Unity of Form and Content in Translations of Arabic Classical

Texts

Muhiddin Nurullayev

Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature named after Alisher Navoi, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Keywords. Quran, Dialectic, Form, Meaning, Unity, Harmony, Translator, Originality, Target Language, Literal,

Classical Arabic, Uzbek, Sentence, Word, Adequacy.

Abstract. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the form and content of translations of Arabic classical texts. It

explores the work of translators of Surah al-Mulk, based on the 20th-century Uzbek translations by Mawlawi

Hindistani, Altynkhan Tor, Sheikh Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf, Alauddin Mansur, and Sheikh

Abdulaziz Mansur. The issues of unity and harmony between form and content occupy a special place in the

analysis of the Uzbek translation of Surah al-Mulk.

1 INTRODUCTION

Every piece of art is a dialectical unity of form and

content. Consequently, the task of the translator is not

only to convey the original content in the target

language but also to find an appropriate form. This

process undoubtedly demands significant skill and

care from the translator. However, we maintain that

the essence of the work comes first, followed by the

form.

To clarify, we are not suggesting that the content

should be prioritised and the form neglected. Rather,

we are proposing that a translator should first seek to

understand what the author is trying to convey,

comprehend its meaning, and then attempt to find a

suitable form in the target language.

We would like to highlight that significant differences

can be noted between a translation by someone who

concentrates on this process and another who does not

pay much attention, merely aiming for a direct

translation from start to finish. Should we examine

the translations of the Surah "Mulk" into Uzbek, we

would find that this process has not been followed in

some instances. These variances in the translation

process might lead the reader to ponder on a particular

verse, to seek further information to understand the

Corresponding author

meaning, or even to refer to other translated texts,

and, as a result, they might gain unexpected insights.

Mavlaviy Hindiston, for example, translated it as:

"He created the seven heavens one after the other.

You do not see any defect in God's creation of the

heavens. So, look again at the sky, do you see any

cracks or holes in it?" [Sheikh Muhammadjon is the

son of Mullah Rustam. (2022)].

2 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

In the translation, the form is well-preserved, but the

phrase "made by the people" hinders achieving

complete adequacy. The issue lies in the fact that the

phrase "the people did" cannot convey the intended

meaning of the Arabic word in the contemporary

language. The phrase might resonate with a specific

audience but for the masses, the universally

understood word “created” should be employed

instead. This translator masterfully linked verses 13-

14 of this surah, making the meanings of the two

verses comprehensible, except for a small

interpretative note added in between. As any

translation invariably incorporates elements of

interpretation, translation can be regarded as

interpretation to a certain degree.

Nurullayev, M.

Unity of Form and Content in Translations of Arabic Classical Texts.

DOI: 10.5220/0012488000003792

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 1st Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR 2023), pages 377-380

ISBN: 978-989-758-687-3

377

“Whether you speak openly or secretly, Allah knows

best. Indeed, Allah is Wise (Knower) of the heart's

hidden secrets. After all, does He who created the

heart not know its secrets? Indeed, Allah knows the

truth of everything and is aware of it” [Sheikh

Muhammadjon is the son of Mullah Rustam. (2022)].

The ending of verse 13 and the beginning of verse 14

are well-crafted to complement each other in terms of

meaning. If we translate while strictly preserving the

form of these parts, our sentence would appear

incomplete, like a sentence cut off prematurely. It is

precisely to avoid this potential deficiency that the

translator uses the word “heart” again as a filler.

While it is crucial that the flow of meaning in the

translation should complement each other, this

translation cannot be deemed fully adequate. If the

phrase “Whether you speak publicly or secretly,

Allah knows” were removed from this translation and

the remaining sentence combined with the next

translation, uniformity of form would have been

maintained.

Let's examine how these verses are depicted in Sheikh

Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf's translation.

“{13}Whether you keep your words in secret or speak

openly, surely, He knows what is in the hearts.

{14}Doesn't the Creator know? However, He is the

All-Knowing and the Aware” [Sheikh Muhammad

Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf. (2007).].

This translation can be considered congruent with the

original, both in terms of form and content. There are

no extra explanatory words in the translation, and its

semantic structure mirrors that of the original.

The translations by Sheikh Abdulaziz Mansur and

Alauddin Mansur are almost identical, presenting

form and content that closely align with the original.

Altinkhan Tora (Sayyid Mahmud ibn Sayyid Nazir al-

Tarazi al-Madani) translated these verses without

altering the placement of any words, i.e., preserving

their form.

“{13}(O people), hide your words or reveal them, for

He knows all the secrets of the hearts!

{14}Oh, don't you know that Allah created and He is

the knower of secrets and aware of everything?”

[Sayyid Mahmud ibn Sayyid Nazir al-Tarazi Al-

Madani. (2002)].

In this translation, each word is presented separately,

even the interrogative pronouns, and the reflexive

pronouns, which are inseparable in Arabic, are

isolated, all the while maintaining their original

placement. Implementing the translation in this

manner somewhat draws the reader's attention to the

narrative, but it is inevitable that this method presents

numerous challenges and potential

misunderstandings concerning comprehension.

"Oh, are you certain that Allah in the sky will follow

you? So, at that moment, he is moving".

"Or are you convinced that Allah in the sky will send

you a storm of small stones, then you will quickly

realise that My threats are not idle" [Sayyid Mahmud

ibn Sayyid Nazir al-Tarazi Al-Madani. (2002)].

In these verses, each word retains its original position,

forming the sentences therein. However, the

translation was somewhat unclear because the

sentence structures of Arabic and Uzbek are distinctly

different.

The translations by Mahjuri, the son of Muhammad

Khan Mulla Ishaq Qari, were undertaken expansively

with the translator aiming to convey the essence of

the Qur'an. While focusing on the content, attention

was not only paid to the meaning of the specific word,

but also to the intended meaning behind that word,

approaching it in depth.

{16} "Oh, you who disbelieve in Allah and His

commandments, have you become complacent that if

you do not submit to the command of Allah, who

sends His rule to the heavens, He will swallow the

earth in His wrath? As the earth swallows those who

are angry, it shakes, engulfing them within and

annihilating them in punishment. If He wishes, He

will do so. (For instance, during the time of Prophet

Musa, Qarun incurred His wrath and was swallowed

by the earth)”.

{17}“Or have you become assured? Are you not

afraid that when the wrath of the Almighty, whose

power and anger persist in the sky, comes, it will rain

stones upon you? Can't you imagine this? For

instance, He rained stones upon the people of Prophet

Lut. This is easy for the Almighty Allah. If He

becomes angry, He may send the same catastrophe

upon you, O disbelievers. If such a catastrophe befalls

you, then you will understand how terrifying my

punishment can be at that time. But He says that what

you come to know will not benefit you. (This did not

benefit Pharaoh)” [4-5].

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In translating the verse, the translator aimed to

provide a comprehensive and detailed rendition,

drawing on his knowledge and interpretations.

Although the translated form diverges from the

original, the translator has not strayed from the

scope of the core content expressed by the original

form in his broad and detailed translation.

Upon comparing how Sheikh Muhammad Sadiq

Muhammad Yusuf, Sheikh Alauddin Mansur, and

Sheikh Abdulaziz interpreted the aforementioned

verses - that is, verses 16-17 - and how they

translated the words ﺍ

ﺫ

ﺇ and ﻢ

ﺘﻨ

ﻣ

ﺃ

ﺃ in verse 16, and

the words

ﻣ

ﺃ

ﻡ

ﺃ ﻢ

ﺘﻨ in verse 17, it becomes evident

that Sheikh Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad

Yusuf's interpretation of verse 16 is as follows:

{16} “Did you find solace when Allah in heaven

swallowed you up on the earth, writhing in

torment?" and verse 17:

{17} "Or were you spared when Allah in heaven

sent a tormenting wind your way? Consequently,

you will surely understand the nature of the

warning" [5, 617]. He interpreted the word as an

adjective related to the earth, and in both verses

translated it as "are you safe?".

{16} "(O disbelievers of Makkah), are you calm

(are you not afraid) that the One in the sky will

swallow you up on the earth, and suddenly (the

earth) will shake (destroy you)?", and verse 17

{17} "Or are you at ease with the 'heavenly' being

raining stones upon you?! Yet (when the

tribulation comes), you will understand the nature

of my warning!" [6, 767]. He translated the word

ﺍ

ﺫ

ﺇ in verse 16 as "suddenly".

Sheikh Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf's

translation is distinct, while the translations of

Sheikh Abdulaziz Mansur and Sheikh Alauddin

Mansur bear a striking resemblance to each other.

This similarity between the latter two translators'

renditions is evident in the fact that both of them

translated the word ﺍ

ﺫ

ﺇ as "suddenly" and "shelter"

- terms with similar meanings - and the other

terms as "peaceful". In contrast, Sheikh

Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf's translation

of the word ﺍ

ﺫ

ﺇ as a determinant deviate not only

from the translations of the other two translators

but also from all the meanings of ﺍ

ﺫ

ﺇ we have

encountered so far. Moreover, assigning the term

the meaning of "to be calm" rather than "to be

safe" effectively elucidates the sentence's

intended meaning.

Simultaneously, Shaykh Muhammad Sadiq

Muhammad Yusuf's translation of the word in

verse 17 as a "wind of torment" significantly

diverges from the subsequent two translations.

Sheikh Abdulaziz Mansur and Sheikh Alauddin

Mansur translated this word as "stone". Upon

examining the dictionary definition of this word,

it signifies a "strong storm, strong wind", and

concurrently, the verb form of this word also

implies "to throw stones". The interpretation of

this verse in "Tafsiri Jalalain" is given as [7],

The translation of this tafsir is as follows:

"Preventing a wind that hurls stones at you, that

is, it rains stones upon you." Based on this, it

could be inferred that the translators approached

this sentence with a more generalised

interpretation. This is because both a rain of

stones and a fierce wind are equally distressing

for people.

3 CONCLUSION

The translations of Shaykh Abdulaziz Mansour and

Shaykh Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf nearly

align with the form and content of the original. The

use of the term "nearly" is due to the universal

consensus among Islamic scholars that no translation,

regardless of its sophistication, can ever replace the

original text of the Quran. Consequently, while the

translations are expertly crafted, they can be

considered close to, rather than identical to, the

original.

Shaykh Alauddin Mansur's translation almost

matches in form and content to Shaykh Abdulaziz

Mansur's version; the difference lies in that some

words are elucidated in brackets within the

translations.

In Mahjuri's translation, the primary focus is on the

interpretation, causing the form to considerably

deviate from the original. The content, however, is

very comprehensive and detailed.

In the translations of Mawlawi Hindistani, the

explanation is rendered in simple language to ensure

it is easily comprehensible and rapidly assimilated by

the populace.

In the translations by Oltinkhan Tora, the verses are

translated verbatim, with the sentence structure of the

original language and the translated language being

Unity of Form and Content in Translations of Arabic Classical Texts

379

identical. Consequently, it can be challenging for the

average person to understand the translation.

Nevertheless, such "literal translations can be

procured exclusively in the verses of the Quran, i.e.,

translations provided along with the original, and can

yield practical benefits in Quranic studies. However,

it is impossible to derive a word-for-word translation

without the original" [6, 3].

REFERENCES

Sheikh Muhammadjon is the son of Mullah Rustam.

(2022).Bayan un-furqan fi biyayattil-quran. “Munir”

publishing house. – Tashkent.

Sheikh Muhammad Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf. (2007).

Tafsir Hilal. Chapter 6. “Sharq” publishing house. –

Tashkent.

Sayyid Mahmud ibn Sayyid Nazir al-Tarazi Al-Madani.

(2002). Translation and commentaries of the meanings

of AL-QURAAN AL-KARIM. “Fan” publishing

house. – Tashkent.

Muhammad Khan Mulla Ishaq Qari's son (Mahjuri).

(2004). Commentary on Surahs Fatiha, Yasin, Taborak

and Amma. "Movarounnahr" publishing house. –

Tashkent.– pp. 16-17.

Abdulaziz Mansur. 92001). Translation of the meanings of

the Holy Quraan. “Tashkent Islamic University”

publishing house. – Tashkent.– p. 617

Alauddin Mansur. (2004). Quranic translation in Uzbek. –

Tashkent.– p.767.

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