Translating the Multiple Meanings of the Lexical Item “Al-Haq” in the Glorious Qur'an into English
Qusai Basheer Ibrahim
Dept. of Translation / College of Arts/ University of Mosul
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25130/jls.6.2.12
Keywords: Al-Haq, Multiple Meanings, Ambiguity, Qur’an, Translation
Abstract
Multiplicity of meaning is one of the most fundamental issues observed in the Quranic language. This phenomenon does not exist without ambiguity, which can be perceived by translators as a problem to be solved or a natural issue to be ignored. This study is an attempt to show how these multiple meanings are conveyed into English by four reputable translators, Hilali & khan, Pickthall, Sarwar, and Ali through an in- depth analysis of different ayahs containing the Quranic term “Al-Haq.” The main objective is to answer the following question: Should the translator use the same English word for the Arabic word Al-Haq which has different meanings? Driven by "faithfulness" and ethical motives, the translators maintain the original ambiguity out of respect to the text despite the possible loss of clarity. As a result, a literal translation is adopted and the ambiguity is retained or sometimes signaled by explanatory footnotes or paraphrasing. Despite the fact that linguists look at the situational and linguistic contexts as integrative and interrelated, the study shows that the situational context should take priority over the linguistic one in realizing the intended meaning.
