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Quran 4:159 – Differences In The Translation Of The Same Text
In respect to the translation of Surah Nisa v. 159, Ghamidi Sb has translated it as:
“From among these people of the Scriptures, each one of them before their death will necessarily believe in *it(Quran)* and on the day of ‘Qiyamah’ *it* will be a witness for them
Maulana Maudidi has translated it as:
“There shall be none among the people of the Book but will believe in *him* before his death, and *he* will be a witness against them on the Day of Resurrection”.
My question is:
a) Why is there a difference in the two translation of the same text, one speaking about Quran and the other about Isa (A.S.)
b) Whether the same word in Arabic can be interpreted to have entirely different meaning, given the same context?
For people like us, who are not aware of the Arabic language, are in a dilemma to understand which of the two is correct and how and why. Please clarify.
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5 Replies
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Quran 4:159 – Differences In The Translation Of The Same Text
updated 1 year, 3 months ago
3 Members
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5
Replies
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This is a problem in understadning of a verse in its context. Please refer to the following video from 31.27 min onwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgopLBvUjHA
Differenced do occure because human understanding is prone to error, but with more effort and using the tools of understanding a text more accurately one can correct the error of understanding.
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For a detailed discussion on this verse, please also refer to the video below from 00:51 to 30:09
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As Salaam O Alaikum.
I have already watched the videos on Isa (AS) several times. It seems perhaps I have failed to make you understand my question. It is not about the correct or incorrect interpretation of the verse, rather it is about the translation of the verse which denotes “it” or “him”. We all know “it” refers to an object and “him” refers to a person. Whether the verse speaks about “it” or “him” or is it ambiguous?
Jazakallah Khair.
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Layuminannan Beh (لَیُؤْمِنَنَّ بِہٖ), Qabul Mawtah (قَبْلَ مَوْتِہٖ) and Yakunu Alihim Shahidah (یَکُوْنُ عَلَیْھِمْ شَھِیْدًا) in Quran4:159 inlcude several pronouns which are referring to a noun, the reference to these pronouns will need to be determined from the verse itself and if not clear from the verse, then from the context of the verses. Differences of opinion can arise while making such determination.
According to Ghamidi Sahab, Pronoun in Layuminannan Beh refers to Quran, Pronoun in Qabul Mawtah refers to people of the book and pronouns in Yakunu Alihim Shahidah also refer to Quran establishing shahdah on people of the book.
According to Amin Ahsan Islahi Sahab, Pronoun in Layuminannan Beh refers to Quran, Pronoun in Qabul Mawtah refers to Prophet Muhammad (sws) and pronouns in Yakunu Alihim Shahidah refer to Prophet Muhammad (sws) establishing shahdah on people of the book.
While there seems a usual consensus among traditional scholars regarding references to Pronouns as Layuminannan Beh referring to Prophet Jesus (sws) and Yakunu Alihim Shahidah referring to Prophet Jesus (sws) establishing shahdah on people of the book. But even among them, there lies a difference of opinion as to what is the appropriate reference for the pronoun in Qabul Mawtah, whether it refers to before the death of Prophet Jesus (sws) or before the death of people of the book.
Therefore, the differences in establihsing the right reference to a pronoun can happen because at the end, it is a human endeavour. But it is the verse(s)/context which are the final source in establishing the right reference.
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It is about understanding a text with its context and stylistics. Some scholars sometimes fail to appreciate the context and stylistics in their entirety. In this case, the long interpolative sentences tend to make forgetful the actual argument at the beginning of the argument started which is about Quran. It happens when a kalam has high literary merits. The meanings are obvious but they need the readers to raise to them for their full appreciation.
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