The Noble Quran has been sent for all mankind and so everyone should be able to read it and benefit from its teachings; this makes translation of the Quran necessary.
This is according to renowned Iranian poet and story writer Mostafa Rahmandust who is also a translator of the Quran into Persian.
Mr. Rahmandust says the idea that Divine scriptures, not only the Quran but also other sacred books like the Bible, should not be translated has been around for a long time.
“Those who are opposed to translation of the Quran say translation undermines the sacredness of the Divine Book. This may be a reasonable argument but what about those who speak languages other than Arabic? Everyone should have the opportunity to read the Quran in their own language, understand it and benefit from its teaching as much as they can.”
He also cites another reason for the need for translation of the Divine Book. “We have it in the Hadiths that even the illiterate who can not read the Quran can benefit from looking at its pages and get Sawab. Here getting Sawab means getting closer to the Quran. Thus, if merely looking at the Quran helps one to get closer to it, reading its verses in one’s own language would also be helpful.
“ That is why I favor translation of the Holy Book,” he adds, acknowledging that translation of the Quran will never be the same as the original text.
He says Muslims translated their holy book not long after it was revealed. “The time it took Muslims to render their holy book into another language is much shorter compared to that of other Divine books.”
Rahmandust says new translations of the Quran should be presented in every era as people’s knowledge and their understanding of the world and God advances with the advancement of science, culture and technology.
As for the requirements for anyone who wants to embark on translation of the Quran, he says a Quran translator ought to be knowledgeable in Fiqh (jurisprudence) and know the Ayat-ul-Ahkam well.
Born in 1950 in Hamadan, Western Iran, Mostafa Rahmandust is a poet, author, teacher and translator of children and young adults' literature. 120 of his books have been published on different topics, with a circulation of 5.5 million copies. Some of his books have been translated into English, Chinese, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Russian, Swahili, Japanese and Swedish. He has also translated some Juzes (parts) of the Quran into Persian for children and teenagers.
source : http://abna.ir
