In a Lecture at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Some Verses of the Quran Were Translated in the Prophet’s Lifetime, but Muslim Translations Appeared Eight Centuries After Those of Orientalists
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Alexandria—
Dr. Ahmad Zaki Hammad, Professor at the Faculty of Languages and Translation, Al-Azhar University, gave a lecture at the BA entitled: “Translation of the meanings of the Holy Quran: Basics and Fundamentals”. The lecture is part of the cultural season organized by the BA Manuscript Center.
Dr. Hammad commenced by talking about his many years of experience in the West. He said that he believes that the Western civilization shares a lot of common aspects with the East and that should lift us above all our current disagreements and this will only be achieved when both parties relinquish three vices; Pride over the other, mockery, and rejection of other civilizations.
Dr. Hammad then stated that the Quran is the most read book in the world, and that it is a highly vivid and important document, as well as a universal message for all mankind. He surprised his audience when he said that the Quran was first translated at the time of Prophet Muhammad PBUH, as some of his companions escaped to Ethiopia to avoid Quraish’s harm, and Amr Ibn-Al-As went to Ethiopia to bring them back; Before the Nagashi, King of Ethiopia Jaafar Ibn Abi Talib recited the first 40 verses of Surat “Mariam” . And since the king didn’t speak Arabic, the Quran was translated for him.
Dr. Hammad added that the Prophet PBUH translated the Quranic verses to other languages when he quoted them in the messages he sent to the kings and leaders of other parts of the world, though the Muslim endeavors to translate the Quran started much later at the beginning of the 20th century, specifically in 1905, and they weren’t carried out except to respond to the untruths of orientalists, and not to convey the Quran to non-speakers of Arabic, in spite of the fact that Muslims are required to reveal the Quran to everyone and in every tongue.
Prof. Hammad gave examples of how the meanings of the Quran were distorted by the Jew Aharon Ben Shemesh in 1979 when he translated one of the verses explaining that the Aqsa Mosque mentioned in a Quranic verse was a mosque 10 miles away from Mecca in a place named Al-Go’arana, which is far from true as the Aqsa Mosque is in Jerusalem, Palestine.
He went on to talk about his personal experience in producing a translation of the meanings of the Quran, saying that what first attracted his attention as he was working on his PhD thesis in Chicago University was the inaccuracy of most Muslim translations.
Thus, Hammad decided to translate the meanings of the Quran. Integrity and accuracy were his highest priorities. He wanted the translation to come out in sound language and to be free from obscurity and bathos. He added that he formed a team to work on this hard and glorious mission under his supervision, and though they had originally planned for the task to take five years, it took fifteen and the first edition was out in the United States last year.
He asserted that work is not over by publishing the first edition of “The Gracious Quran: A Modern-Phrased Interpretation of Its Meanings in English”; it’s, however, a task that will continue in order to ensure that the meanings of the Quran remain clear for future generations of English speakers in the world, pointing out that the challenge lies in keeping the Quran available and accessible to all mankind.