The aims ofthis thesis are to apply the two main goals of textual criticism as practiced with the New Testament to the text of the Qur'an: 1) to discern the earliest possible form of the text, and 2) to illumine the history of the text. A selection was made of small porti()ns of text of similar genre and length in both books (Acts 7:1-8 and Surah 14:35-41). The texts ofthese portions from twenty manuscripts from. each tradition are collated including the very oldest manuscripts available. The variants observed are intensively analysed, categories oftype are established and then used as the basis of comparison. The similarities and differences in kinds of variants are thoroughly explored, taking into account the differences in kinds of script, the effects of oral tradition on written transmission, and the role ofcentralised ideological control on the texts. These comparisons are then examined in regard to recovering the earliest possible forms of the texts of both traditions and illuminating the histories ofthe development ofthese texts into standardised text-forms. Intentional variants in both traditions are given special attention. The thesis concludes that whereas there is the strong possibility of recovering reliable versions ofthe earliest autographic forms of the New Testament books, there is not the possibility of recovering the earliest authoritative forms of the Qur'an. The current version is sho~ to be the result of a long and complex development to create a precise f~fin of the text supporting Islamic dogma, instead of a version preserving the earliest authoritative forms of the text. Also, it is shown that the oral tradition of the Qur'an was not strong enough to prevent alternative interpretive text-forms and was often dependent on reforms to the written text.

The legacy of the 20th Century Albanian Islamic scholar Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī is a unique brand of Salafism, a movement whose adherents promote as establishing an eternal model of proper Muslim creed, practice, exegesis, and conduct that stands in stark contrast to madhhab Traditionalism. The purpose of this study is to trace the origins and manifestation of Albānīʾs critique of madhhab Traditionalism. In tracing origins, the study explores the strict madhhab environment in which Albānī was raised, a religious and social climate that fomented his disdain for Traditionalism and led him to “deconstruct” madhhab Traditionalist fiqh and ḥadīth and “construct” his own means of interpreting the jurisprudential requirements of sacred scripture. Marked by simplicity, reliance on textual literalism, and distrust of the scholarly class, Albānīʾs perspectives and methodology were manifested in anti-madhhab polemics that enhanced the profile and popularity of his unique brand of Salafism.

No description available.

The Qur’ān has an unparalleled importance in the Muslim’s life and daily practice. Qur’ān translations are a window onto the world of Islam and its sacred text. They are equally important to Muslims who do not understand the Qur’ān in its original language, and to communicate the message of Islam to Mankind. Given this importance, it is crucial to evaluate and enhance the accuracy and fidelity of Qur’ān translations. This research provides an insight into and a critical assessment of thirty-five different English Qur’ān translations, exploring linguistic and theological issues found in translations in the light of modern translation theories, aiming to understanding the role of the translator’s dogma and exploring whether it is reflected in their translations or not. The first chapter provides an initial evaluative survey of the chosen English translations of the Qur’ān based on how the translators present their work. The second chapter aims to investigate the principles and problems of translation, its evaluation and quality assessment. This leads to the development of a proposed evaluative model to apply to Qur’ān translations within linguistic and theological parameters. The third chapter discusses the first suggested parameter, linguistic problems, by means of a close analysis of Qur’ānic linguistic features and various problematic elements in their translation. The fourth chapter discusses the second suggested parameter, theological problems, shedding light on the exegetical and theological aspects of Qur’ānic discourse and translations. The fifth and sixth chapters apply the models and principles mapped out in the previous chapters. Linguistic and theological issues are examined with reference to the translator’s dogma. The analyses falls under three main categories: problematic linguistic issues, problematic linguistic issues with dogmatic reference, and dogmatic and theological issues. This analysis helps in answering the main research questions, with respect to linguistic and theological issues. It also benefits from the suggested TQA model which can be further developed to draw up a similar model for assessing Qur’ān translations in different languages.

The Qur'än is the first legislative source for Muslims and it constitutes the method of life that organizes the relationship between the worshipper and his Creator and between people themselves. For this reason the Qur'än is labeled the "Spirit" (ILIII: 52) as it represents the essence for all Muslims. The Qur'an was revealed in seven dialects in order to facilitate the understanding of the different tribes of the Arab peninsula, who would otherwise have experienced difficulty. These variant "readings" or Qirä'ät have further benefits which will be examined in chapters I and IV in this thesis, in addition to any resulting juristic and Shari`a provisions. My work in this thesis is divided into two sections the second of which comprises copies of the Arabic manuscript. Chapter II includes summarised biographies of the ten `readers'; the latter not only being included for purposes of verification, but also with a view to offering a brief history of Qur'änic `readers' (Qurrä) and their narrators so as to facilitate understanding and to highlight connections between the various subject elements. The first section consists of an introduction, four chapters, glossary and bibliography. The thesis commences with an introduction that includes the reasons for choice of this topic and a brief explanation. Chapter 'I comprises the study of the manuscript, its importance and the, new information it offers. Chapter II defines the Qur'än and Qirä'ät then the importance of the multiplicity of Qirä'ät explanation of the oral tradition regarding the revelation of the Qur'än in seven Qrrä'ät and finally the recording of the science of Qlrä'ät. Chapter III examines the development of codification and links it with the schools that resulted from this recording process; highlighting the most famous teachers and students and the scientific contribution of each school. Chapter IV outlines the impact of Qirä'ät on the provisions of Shari'a and focuses on interpretation, jurisprudence and the Arabic language. And finally a glossary and bibliography.

The aim of this research is to show the importance of tafsīr as a context for the translation of the Qur'ān, in particular regarding the Muslim belief in Allāh and His Prophet. Translators of the Qur'ān are influenced by their own doctrines and interpretations. Fifteen translations of the Qur'ān from different religious and sectarian backgrounds have been selected for analysis in the present thesis. The translators use tafsīr (exegesis) and their opinions to translate the Qur'ān according to their beliefs. This thesis, therefore, fills a gap in Qur'ānic translation research. It focuses on the theological aspect of the differences found in these translations of the Qur'ān that stem from the tug of war of interpretation between the different types of tafsīr. This thesis also explores how and why different translations of verses from the Qur√ān vary specifically regarding the Muslim belief in Allāh and the last Prophet (Peace be Upon him).

No description available.

No description available.

Abū ’l-Layth al-Samarqandī’s (d. 373/984) Nawāzil represents nearly two centuries of formal rulings (fatwās) up to his time from the jurists of the Ḥanafī school who succeeded Muḥammad al-Shaybānī (d. 189/805). His work is the first to be compiled in the nawāzil and fatwās genre, and this study shows that it has been cited in nearly every major Ḥanafī fiqh work after him. Based on four of the earliest manuscripts available, this research provides for the first time a critical edition of the first part (Introduction to the end of Kitāb al-Nikāḥ) of this important and pioneering text. It also discusses his sources, his position and influence in the Ḥanafī school based on a case study of several later texts, an analysis of the nawāzil genre, the value of nawāzil literature in contemporary times vis-à-vis minority fiqh, a review of his other writings and an attempt at a detailed biographical sketch of the author from the scanty details recorded in the biographical and historical sources.

Despite the fact that many problematic areas in the English translations of the Qurān have been thoroughly investigated, no substantial work has so far been devoted to critically evaluating the translation of the Divine Names, which pose paramount challenges for all translators. Critical and evaluative studies of Qurān translations seem to avoid investigating and assessing the Divine Names, which are the most sensitive and delicate Qurānic terms. This study critically and comparatively investigates how accurate and consistent are the English renderings of these Divine Names; al-Asmā al-Ḥusnā, The Most Beautiful Names (MBNs) which are recurring terms in the Qurānic text. The complexity of meanings and morphological features of these Divine Names is evidently reflected in so many cases of inaccuracy as well as inconsistency in their English translations, particularly in the renderings of the near-synonymous root-sharing Names. Translators of the Qurān have unjustifiably used different corresponding terms for the very same Divine Name when it appears on more than one occasion, and sometimes in similar Qurānic contexts. Most Qurān translators have also inaccurately used the very same English corresponding terms to translate two, if not three, near-synonymous Divine Names, whether they share the same linguistic root or otherwise. For the purpose of this evaluative study, hundreds of occurrences of the root-sharing Divine Names in five well-known English translations, namely Pickthall (1930), A.Y. Ali (1936/1986), Arberry (1955), Hilali-Khan (1985) and Abdel-Haleem (2004), have been collected, analysed and critically and comparatively evaluated. The comparative evaluation of the English renderings of the Divine Names has revealed that all the five translations not only fall short in their attempts to distinguish between the near-synonymous Names, particularly the root-sharing ones, but prove unsuccessful in rendering them accurately and consistently. The study has also revealed that the translation of Arberry shows much better quality, in terms of accuracy and consistency, in rendering the root-sharing Divine Names than other translations do. In addition to critically revealing shortcomings, inaccuracies and inconsistencies of the renderings of the Divine Names, the study suggests the use of translation technology solutions (or computer-assisted tools), such as translation memory and bilingual concordances, to improve the quality and consistency of future Qurān translations in general, and the renderings of the recurring Divine Names in particular.