Translated Qur’an No. 3997 in the Central Library, University of Tehran; A Treasure of Transoxianan Persian

This article examines a Qur’an translation available on microfilm at the Central Library of the University of Tehran (no. 3997), belonging to Masih Zabihi (1929-1977), a Gorgani author from northern Iran. As translators searched for exact equivalents for Qur’anic terms and expressions, their efforts led to the development of ancient translations’ most significant feature: preserving a vast treasure of words. Three approaches have been employed by Qur’an translators to achieve this goal: using forgotten words, dialectal words, and coining new words according to linguistic capabilities. Hence, examining these translations reveals many lexical features of ancient texts. In light of the vocabulary, grammatical, and linguistic features in manuscript no. 3997 and its comparison with manuscripts no. 999, no. 2046, and no. 1713 in Astan Quds, it can be concluded that Qur’an no. 3997 belongs to the Transoxiana linguistic area