<< 1) Is that a fair statement to make that unless one truly understands the Arabic language, one can not understand what God meant to say through his words in Quran. >>
There are many sources which can help one to understand the Quran. I don't know if it's fair to say that one cannot understand what God meant to say, but, yes, the full meaning can be best understood by those who have learned Arabic. Muslims should strive to learn Arabic so they can more fully appreciate and understand the Quran.
<< I assume Muhammad Asad is a scholar who knows the Arabic and English language well. >>
Yes, I believe he was an Austrian Jew who converted to Islam. He learned Arabic and lived with the bedouins in Arabia for many years to learn their nuanced Arabic dialect. What I like about his translation is the detailed commentary which goes along with it. He references many Islamic scholars, the Hadith, and historical context to help elaborate on his translation. He also presents the Arabic root of a word and its context to help explain why he chose one English word over another in his translation.
<< Yet literally every translation of Quran I have come across (including the one provided by the The Institute of Islamic and Arabic Sciences in America iiasa.org
And the Islamic Affairs Department of The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia iad.org) differe greatly from what Mr. Asad’s version of Quran.. And the interesting part is that all those translations very much imply the same thing while Mr. Asad’s translation is somewhat different in tone. >>
I am not as familiar with how those translations were compiled. They may be strict, literal translations which don't take into account the nuances and the importance of context in the Arabic language. Also, they may not have used other Islamic scholars' works as references for their compilations. I've found that the commentary/footnotes are crucial in understanding an English translation of the Quran, so I try not to read translations which do not contain them.
<< 2) Quran is claimed to be a timeless book from God for all human beings of all cultures, languages, and nations on this planet. If people like myself, and many others (including Muslims) do not know the Arabic language well (as you do) how can we come to understand what Quran talks about? >>
Translations can never do justice to the original. That is just a fact. If it's not clear what a translated verse of the Quran means, one should turn to another source for an explanation. There are many books which have been published, and I'm sure the Imam at a local mosque would be happy to help.
All Muslims should strive to learn Arabic so they can understand the Quran in its native language.
<< Furthermore even after understanding it how can we avoid misinterpreting it? There is a fine line in understanding a set of words and statement, and then interpreting those set of words and statements and put them in a context? Do you see my point? >>
I see your point, but there are many great Islamic scholars to whom one can refer to help one's understanding.
<< Therefore and in all seriousness how can one truly understand what Quran means to imply and to understand it properly? Should the word of God be that complicated to comprehend and to understand? >>
The Quran addresses both simple and complex topics. Naturally, there will be some verses that require deeper analysis to fully understand. A lot of the complexity, however, is a byproduct of translating the Arabic into English. By and large, the majority of the Quran (in the English translation) is not at all hard to understand.
There are several guiding principles which are repeated throughout the Quran. Usually, by applying those principles, many of the questions which may arise about a verse's translation can be answered.
<< In otherwords, Quran is open for interpretation by many people in many different ways. Logically however, anything that is open for interpretation is not pure as I am sure you also agree with this. Therefore and based on the assumption that God is pure and flawless, how can one attribute Quran to be the word of God since it (Quran) is not flawless due to it being open to different interpretations? >>
Well, we're discussing different interpretations of the English translation. That is always going to be open to interpretation since man cannot make a perfect translation of the Quran. That is why it is important for Muslims to try and learn Arabic. The only time I've been aware of differing interpretations of the Arabic is when there was a motive behind the improper interpretation (for instance, the terrorists wanting to justify their actions by taking verses out of context). |
