Q. I teach world geography in the US, and I spend time discussing Islam and Muslims. I have learned that the Qur’an must not be translated into any other language because, it is said, that Muhammad’s words cannot be appreciated in any language other than Arabic. Some people said that it is almost blasphemous to translate it? Is this true? Is it also true that there is a passage in the Qur’an that every Muslim must be able to read and recognize? I have also read that in order to be a Muslim, one has only to declare that there is only one God. Is this true? Is there any difference on any of this between Sunni and Shiite Muslims?
M. Busby
A. We need to clarify certain things here. The first is that the Qur’an is not the word of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He did not compose it. It is the word of God who revealed it to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through Gabriel, the angel. Its style is inimitable. It is the finest style in the Arabic language: very precise, yet very rich in meaning; addressing both laymen and highly educated people at the same time; full of images that spring before our eyes as we recite or listen to its recitation.
Islam is a message to all mankind, and the message is contained in the Qur’an. Therefore, Muslims have a duty to make it known to people and understood by them. How can this be done unless the Qur’an is translated into other languages? Can we say to people that they all must learn Arabic in order to understand the word of God? Even if they are willing to do so, people differ in their ability to learn foreign languages and in their capacity to understand what is expressed in their own language, let alone that stated in a foreign tongue. So how are we to communicate God’s message to non-Arabic speaking people? The Prophet sent letters to the rulers of neighboring countries. One of the recipients was Hercules, the Byzantine emperor. In this letter a Qur’anic verse is quoted. Needless to say, the emperor had the letter translated, including the Qur’anic verse quoted in it. The Prophet knew that this would happen, yet he had nothing against it. How can an act done and sanctioned by the Prophet be considered blasphemous?
The fact is that the Qur’an is very difficult to translate. However, many have translated it into a large number of languages. In English there are scores of its translations, some by Muslim scholars and a few by non-Muslims. No scholar worthy of note has objected. Yet no one can reproduce the magnificence of the Qur’anic language. What we need to understand is that the Qur’an, in its original Arabic text, is God’s word. Its translation is an expression by the translator of what he has understood of the Qur’an. Therefore, it is liable to error. Translations into other languages may have errors.
The Qur’an consists of 114 surahs, or chapters: some are short and others are long. Many are of moderate length. The passage you refer to is the first surah, entitled Al-Fatihah, or The Opening, which is short, consisting of seven verses. We read it in every rakah, or unit of prayer, which means that we read it at least 17 times every day. It may be translated as follows: “In the name of God, the Lord of grace, the ever-merciful. Praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds; the Lord of grace, the ever-merciful; master of the Day of Judgment. You alone do we worship and to You alone do we turn for help. Guide us on the straight path; the path of those on whom You have bestowed Your favors, not those who have incurred Your wrath, nor those who have gone astray.” Since it is obligatory to read in every prayer, every Muslim learns this surah and commits it to memory at a very early stage.
In order to be a Muslim, one must make a clear declaration in the following words: “I bear witness that there is no deity other than God, and that Muhammad is God’s Messenger.” This is the distinctive mark of a Muslim. If a person makes this declaration, fully aware of its meaning, then that person is a Muslim. A person who does not make this declaration is not a Muslim.