A Critical Analysis of Commentators’ and Jurists’ Interpretation of the Phrase “’An Yadin Wa Hum Sāghirūn” and Its Translation in Persian Translations

Translation is responsible for transferring knowledge from the source-language text to the target-language text. This process of transfer is sometimes difficult due to the specific complexities of the structure and style of the source language. It becomes more important when the Qur’an, which has an independent linguistic culture on the one hand and is a sacred (non-human) text on the other, be the case. A problem occurring in most of the Persian translations is how to find a true equivalent for the Qur’anic phrase “’an yadin wa hum sāghirūn” (Tawbah (9): 29), resulting to issue special jurisprudential rulings. Applying the analytical-descriptive method, this paper tries to evaluate the opinions of commentators, jurists and translators for finding the meaning and translation of the verse, and then present its exact Persian equivalent. Findings show that based on this verse, many commentators and jurists as well as most of the translators emphasize the humiliation of the People of the Book in paying jizya (tribute), while it contradicts the literal meaning of sāghir and its semantic range in the Qur’an, Islamic hadith and Sunnah. In conclusion, it is proved that the meaning of the phrase, in harmony with the words, verses and traditions, will be “to pay jizya as much as possible while accepting a low status”, which is not observed in most of the translations examined here.