Explanation of the Book of Fitnahs and Rulings-10b
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The reader: And Kharijah ibn Zayd ibn Thabit said, on the authority of Zayd ibn Thabit: Sahih al-Bukhari 7195
And 'Umar said, while 'Ali, 'Abd al-Rahman, and 'Uthman were present, "What does this say?" 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Hatib said, "I will tell you about the person who wrote it and what he did with it." And Abu Jumrah said, "I used to translate between Ibn 'Abbas and the people." And some people said, "A judge must have translators."
The Shaykh : Translation is the transfer... to another language or its meaning, because it is of two types: literal translation and semantic translation. It requires two conditions: first, that the translator knows both languages and is proficient in them; and second, that he has knowledge of the underlying meaning. If he intends to translate jurisprudence, he must be knowledgeable and proficient in both languages and have an understanding of jurisprudence, so that he does not assume a meaning other than what is intended. The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed regarding translation: is one person sufficient, or is it based on testimony, such that the number required in testimony is required in translation, and what is not required is not? The correct view is that one person is sufficient for translation, but he must be trustworthy. As for the question: "Is one translator permissible?" I say there is scholarly disagreement on this, and the correct view is that it is permissible, provided the conditions we mentioned are met: that he is proficient in both languages, that he has knowledge of what he is translating, and that he is trustworthy. Then he mentioned the hadith of Zayd ibn Thabit, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered him to learn the writing of the Jews. The Jews' language is Hebrew, but it is very close to Arabic. Zayd ibn Thabit learned it in sixteen days. The Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said that he learned it in this short time because of the closeness of the Arabic and Hebrew languages. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) relied on the translation of Zayd ibn Thabit and did not appoint another translator with him. And 'Umar said, while 'Ali, 'Abd al-Rahman, and 'Uthman were present, "What does this say?" 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Hatib said, "I will tell you about the person who wrote it and what he did with it." This is a story we have recited to us.
The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered me to learn the writing of the Jews. I even wrote letters for the Prophet (ﷺ) (to the Jews) and also read their letters when they wrote to him.
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أمره أن يتعلم كتاب اليهود حتى كتبت للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كتبه وأقرأته كتبهم إذا كتبوا إليهAnd 'Umar said, while 'Ali, 'Abd al-Rahman, and 'Uthman were present, "What does this say?" 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Hatib said, "I will tell you about the person who wrote it and what he did with it." And Abu Jumrah said, "I used to translate between Ibn 'Abbas and the people." And some people said, "A judge must have translators."
The Shaykh : Translation is the transfer... to another language or its meaning, because it is of two types: literal translation and semantic translation. It requires two conditions: first, that the translator knows both languages and is proficient in them; and second, that he has knowledge of the underlying meaning. If he intends to translate jurisprudence, he must be knowledgeable and proficient in both languages and have an understanding of jurisprudence, so that he does not assume a meaning other than what is intended. The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed regarding translation: is one person sufficient, or is it based on testimony, such that the number required in testimony is required in translation, and what is not required is not? The correct view is that one person is sufficient for translation, but he must be trustworthy. As for the question: "Is one translator permissible?" I say there is scholarly disagreement on this, and the correct view is that it is permissible, provided the conditions we mentioned are met: that he is proficient in both languages, that he has knowledge of what he is translating, and that he is trustworthy. Then he mentioned the hadith of Zayd ibn Thabit, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered him to learn the writing of the Jews. The Jews' language is Hebrew, but it is very close to Arabic. Zayd ibn Thabit learned it in sixteen days. The Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said that he learned it in this short time because of the closeness of the Arabic and Hebrew languages. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) relied on the translation of Zayd ibn Thabit and did not appoint another translator with him. And 'Umar said, while 'Ali, 'Abd al-Rahman, and 'Uthman were present, "What does this say?" 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Hatib said, "I will tell you about the person who wrote it and what he did with it." This is a story we have recited to us.