God’s Message
Cont’d from page 1
English Translation of the Quran
There are many translations of the Quran into English. One of
these translations is by Dr. Rashad Khalifa, which he calls the
Authorized Translation of the Quran. People who read this translation
agree that this is the clearest translation to English, as compared
to the works of other translators.
Some people scoff at Dr. Khalifa’s assertion that it was
an authorized translation. They ask the question as to whom he was
authorized by. The answer is in the Quran given in 81:19-20 which
states that he was authorized by the Possessor of the Throne, fully
supported. We know that God supported him with the discovery of
the Quran’s mathematical composition. A proof that the Quran
is God’s unaltered words to humanity. Thus his translation
into English reflects the truth, guidance and inspiration he has
received from the Most Gracious.
Did he make any mistakes or changes in his translation? Of course
he did; no human being is perfect. He had two complete translations
published in his lifetime, one in 1982, the other in 1989. He kept
updating his translation as he went over the verses, and as God
inspired him with more knowledge and information, until it was time
for him to return to His Lord. The major question is whether there
are mistakes in his translation to the point of misleading people.
Is there a blasphemy to God in it? Are there mistranslated verses
critical to our salvation? The answer is no.
It is an unarguable fact that Dr. Khalifa’s translation
is the clearest and most modern English translation of all. Therefore,
for an English speaker who does not know Arabic, his translation
is a blessing from God. Even some submitters whose |
mother tongue is Arabic admit that they
greatly benefit from the translation. In fact English is now becoming
a universal language taught and spoken on all continents of this
world, the language used by people all over the world to communicate
across borders. Therefore, it becomes more obvious why God blessed
the world with a clear English translation of the Quran in this
era.
God is the Teacher of the Quran
God’s own words in the Quran are in Arabic. It is the truth
from God. People who do not understand Arabic rely on the translation
of the Quran to understand its meaning. But ultimately it is God
who teaches us the Quran (55:2). Whether we are experts in Arabic
language, or we have the clearest translation in front us, we will
not be able to get the true meaning of the verses unless we are
sincere (56:79). God controls our hearts and minds; He knows our
innermost thoughts, and whether we are sincere or not. If we are
sincere, He leads us to find the
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whether we are sincere or not. If we
are sincere, He leads us to find the truth regardless of our circumstances.
Appendices and Footnotes
Since God is the teacher of the Quran, He can guide a sincere person
to the truth with or without a translation; with a good translation
or a lousy translation. It does not matter. God has His own ways
to guide people. On the other hand, if a person is not sincere,
God will put an invisible barrier around him so that he will not
be able to understand a word of the Quran even if he is a master
of the Arabic language (17:45). That is God’s system. God
Almighty knows our innermost thoughts and what kind of decision
we made in submitting to Him. This is something we, ourselves, may
not even be aware of. Therefore, He guides us or sends us astray
in accordance with this knowledge.
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