Translating the Qur'an by Meaning
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
His Eminence the Shaykh: What is the ruling on translating the Qur'an and interpreting it literally into languages other than Arabic?
I ask you: Can the Qur'an be translated literally? It is absolutely impossible, for the matter is a theoretical assumption, not a reality; because non-Arabic languages differ from Arabic, and they are not like Arabic in structure or style. Therefore, it cannot be translated literally. As for translating the Qur'an by meaning, meaning that a person takes a verse and translates its meaning, there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it may be obligatory for those who need to understand it through such a translation.
I ask you: Can the Qur'an be translated literally? It is absolutely impossible, for the matter is a theoretical assumption, not a reality; because non-Arabic languages differ from Arabic, and they are not like Arabic in structure or style. Therefore, it cannot be translated literally. As for translating the Qur'an by meaning, meaning that a person takes a verse and translates its meaning, there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it may be obligatory for those who need to understand it through such a translation.