A Hebrew-Skopos Approach to Translating muqaÏÏa‘Ét in the Qur’Énic Oaths

Abstract

In Qur’Én translations, the muqaÏÏa‘?t offer their audience a fertile ground for debate because of the absence of unanimous agreement on their meanings and function in the original Arabic text. To address the problem, this article presents a different approach to interpret the muqaÏÏa‘?t in Arabic and then attempts to convey this meaning in the translation of the Qur’Én. The new translation is more intelligible than the current transliterations or ambiguous statements found in many versions. This aim is fulfilled by considering the translation studies (TS) perspective through its grounding in the skopos theory. Moreover, the Hebrew language, despite the rejection of early and recent Muslim scholars, is deemed pivotal to the elucidation of the muqaÏÏa‘?t. It highlights the role of muqaÏÏa‘?t in discharging the function of a thematic summary of what is to follow in a particular chapter (as introductory remarks to the entire content of a chapter). Hebrew evidences that translators of the Qur’Én should go beyond the literalist approach and Muslim scholars should deter inaccuracies driven from personal and intuitive attempts and contemplate resources beyond the Qur’Én.