Why we need to be careful before we mention Quranic verses and Ahadith
Assalamoalaikum readers.
I have been
reflecting about various events happening around me and have been working on
quite a few write-ups-some of which require detailed research too. So I decided
that I not hurry and give the write-ups their due time. Hence, the delay. However, there has been
one thing, which I feel, demands a little urgency.
Alhamdulillah, in most of our Islamic and tarbiyah-based gatherings, we discuss Quranic verses and ahadith. However, neither do we mention the Arabic of it, nor do we, in most cases, adequately read the commentaries on verses and ahadith done by scholars in voluminous books.
This
is where we are usually mistaken. While translating them into our own language, we
fail to convey what they could have meant originally in Arabic, we fail to realize their context of origin, and underestimate how our
own version of translation can not only decrease the effect, but in fact give
it a meaning, which, sometimes, goes against the fundamental beliefs of Islam.
Unarguably, this is a problem with our lack of knowledge regarding the ahadith and verses, unfamiliarity with the Arabic language, and the inability of a new language to always possess exactly the same meaning that was intended originally. Therefore, only after reading commentaries and explanations, can we grasp the true meaning of what we assume to have understood already.
As a student of knowledge, I have realized that there is a high probability of misunderstanding a hadith or a Quranic verse, if not read under the guidance of expert teachers or with credible books brought forward by the rightful scholars of this ummah.
In order to
understand this in its entirety, we first need to understand a few basic
principles of Islam mentioned in the Quran. For example, One of the most fundamental beliefs derived from the verse no.11 of Surah Shura “-لَیْسَ كَمِثْلِهٖ شَیْءٌۚ
, is, that Allah is free and pure from any such traits and qualities that are
the qualities of his creation. Which means that Allah is free from space, directions, picture, parts of body, movements(sitting, standing), stillness, and any other qualities of creation that can possibly come to a human being’s mind.
I would also like to mention a few authentic tafaseer (commentaries
on this verse) and a few quotations mentioned by scholars, the roots of which
can be traced back to this verse.
Tafseer Qurtubi mentions
وقد قال بعض العلماء المحققين : التوحيد إثبات ذات غير مشبهة
للذوات ولا معطلة من الصفات . وزاد الواسطي رحمه الله بيانا فقال : ليس كذاته ذات
، ولا كاسمه اسم ، ولا كفعله فعل ، ولا كصفته صفة إلا من جهة موافقة اللفظ ، وجلت
الذات القديمة أن يكون لها صفة حديثة ، كما استحال أن يكون للذات المحدثة صفة
قديمة . وهذا كله مذهب أهل الحق والسنة والجماعة . - رضي الله عنهم
Translation:
Some of the well-versed scholars have said: Tawḥīd (monotheism) is the
affirmation of an Essence that is neither comparable to other essences nor
stripped of attributes.
Al-Wāsiṭī
(may Allah have mercy on him) further clarified this by saying: There is no
essence like His Essence, no name like His Name, no action like His Action, and
no attribute like His Attribute — except in terms of the similarity of wording.
The Eternal Essence is far above possessing a newly-arising attribute, just as
it is impossible for a created essence to possess an eternal attribute. “And
all of this is the doctrine of the people of truth, the people of Sunnah, and the
(united) community — may Allah be pleased with them!
Tafseer ibn Kaseer
ليس كمثله شيء
) أي : ليس كخالق الأزواج كلها شيء ; لأنه الفرد الصمد الذي لا نظير له)
“There is
nothing like unto Him” — meaning:
There is nothing like the Creator of all pairs, for He is the Unique,
the Self-Sufficient
(Aṣ-Ṣamad), the One who has no equal or counterpart.
Tafseer ul Jalalain
{لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْء} الْكَاف زَائِدَة
لِأَنَّهُ تَعَالَى لَا مِثْل لَهُ
The mentioned verse, meaning :nothing is like him
This the principle to be found avidly in the words of companions and later in the works of rightful
ulemas.
The scholar Imam Abdul Ghani-An-Nablusi writes in his poetic way:
لا
ذاته يشبه للذوات
ولا حكت صفاته الصفات
In light of the above stated verse and its commentaries, the ulemas do not allow that translations of such verses to be done casually or with words that may seem to be the appropriate choice in Urdu or English but are are inappropriate to be used for Allah سبحانہ و تعالی .
Meaning, this ayah calls for the belief regarding Allah to be free from any similarity to the creation and then secondly calls for appropriate
translations to be made. An example, could be the translation of the ayah of surah Noor: “اللَّهُ نُورُ
السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ,
consisting of the word نور (literal translation of this word is ‘light)
Now, since
light itself is created by Allah, how is it possible that he is perceived to
be the light himself. In easy words, how can the creator be the created?
This the reason,
most scholars have had quite a strong position in translating these verses and
have not permitted translations like”Allah is the light”. All
commentaries explicitly mention, that light over here is in the meaning of
‘enlightens’ that Allah is the one who enlightens the heavens and the earth.
Few of these commentaries have been stated below for reference.
Tafseer ul Jalalain
{اللَّه
نُور السَّمَاوَات وَالْأَرْض} أَيْ مُنَوِّرهمَا بِالشَّمْسِ وَالْقَمَر
The
verse: meaning: Allah is the enlightener of heavens and earth through the sun and
moon
Tafseer ul-Kabeer
by imam Razi
معنى كونه نور السموات والأرض أنه هادي أهل السموات وَالْأَرْضِ
The
meaning of him being نور means he is the one who guides the people of the
heavens and earth
Tafseer-ul-Bagwi
{اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ} قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: هَادِي أَهْلِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، فَهُمْ بِنُورِهِ إِلَى الْحَقِّ يَهْتَدُونَ وَبِهُدَاهُ مِنَ الضَّلَالَةِ يَنْجُونَ. وَقَالَ الضحاك: منوّر السموات وَالْأَرْضِ، يُقَالُ: نَوَّرَ السَّمَاءَ بِالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَنَوَّرَ الْأَرْضَ بِالْأَنْبِيَاءِ. وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: مُدَبِّرُ الأمور في السموات وَالْأَرْضِ (1) وَقَالَ أُبَيُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ وَالْحَسَنُ وَأَبُو العالية: مزِّين السموات وَالْأَرْضِ، زَيَّنَ السَّمَاءَ بِالشَّمْسِ وَالْقَمَرِ وَالنُّجُومِ، وَزَيَّنَ الْأَرْضَ بِالْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْعُلَمَاءِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ.
Ibn ‘Abbas said: [This means] He is the Guide of the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth; through His light they are guided to the truth, and by His guidance they are saved from misguidance.
Al-Dahhak said: He is the Illuminator of the heavens and the earth. It is said: He illuminated the sky with the angels, and He illuminated the earth with the prophets.
Mujahid said: He is the One who manages the affairs of the heavens and the earth.
Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Al-Hasan, and Abu Al-‘Aliyah said: He is the One who beautified the heavens and the earth. He adorned the sky with the sun, moon, and stars, and He adorned the earth with the prophets, scholars, and believers.
Amongst the many examples of Quran and hadith, another one could be found in verse number 7 of surah Muhammad
اِنْ تَنْصُرُوا اللّٰهَ یَنْصُرْكُمْ
The literal translation
of the word Nasr is helping. However, since Allah is absolutely free from
needing or wanting any help (that is the trait of creation), the literal translation may not be appropriate in
our language, leading a muslim-who’s unversed of Islamic teachings and belief
system- to the incorrect belief that Allah can be helped, Astaghfirullah. This is the
reason, you find the commentaries mentioning that, helping ‘Allah’ should not
be translated directly, in fact the word, helping the’deen of Allah’ or the ‘Prophet
of Allah’ must be said alongside. Following are a few references
Tafseer Qurtubi
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَنْصُرُوا اللَّهَ
يَنْصُرْكُمْ" أَيْ إِنْ تَنْصُرُوا دِينَ اللَّهِ يَنْصُرُكُمْ عَلَى
الْكُفَّار
The verse: meaning, if you help Allah’s deen,
Allah will help you against the non-believers
Tafseer-ul-Jalalain
{يأيها
الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إنْ تَنْصُرُوا اللَّه} أَيْ دِينه وَرَسُوله {يَنْصُركُمْ}
عَلَى عَدُوّكُمْ
The verse:
meaning: If you help his deen and his Prophetﷺ, Allah will help you against your
enemies
Tafseer Kabeer
الْأَوَّلُ: إِنْ تَنْصُرُوا دِينَ
اللَّهِ وَطَرِيقَه
The first: that you help the deen of Allah and his way
I do admit, that majority of people may have an adequate understanding of the belief system of Islam and may not mean words literally even if they use them in translations. However, it has to be acknowledged that words have their impact, no matter how much denied. There must have been some reason why the muhaddiseen, mufassirin, and commentators used to work tirelessly to produce volumes of shuruhoot. Hence, overlooking it, under the shadow of ‘we don’t intend this’ may not be a very good idea, and in fact be fatal to the eman sometimes. May Allah protect our eman.
likewise, somebody might put forward the argument, that if a certain word has been mentioned in Arabic, why can we not use the literal translation of it. The problem here does not lie in the word itself. The problem is our lack of comprehension of the Arabic language and its phonetics. For example, a certain word in Arabic may have 15 literal translations. Unless you ask a learned person, how do you know which to opt for. The vastness of Arabic language is unmatchable by other languages. The safest is, as the Quran says: فَسْــٴَـلُـوْۤا اَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُوْنَ(If you don't know, ask the people of knowledge)
Similarly, when we see a hadith that, when translated in our language may not be translated in the way that most Muhaddiseen thought of it or the way the companions used to understand it, then we have to make sure that we add those words mentioned in the shuroohat of the hadith for clarity. I am mentioning an example for depth of understanding
قَوْلُهُ صلى الله عليه وسلم (يَضْحَكُ اللَّهُ إِلَى
رَجُلَيْنِ يَقْتُلُ أَحَدُهُمَا الْآخَرَ كِلَاهُمَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ
صحیح مسلم:(1890)
Mentioned above is some portion of a complete hadith in
sahih muslim. This tradition consists of the word ضحک for Allah, which
literally means laughing. Since we are aware that laughing is the trait of
creation and Allah is the creator, hence we understand that the word “ضحک”
should either be kept in Arabic only, with rest of the hadith translated accordingly. Or we
look into the shuroohat of the famous scholars. One of the most eminent is Imam
Nawawi who mentions under the commentary of this hadith
الضَّحِكُ هُنَا اسْتِعَارَةٌ فِي حَقِّ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى
لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَجُوزُ عَلَيْهِ سُبْحَانَهُ الضَّحِكُ الْمَعْرُوفُ فِي حَقِّنَا
لِأَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا يَصِحُّ مِنَ الْأَجْسَامِ وَمِمَّنْ يَجُوزُ عَلَيْهِ
تَغَيُّرُ الْحَالَاتِ وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى مُنَزَّهٌ عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَإِنَّمَا
الْمُرَادُ بِهِ الرِّضَا بِفِعْلِهِمَا وَالثَّوَابُ عَلَيْهِ وَحَمْدُ
فِعْلِهِمَا وَمَحَبَّتُهُ
Laughter here is a metaphor when attributed to Allah, the Exalted, because
the kind of laughter known to us is not applicable to Him—glory be to Him—since
it only occurs in bodies and in those subject to changes of state, and Allah,
the Exalted, is far above such things. Rather, what is meant by it is His
approval of their action, His reward for it, His praise of their deed, and His
love for it."
Same should be done for ahadith mentioning the word اتيته هرولة(literally translated as: I come to him running)’ for Allah, or the one that says Allah is جمیل and other relevant examples. Since running or taking steps are the traits of creation, scholars have forbidden from the hadith to be translated literally and hence have offered the appropriate translations in commentaries.
Before we move on, I would like to add that this is ,indeed, a worthwhile matter. My writing style or approach may not have been able to sufficiently convey that, but I would beseech you all to not resort to translations of any verse or hadith without having read the translation and the explanation of it in detail, by rightful ulemas. Otherwise, the chances of error are unpredictably high.
In short, if you find a word, which does not seem to be an appropriate usage after being translated, the way to go is:
1) Do not translate the word and
let it stay in Arabic only
OR
2) Translate it with words that provide clarity by the commentators.
It is understandable that this will take a lot of time and research before even stating one hadith, hence, I remind you of the saying of Hazrat Ali رضی اللی عنہ who said” I can fill 70 camels with the tafseer of surah Fatiha alone.
Based on the above discussion, it is quite clear that one should be extremely careful while translating the
verses and ahadith and in most cases should not resort to self-translated
versions, and in fact should only quote translations by the rightful and agreed-upon
ulemas
If you are somebody who mentions the verses and
ahadith frequently or you are interested in the correct interpretation of them, and if you are fluent in Arabic and Urdu, you can use the
following references for Arabic
Tafseer-Al-Kabir
Tafseer-AL-Jalalain
Tafseer AL-Qurtubi
For commentaries on Ahadith
Fath-ul-Bari by Ibn Hajr A-Asqalani
Umdatul Qari by Allama Badrudin AL-Ayni
Sharah Nawawi by Imam Nawawi
Al-Mirqat by Mullah Ali Qari
For urdu translation, tafaseer and commentaries
Tibyan-ul-Quran
Sirat-ul-Jinan
Khazain-ul-Irfan
Kanzul-Eman
Naimat-ul-Bari
Sharah Sahih muslim by Allama Gulam Rasool
Saeedi
Miraat-ul-Manajeeh by mufti Ahmed Yar Khan
Naeemi (sharah of Mishkat ul-Masabeeh)
May Allah keep us on the right path. Ameen
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