Translating the Qur'an and books, and the excuse of the polytheist in their presence
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The questioner:
This questioner says: A man in our country committed major shirk (associating partners with Allah), but we have a translation available.
The Shaykh:
Many people commit major shirk in your country and elsewhere, yes, a man
The questioner:
A man committed major shirk (associating partners with Allah) in our country, but we have a translation of the Qur'an and a translation of Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim
The Shaykh:
The Qur'an cannot be translated; what is translated is the tafsir (exegesis), a translation of the meanings of the Qur'an. As for the Qur'an itself, it cannot be translated; it is impossible to convey the words of Allah into another language, absolutely not. Yes.
The questioner:
and other books on tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and lessons.
The Shaykh:
And we hold
The questioner:
A translation of the Qur'an, as well as of Sahih Muslim along with al-Bukhari.
The Shaykh:
A translation of the Qur'an is considered a translation of the meanings of the Qur'an. Yes.
The questioner:
Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim, and other books on tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and scholarly lessons.
The Shaykh:
Yes, that is fine.
The questioner:
Are they excused by that?
The Shaykh:
Yes, indeed. A person may have the books but not understand them or know about them; he may have a large library and remain, may Allah protect us, without understanding beneficial knowledge, and not having taken knowledge from the scholars. Books alone are not sufficient; a translation of the tafsir (exegesis), a translation of the Sahihs, the Musnads, and the Sunans are not sufficient. A scholar is necessary; scholars are necessary to explain things to people and teach them according to the principles of teaching. The mere presence of books is not sufficient in any way. This is like a weapon with a coward: if your house is full of weapons and you are a coward who does not know how to use them, they are of no use to you. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
This questioner says: A man in our country committed major shirk (associating partners with Allah), but we have a translation available.
The Shaykh:
Many people commit major shirk in your country and elsewhere, yes, a man
The questioner:
A man committed major shirk (associating partners with Allah) in our country, but we have a translation of the Qur'an and a translation of Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim
The Shaykh:
The Qur'an cannot be translated; what is translated is the tafsir (exegesis), a translation of the meanings of the Qur'an. As for the Qur'an itself, it cannot be translated; it is impossible to convey the words of Allah into another language, absolutely not. Yes.
The questioner:
and other books on tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and lessons.
The Shaykh:
And we hold
The questioner:
A translation of the Qur'an, as well as of Sahih Muslim along with al-Bukhari.
The Shaykh:
A translation of the Qur'an is considered a translation of the meanings of the Qur'an. Yes.
The questioner:
Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim, and other books on tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and scholarly lessons.
The Shaykh:
Yes, that is fine.
The questioner:
Are they excused by that?
The Shaykh:
Yes, indeed. A person may have the books but not understand them or know about them; he may have a large library and remain, may Allah protect us, without understanding beneficial knowledge, and not having taken knowledge from the scholars. Books alone are not sufficient; a translation of the tafsir (exegesis), a translation of the Sahihs, the Musnads, and the Sunans are not sufficient. A scholar is necessary; scholars are necessary to explain things to people and teach them according to the principles of teaching. The mere presence of books is not sufficient in any way. This is like a weapon with a coward: if your house is full of weapons and you are a coward who does not know how to use them, they are of no use to you. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Source
شرح أحاديث في الفتن والحوادث، باب هلاك الأمة بعضهم ببعض — islamhouse.com (30:34)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.