestion is to use multiple translations and pay attention to the original arabic word usage to get colosest to the best meaning of Qur'an.
May Allah guide us all to the straight route.
Regards,
Arman -
So, it is not the fault of the translator that he chooses to translate "yad" as "hand" - it is up to the reader to understand what he is supposed to understand from it - irrespective of whether he is reading the arabic or the english.
Sorry, you are right in that it can also be taken as to cut off one's resources in English as well as Arabic, and that the meaning is determined by the reader. I just meant that for me personally, reading 'cut off their hand' was a bit confronting when I first read it, as I immediately thought of the physical hand. I now know that that was not what was meant, but I still prefer to read 'cut off their resources' rather than 'cut off their hand.'
Another reason why I prefer the Monotheistic Translation is that it is easy to read than some others. A few seem to keep the older English translations and there's nothing wrong with that, but I find the more modern English in the MT is easier for me.
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Dear Sister, Salam.
I understand the first encounter with the phrase "cut off their hand" can be a bit surprising, and only with some afterthought the significance of the word starts to become apparent.
But have you considered, when Qur'an used the word "yad" (which is literally "hand" in the verse - perhaps it intended that surprise and demanded that afterthought from the reader? If we rely on one translator to do all those thinking for us and give us a "simplified interpreted translation", perhaps we could miss out on some other finer sheds of the meaning that the original verse could have given us? Perhaps a translator who translates "yad" as "hand" instead of replacing it with an interpretation is doing a better job in keeping closer to the original "taste" of the verse?
Canned mango drinks are easier to have than real mango, but shouldn't they atleast try to taste like the real mango?
Just some food for thought.
Regards,
Arman -
I think situations like these highlight my need to learn Arabic... -[
That is some food for thought-by 'shocking' the reader, they can force us to think about what we're reading and to think for ourselves/find the answers for ourselves. However, the downside is that there are people who aren't going to look any further and will take it as is, which could end up with some pretty brutal laws...
I do try to read verses like these with an open mind, but often I get stuck and can't see the meaning behind the words. However, by discussing with others and trying to use what I learn here to see if it helps me understand, I feel like I'm (very!) slowly making progress towards more understanding.
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I prefer Monotheist Translation but I hope for a better translation than this one, a translation that will have no added or removed words and the words will be arranged in the same order as in the classical arabic Quran.
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Peace sun
I'm curious which version of Quran do you use. There are Hafs, Warsh, Qalun, al-Duri etc ...
What does this mean? Does this mean there are different Arabic versions of Quran, with different meanings? sigh ....I thought Quran was unchanged (
Oh, nevermind. I will just read them all and ask God to explain them to me. I read Clear Quran, Simple English Quran from smashbooks, Monotheist translation from this site, Pickthall, Ali, Khan, Sahih and now will read from themajesticreading.com.
Being from a Christian background, I attempt to compare Quran revelation with the words of Jesus. I too was taken aback by the "cut off their hands" phrase because I am reminded of Jesus teaching forgiveness and mercy to each other. Thankfully, I found this in the Quran545 And We have decreed for them in it that a life for a life, and an eye for an eye, and a nose for a nose, and an ear for an ear, and a tooth for a tooth, and wounds to be similar; and whoever remits anything of it, then it will cancel sins for him. And whoever does not judge with what God has sent down, then these are the wicked.
In addition to asking refuge from Satan before I read, I try to remind myself of
37 "He is the One who sent down to you the Book, from which there are lawgiving revelations; they are the essence of the Book; and others which are of a similitude. As for those who have a disease in their hearts, they will follow that which is of a similitude, seek-
ing to confuse, and seeking to derive an interpretation. But none know its interpretation except God, and those who are well founded in knowledge; they say ?We believe in it, all is from our Lord.?
And none will remember except those who possess intelligence.And I ask God to help me obtain that knowledge and intelligence.
My hope is that if I just keep reading His word, without trying to explain it to myself, God will explain it to me when I need it.
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What does this mean? Does this mean there are different Arabic versions of Quran, with different meanings? sigh ....I thought Quran was unchanged (
The original written Qur'an did not have vowel signs and dots - so there are a few minor "readings" in circulation in addition to the mainstream version of Qur'an. The difference in meaning due to different vowel placement is indeed minimum and have little or no thelogical significance.
Oh, nevermind. I will just read them all and ask God to explain them to me. I read Clear Quran, Simple English Quran from smashbooks, Monotheist translation from this site, Pickthall, Ali, Khan, Sahih and now will read from themajesticreading.com.
The best is to try to follow the original arabic. This is actually quite possible even if you do not know arabic. The word by word translation @ corpus.quran.com is a very useful resource in this regard. Then you can take additional help from dictionaries and lexicons.
Being from a Christian background, I attempt to compare Quran revelation with the words of Jesus. I too was taken aback by the "cut off their hands" phrase because I am reminded of Jesus teaching forgiveness and mercy to each other. Thankfully, I found this in the Quran
545 And We have decreed for them in it that a life for a life, and an eye for an eye, and a nose for a nose, and an ear for an ear, and a tooth for a tooth, and wounds to be similar; and whoever remits anything of it, then it will cancel sins for him. And whoever does not judge with what God has sent down, then these are the wicked.
In addition to asking refuge from Satan before I read, I try to remind myself of
37 "He is the One who sent down to you the Book, from which there are lawgiving revelations; they are the essence of the Book; and others which are of a similitude. As for those who have a disease in their hearts, they will follow that which is of a similitude, seek-
ing to confuse, and seeking to derive an interpretation. But none know its interpretation except God, and those who are well founded in knowledge; they say ?We believe in it, all is from our Lord.?
And none will remember except those who possess intelligence.bravo
And I ask God to help me obtain that knowledge and intelligence.
My hope is that if I just keep reading His word, without trying to explain it to myself, God will explain it to me when I need it.Amen.
May Allah guide us all to the straight route.
Regards,
Arman -
Peace!
Only Muhsin Khan and Yusuf Ali translation are in my family home. Everyone seem to be fine with them. That included me in the past. But later on i found that most of these orthodox translators seldom let the Qur'an speak for itself, preferring to blend it with extra-Qur'anic teachings. Thus i moved on to Rashad Khalifa which i got to admit was a milestone. Lately, am based on Reformist translation.I still respect orthodox translations like Yusuf Ali. But others like Muhsin Khan is a 'NO' for me. Muhsin Khan 's is full of brackets, footnotes that often distort the meaning of the Verse in question.
For instance, in 541, after translating the Verse, Khan writes in bracket; (The Makkans requested the Prophet to show them a miracle and he showed them the splitting of the moon). This is based on a fabricated hadith which Muhsin nevertheless believes and cites in his footnote.
At times, without bracket, Muhsin introduce his orthodox interpretation into the Verse. Here is an example;
Qur'an 912
But if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and attack your religion with disapproval and criticism then fight....The words 'criticism' and 'disapproval' are not in this verse. 'Attack' in this verse has to be physical and not verbal or it contradict other verses that enjoin dialogue prohibit fighting those who do not fight you.
I think the Monotheist translation is best for starters though. But i 'll pick Reformist translation over it for its elaboration on certain interpretations it differs from the mainstream.
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Salam Neptin.
Just some observations regarding 912 - the word which you are transletting as "attack" is the arabic word which literally means - to defame, challange (as false) or slander. The key point of the verse, per my understanding, is not physical attack - rather the breaking of oaths/treaties.
Also deen (religion/resolution) is not something that can be physically attacked.
I am no supporter of any particular translation - just highlighting the importance of looking at the underlying arabic words and their meanings.
May Allah guide us all to the straight route.
Regards,
Arman -
Armanaziz is actually right here. The word is to cause evil upon another, unspecified what evil.
Be of one with God
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I like Yusuf Ali, not because it is absolutely correct, far from it, because it falls in almost all the usual pits of the conventional hadithised Qur'an . But I like it because he comes across to me, in spite of his errors, as a real fine, good sould without an ounce of malice and even with the errors makes one feel at peace and without hardness of heart of soul.
However, I think that for bteer know and understand one must be very inquisitive and id something does continue to look illogical or wrong or not stisfactory to you to keep at it, without hurry or impatience and usually what happens is that when you are looking for something else, the qur'an itself says something that ties with that something else you could not make fit and then it does fit and it does feel like a miracle. But one must not submit to unsatisfaction as a permanent condition. The Qur'an is very well grounded, it nevers deceives or disapoint.
Salaam
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I prefer translation of Quran that has no or less alteration of the Classical Arabic Quran or and with meaning free from being altered. I read Rashad Khalifa's translation but I dont prefer it because it is presented by his point of view with with his own personal explanations.I think Quran translations should have no added or removed words and the style of arranging sentences should be like the Classical Quran. I currently use the Monotheist translation, which I find less altered.
Try reading from the last chapters of the Quran . You can read chapter 1 then started reading chapters in descending order till chapter 2. I dont know but I noticed that reading from the last chapters i.e from ch-114 is less confusing. The last are the small ones while those comes firsts are the biggest ones. With the exception of Ch-1 first ones deals mostly about laws while the lasts are mostly about praising God, warnings, sayings. I find it really helpful.
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Try reading from the last chapters of the Quran . You can read chapter 1 then started reading chapters in descending order till chapter 2. I dont know but I noticed that reading from the last chapters i.e from ch-114 is less confusing. The last are the small ones while those comes firsts are the biggest ones. With the exception of Ch-1 first ones deals mostly about laws while the lasts are mostly about praising God, warnings, sayings. I find it really helpful.
When I read Quran the first time, I read from the end to beginning also. I found the praise verses to be very comforting, and it set the mood for the rest of my reading.
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Hi Birdy-
I have been using the Hafs version mainly because I believe it is the most popular among the Arabs (whereas I believe Warsh is more popular in North Africa).
But from what I have read, both versions seem to have "issues".I have the 14 different versions of the Quran (different Riwayat) and I plan to examine the differences at some point in the future.
What version are you using?
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I use Yusuf Ali, and I always avoid Khalifa and Khan as I find them to very dishonest.
Salaam.