Problems of Translating annaa (أنى) in the Holy Quran
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes.v24i2.650Keywords:
Arabic grammar, exegeses, modal verbs, particle annaa, Quran translation, rhetorical functionsAbstract
The present study endeavours to examine the challenges associated with translating the particle annaa from the Holy Quran into English, with a focus on three English translators of the Quran. The study identifies the multifaceted functions of annaa in Arabic grammar and its rhetorical functions within the Quranic context. Key challenges include conveying nuanced meanings, selecting appropriate modal verbs, and preserving rhetorical functions. The study emphasizes the need for a context-aware approach and the need to consult with authentic exegeses to ensure accurate and faithful translations.
References
Abdul-Ghani, Ayman. (2010). ʔal-naħw ʔal-kaːfi (Sufficient Grammar). Cairo: Dar Al-Tawfiqiyya.
Abdul-Haleem, Muhammad. (2004). The Quran: A New Translation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Abdul-Raof, Hussein. (2004). ‘The Qur’an: Limits of translatability’. In Said Faiq (ed.), Cultural Encounters in Translation from Arabic, 97-109. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Abdul-Raof, Hussein. (2018). New Horizons in Quranic Linguistics: A Syntactic, Semantic and Stylistic Analysis. London: Routledge.
Abu Hayyan Al-Andalusi, Muhammad bin Youssef. (1993). ʔal-baħr ʔal-muħiːt (The Encircling Ocean). Beirut: Dar al-Kotob al-Ilmiyyah.
Al-Bunyan. (2001). Translations of the Meanings of the Noble Qur’an into English: An Empirical Study on Some Qur’anic Verses. Medina: King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex.
Al-Emadi, Muhammad. (1994). ʔirʃaːd al-ʕaql as-saliːm ʔilaː mazaːja al-kitaːb al-kariːm (Guidance of the Sound Mind to the Virtues of the Noble Book). Beirut: Dar al-Turath Al-Arabi.
Al-Fadda, Najla Abdul-Aziz. (2010). The translation of rhetorical questions in Hadith from Arabic into English: A functionalist perspective. MA Thesis, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Al-Ghalayini, Mustafa. (1994). ʤāmiʕ ʔal-duru:s ʔal- ʕarabiyya (Collection of Arabic Lessons). Beirut: Al-Maktabah Al-A’asriya.
Al-Hilālī, Muhammad and Muhammad Khān. (1994). The Noble Qur’an: English Translation of the Meanings and Commentary. Madinah: King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran.
Al-Malik, Fahad. (1995). Performative utterances: Their basic and secondary meanings with reference to the five English translations of the meanings of the Holy Qur’an. PhD Thesis, Durham University, Durham, England.
Alnaeim, Amna. (2015). Rhetorical questions with reference to the glorious Qur’an: Pragmatic approach. MA Thesis, Sudan University of Science and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan.
Al-Omani, Abdulrahman. (2008). Interrogative instruments statistical and somparative study. MA Thesis, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. http://search.mandumah.com/Record/545796 (Retrieved on 20 April, 2023).
Al-Qurtubi, Muhammad. (2006). ʔal-Jāmiʻ li-aḥkām ʔal-Qurʼān (The Comprehensive Compilation of Quranic Regulations). Cairo: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Masriya.
Al-Samin Al-Halabi, Shihab al-Din. (1986). ʔal-Durr ʔal-maṣūn fī ʻilm ʔal-Kitāb ʔal-maknūn lil-Samīn ʔal-Ḥalabī (The Secure Pearl in the Science of the Hidden Book by Samin al-Halabi). Damascus: Dar Al-Qalam.
Al-Shukri, Shyma and Shehdeh Fareh. (2017). ‘English green and its Arabic equivalent akhḏar: Similar or different?’. International Journal of Arabic-English Studies, 17(1): 163-182. https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes2000.17.1.9
Al-Tabari, Muhammad Ibn Jarir (2000). Kitāb Jāmiʻ ʔal-Bayān ʻan Taʼwīl ʔāy ʔal-Qurʼān (The Comprehensive Book of Interpretation of the Quranic Verses). Beirut: Al-Risalah.
Al-Zamakhshari, Mahmoud. (2009). Tafsi:r alkshshāf ʻan ḥaqāʼiq ʔal-tanzi:l wa-ʻuyūn ʔal-aqāwi:l fī Wujūh ʔal-taʼwi:l (The Exegesis of the Unveiling of the Realities of the Revelation and the Springs of Sayings Regarding Aspects of Interpretation). Dar Al-Ma'arifa.
Arberry, Arthur. (1996). The Koran Interpreted. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Badawi, Elsaid and Muhammed Abdul Haleem. (2008). Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage. Leiden: Brill.
Bader Eddin, Eyhab. (2019a). ‘The particle كم: A key aspect to fathom in translation with special reference to the Holy Quran’. Studies in English Language Teaching, 7(1): 99-105. https://doi.org/10.22158/selt.v7n1p99
Bader Eddin, Eyhab. (2019b). ‘Inconsistent Linguistic Functional Behaviours of Particleهل in the Holy Quran: A Critique of the Holy Quran Translation’. AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies, 3(1): 66-73.
http://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol3no1.5
Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. (2005). The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style. Houghton Mifflin.
El-Hadary, Tariq Hassan. (2008). Equivalence and translatability of Qur’anic discourse. Published PhD dissertation, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom. https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/5363/ (Retrieved on 13 March, 2023)
Fawal Babti, Aziza. (1992). ʔal-Muʻjam ʔal-Mufaṣṣal fī ʔal-naḥw ʔal-ʻArabī (Comprehensive Dictionary of Arabic Grammar). Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah.
Halliday, Michael and Ruqaiya Hasan. (1985). Language, Context and Text: Aspects of Language in a Social Semiotic Perspective. Victoria: Deakin University Press.
Ibn Ashur, Muhammad Al-Taher, (1984). Tafsi:r ʔal-Taḥri:r wa-ʔal-Tanwi:r (The Commentary of Liberation and Enlightenment). Tunisia: Dar Al-Tunisiyya Lil-Nashr.
Ibn Atiyya, Abdul Haq. (2001). ʔal-Muḥarrar ʔal-Waji:z fī Tafsi:r ʔal-Kitāb ʔal-ʻAzi:z (The Concise Compiler in the Interpretation of the Noble Book). Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya.
Ibn Kathir, Abu al-Fida. (1999). Tafsi:r ʔal-Qurʔa:n ʔal athi:m (The Exegesis of the Great Quran). Riyadh: Dar Taibah.
Ilyas, Asim Ismail. (1989). Theories of Translation. Mosul: Mosul University Press.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. (n.d.). How should. In Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.com. Retrieved on August 25, 2022, from https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/how-should-why-should.
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). How can/could. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved on August 25, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/how%20can%2Fcould
Nasser Ali Al-Mwzaiji, Khalid. (2022). ‘Mohammad Abdul-Wali’s they die strangers: A stylistic approach to translation’. International Journal of Arabic-English Studies, 22(2): 289–302.
https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes2000.22.2.16
Peachy, Davut. (2013). ‘English translations of the Quran and the roles of why, by whom, for whom and how’. Journal of Qur'an and Hadith Studies, 2(2): 54-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.11136/jqh.1311.02.03
Pickthall, Mohammed. (1948). The Meaning of the Glorious Quran: An Explanatory Translation. London: Nizam Printers.
Refai, Somia. (2014). Dogmatic approaches of Qur’ān translators: Linguistic and theological issue. Published MA Thesis, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.
Shakir, Muhammad. (1958). The Holy Qur'an (Koran), English Translation of the Meanings. W. B. Brown (Formatting). Karachi: Shakir Publisher.
Swan, Michael. (1995). Practical English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Wehmeier, Sally. (2006). Oxford Word Power Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Yusuf Ali, Abdullah. (1983). The Holy Quran: Translation and Commentary. Madinah: King Fahd Holy Quran Printing Complex.
