Interpretations and Distinctive Features of the Qur’an

When a Muslim reads the Qur’an in Arabic, he discovers transcendent beauty, coherence, and wisdom. Many non-Muslim readers, relying on translations, describe the Qur’an as incoherent, uninspiring, and profane. One source of such radically different perceptions is that most of the previous and present translators are either Western orientalists or scholars of Arabic who have mastered Arabic grammar. For many of these translators, Arabic never became a living language. And here is the source of the entire problem, for mastery of grammar and acquaintance with Arabic literature “cannot render the translator independent of that intangible communion with the spirit of the language which can be achieved only by living with and in it.” [1]

The Arabic of the Qur’an, with its frequent use of ellipticism (called i‘jaz by Arab philologists), was preserved and understood most accurately by the Bedouins of the Arabian Peninsula, both in the days of the Prophet and in the centuries thereafter. [2]As even Arab Muslims born outside of that tradition struggle with many verses of their sacred scripture, the obstacles encountered when trying to render the Qur’an in a foreign language are compounded all the more. Asad’s interpretation of the Qur’an makes significant progress in overcoming some of these difficulties, and Yusuf Ali’s translation and commentary is perhaps the most widely read among English-speaking Muslims. Many prefer Marmaduke Pickthall’s rendition, since it stays very close to the literal Arabic. But for all Muslims, the Qur’an represents the revealed word of God. Therefore, any translation of it into another language is a priori imperfect and, in the final analysis, is either the Qur’an or a translation of it, but merely an interpretation.

A reader, who comes from a Jewish or Christian background, as most Western converts do, initially is faced with three significant features of the Qur’an that contrast sharply with what he has come to regard as scripture.

The first is that the Qur’an is a personal revelation, in the sense that, outside of the first seven verses that form a petition for divine guidance, the perspective of the Qur’an is always that of God addressing humanity. For example: “O my servants who have sinned against yourselves, never despair of the mercy of God” (Surah Az-Zumar, 39:53), and “By the bright morning light and by the night when it is still, your Lord has not forsaken you nor is he dis- pleased” (Surah Ad-Duha, 93:1-3). Even when the Qur’an teaches the reader a supplication, it most often begins by instructing him to literally “say” it, as in, “Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind” (Surah An-Naas, 114:1).

Another feature is that the Qur’an, unlike the Bible, has no specific chronology. While the Bible contains history and biography, it is virtually impossible to date or place Qur’anic passages without referring to outside sources. One can read the Qur’an in nearly any order and, as long as all of its contents are covered, a thorough understanding of its major precepts can be obtained without additional references. Thus, in a practical sense, the Qur’an has no real beginning or end. For Muslims, this is a very relevant symbol demonstrating that the message contained in the Qur’an transcends the limitations of space and time, and that it has existed in the knowledge and wisdom of God beyond the confines of creation.

As Islam does not divide reality into “sacred” and “secular” compartments, the Qur’an interweaves diverse facets of the human experience throughout its discourse—the rise and fall of nations and individuals, observation of the natural world, the making of society and laws, and human psychology—both to guide the reader in this earthly life and to enlighten him or her concerning the existence and the oneness of God. As these elements merge together in life, so it is in the Qur’an. It is as if all history, life, and creation is a witness to and convergence toward a single supreme reality: that God is the Sustainer, Regulator, and Master of it all. This is a major departure from the scriptures of all other major religions.