Salam brother,

Can you give me some reference?

The classical dictionaries I looked in mention meanings such as "Shouting at herds of animals like a shepherd",

I was going through comparative translations of the verse 2171 of Al Baqara until I found a translation by free-minds as well as Rashad Khalifa which was beyond the conventional translations of this verse.

I was doing so because I found most of the translations or almost all of them to be problematic due to following reason

• Almost all translations go like this

The likeness of those who disbelieve is as the likeness of one who shouts to that which hears nothing, save a call and a cry; deaf, dumb, blind -- they do not understan.d

According to these translations, the verse begins with giving a parable of "those who disbelieve" but then ends up giving their likeness to "the one who shouts", here the one who shouts refers to the Prophet or someone Who calls disbelievers to truth, and this is what sounds absurd.

This issue has been raised in Tafsir Al Mizan

]It appears that there is a sort of reversal in this parable. Although it begins as a parable of those who disbelieve, it changes to describe the shepherd, the caller to guidance; it is in fact the likeness of the Prophet not of those who were being called by him to the right path. But as the three adjectives deducted from it (deaf, dumb blind, so they do not understand) were attributes of the disbelievers - not of him who was calling them to the truth - it was highly appropriate to ascribe the parable to the disbelievers, and not to the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.). Thus, there appears to be a reversal in the parable

But, Out of all translations available on internet, only two or three of them seem to provide a different but something that sounds logical to me.

These translations are by The Monotheist - Free Minds and Rashad Khalifa.

I'm not a fan of Khalifa because of his 19-theory and his eventual heresy of calling himself a messenger, I simply don't believe in his claims.

But sometimes I find his translations quite impressive.

Like this one,

So my question is why Rashad Khalifa and Qur'anist organisations like free-minds have translated this verse as

"The example of such disbelievers is that of parrots who repeat what they hear of sounds and calls, without understanding. Deaf, dumb, and blind; they cannot understand." (Khalifa)

and

"And the example of those who disbelieve is like one who repeats what he has heard of calls and shouts; deaf, dumb, and blind, they do not understand." (free-minds)

This translation sounds reasonable to be, as it avoids such problematic implications of those conventional translations as this translation likens the disbelievers with one who repeats the inputs from external stimuli without questioning them, this doesn't only sound logical but also it has resemblence with the previous verse.

But my question is,

What are the substantial basis for these translations? especially for the words like "repeat" - I couldn't find that word "yanAAiqu" derived from roots Nun-ayn-Qaf can mean "repeat", according to project root list and classical dictionaries like lane Lexicon means "shout"

Nun-Ayn-Qaf = to cry out to (sheep), bleat, call out, halloo, urge on with shouts, incite.

na'aqa vb. (1) impf. act. 2171

Lane's Lexicon, Volume 8, pages 288, 289 ## http//ejtaal.net/aa/#q=n3q

So anyone here capable to help me out, I'll be very grateful for your help.

Peace be unto you.