Translating the Untranslatable

The book under review is a collection of the author’s previously published critical reviews of the English translations of the Qur’an covering the period from 1694 AC to 2009 AC. A shorter version of the author’s previous work on the same subject under the title, Bibliography of the Translations of the Meanings of the Glorious Qur’an into English, was published by King Fahd Quran Printing Complex, Saudi Arabia, in 2007. My review of this shorter version was published in the Muslim World Book Review (vol. 30: 3, 2010).

The present book also contains the author’s reviews published originally in the Muslim World Book Review and elsewhere. The author’s preface to the book includes the major part of the preface he had written to his books mentioned above. The book has at the end a list of reference works and select bibliography and an index of names.

The Contents of the book are divided into six parts. Each part, in turn, classifies the translators according to a particular religious group or school of thought: Muslims, Orientalists, Qadiyanis, Barelwis, etc. The reviewer feels that it is not appropriate to divide the translators into such religious groups as provided in the book. It is understandable to divide the translators into Muslims and non-Muslims. But to divide Muslim translators themselves into Muslims, Shi[ah Muslims, Barelwi Muslims is not appropriate at all. Why can the Barelwi Muslim and Shi[ah Muslim translators not be discussed under the broad category of Muslims, and then pointing out their deviations, if there are any, and their particular school of thought? They are Muslims even if one differs from their school of thought. Likewise, the Qadiyani and Orientalist translators should be placed under the broad category of non-Muslims. As for Rashad Khalifa, discussed under Part VI, he should be placed with the Qadiyanis under the category of non-Muslims as he had openly attacked fundamental Islamic beliefs and claimed some kind of prophethood.