Introduction to the Study of The Holy Quran — Page 2
2 have added explanatory notes to our translation. But even these are not comprehensive. They do not bring out the full sense of the text, but they compensate to some extent for the limitations of the translation. Under ‘Important Words’ we have indicated the breadth of meanings which the text possesses; and, for this, we have drawn on lexicons regarded as standard not only by Muslims but also by Arabic- speaking non-Muslims. We trust that a study of this material will deepen the reader’s insight into our translation, and convince him that the sense we have sought to put into the Arabic original is not arbitrary but is based upon accepted Arabic usage and canon. The reader with no knowledge of Arabic should feel assured that our rendering, though unacceptable to some, is based on sound Arabic usage and can be dismissed only if evidence of other parts of the Quran or of sound Arabic usage points to the contrary. Special Features of this Commentary Having said so much about our translation, we wish to say something about our commentary. Commentaries of the Quran are already many, and an addition to their number seems hard to justify. But we have good reasons for attempting and presenting a new commentary. They are: (i) As we have said, Arabic words possess an extraordinary breadth of meaning. A translation consequently can adopt only one of all possible meanings. It was necessary, therefore, to append notes to the translation, and indicate other possible meanings of the text. (ii) All the large and systematic commentaries of the Quran are in Arabic, and it should be obvious that those who cannot read the Quran in Arabic can make no use of these commentaries. (iii) Explanatory notes added to their translations by non-Muslim authors are inadequate for two reasons: (a) They have been influenced by the writings of the opponents of Islam; (b) Their authors had no knowledge of Arabic, or very little. They were unable to read the larger and more reliable commentaries. To these commentaries, therefore, European translators make no reference. They refer only to the minor and more popular commentaries. If there is a reference to any of the larger works, it is taken from another work, not from the original. (iv) Comprehension of any systematic or scientific book requires knowledge not only of the language in which the book is written and of the commentaries on the book which experts in the language or in the subject may have written. It also requires close study of the book itself and insight into the terminology, idiom and fundamentals which the book employs and from which its contents derive their significance. Those who seek to interpret the book without a study of the book itself will have little help from the commentaries. European translators and commentators