Journal of the Quran: Contemporary Studies
Volume:1 Issue: 1, Fall 2022

Translating the Qur᾽ān into English is one of the most important duties ofscholars who are proficient in the English language and Islamic teachingsand culture to convey the incomparable teachings of this eternal Divinemiracle to the seekers of truth. It is essential to know and use theappropriate translation to communicate the pure wisdom of the Qur᾽ān.Therefore, in this research, an attempt has been made to compare fourfamous English translations of the Qur᾽ān by George Sale, Pickthal,Arberry, and Qarai with a descriptive-analytical approach in terms ofvocabulary, grammar, and exegesis, focusing on the opening verses of theSūra al-Jinn to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of each translation andto enable the reader to gain a deeper insight into the best translation. Thisresearch shows that Sale's and Pickthal's translations have someweaknesses in the translation of words and phrases. Arberry᾽s translationalso has weaknesses in terms of grammatical structure, vocabulary, andcommunication of meaning. Compared with the translations mentionedabove, Qarai᾽s phrase-for-phrase approach is considered to be the mostaccurate in terms of style, structure, vocabulary, and meaning. Therefore,those who attempt to translate the Qur᾽ān into foreign languages shouldhave acquired the necessary skills and mastery of the source and targetlanguages in order to be able to convey the noble teachings of the Qur᾽ān.

This article examines “Ulu al-Amr” written by Asma Afsarruddin. Itadopts a library-analytical method. This study aims to pinpoint thestrengths and weaknesses of this Orientalist as a piece of Westernscholarship of Quranic studies. The positive points of this article includechoosing a practical topic and writing concisely. This article also has threenegative points. The first negative point is that it has made an incompleteinduction in the cases of the Qur'anic verses. The author mentions only oneverse about the "Ulu al-Amr", while two verses of the Holy Quran directlyrefer to it. Furthermore, other verses indirectly refer to this concept. Thesecond negative point is her use of wrong reasoning. She believes that thelack of a king at the beginning of Islam accounts for the weakness of thereport attributed to Ubayy b. Kaʿb, who relates that ulu᾽l-amr was areference to the political rulers (al-Salatin). The third negative point is thatthe author uses only the opinions of the Sunnis and ignores the Shias᾽beliefs and their interpretations of this verse. The present article tries notonly to mention the defects but also to inform the author of this entry toperfect it by providing additional content.

For centuries, the discussion about the origin of life on the earth has beenone of the most fundamental topics among Muslim and non-Muslimscholars. It is believed by some Muslim Qur’ānic exegetes and researchersthat the Qur’ān makes references to the origin of life on the earth. In viewof this, the primary aim of this research is therefore to examine theQur’ānic viewpoint on the origin of life on the earth.In this regard, the lexical and technical meanings of some importantterms have been examined. Thereafter, the Qur’ānic verses believed tohave discussed the life origin and the commentaries of some prominentearly and contemporary Muslim Qur’ānic exegetes on the verses wereanalyzed.The methodology used in this research work is a descriptive-analyticalmethod wherein the collected data from the written sources (such as books,articles, and so on) have been analyzed based on rational and textual piecesof evidence. Meanwhile, the findings indicate that the Qur’ān does notexplicitly discuss the origin of life on the earth, rather it provides detailsabout the creation and the origin of human beings on it.

The Islamic religion benefits from the Holy Quran and the lives of the fourteen infallibles in its history. The life and martyrdom fate of Imam al-Ḥusayn prove that he was a most faithful observant of Quranic lessons and injunctions. His interpretations of Quranic verses and his life as the manifestation of Quranic lifestyle remain beyond doubt. A highly characteristic trait of his, this aspect is barely treated and observed in Western scholarship on the Holy Quran and on his life and martyrdom

Islamic laws and/or hadiths make the second source of inference for Shiisand Sunnis next to the Holy Quran. Many of the jurisprudential laws ofIslam were explicated by the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims in the earlyyears of Islam and the following years followed the command of Allah andwere faithful to His words.The hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad have since been a guideline forMuslims. Although the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad have long beenaccepted, there has emerged a new offshoot of a Muslim sect who regardtheir cult as Quranism, i.e., the school of those who believe only in theHoly Quran. They consider the Holy Quran as the only source of Islamiclaws.This article attempts to investigate the ideas of the Quranists, theirhistorical and geographical roots, and express their intellectual principles.It deals with their doctrinal bases from Shii and Sunni viewpoints.

Divine assistance (’imdād-i ghaybī) and the desirability of its attainmentis one of the topics that have a special place from the Quranic perspectiveof Imam Khamenei’s defensive school of thought. A systematic discussionand research are needed to understand this topic. Based on the Quranicverses, part of the divine assistance in the field of defense is related to thepromises from God, given to the believers. Moreover, the Supreme Leaderof the Islamic Republic of Iran, in many of his statements and literal workshas mentioned the issue of benefiting from divine assistance and how toobtain it. This article uses the descriptive-analytical method, and a numberof verses that had a particular interest to Imam Khamenei in this field, aresampled, and the method of analyzing and expressing the findings isqualitative. The results of this article indicate that divine assistance is the focus ofthe special attention of Imam Khamenei’s defensive school of thought, andit is clear from his statements that those who wage jihād in the path of Godare both faithful and pious. Besides, due to their constant beseeching andseeking the Divine help, they have received special Divine care. They areaided in the area of defense in the forms of aiding angels, strengtheningthe morale of the believers against the threats and the terrible dangers ofthe enemy, creating terror in the hearts of the enemies, and other forms.