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A Critical Analysis of the Translation of the Negative Causality Structure "ʾan + Present Verb" in the Holy Qur'an
(Case Study: 30 Persian Translations of the Qur'an)
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Mohammad Saeed Bilkar1   , Mahdiar Shirazi Farashah |
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Abstract: (52 Views) |
| One of the most crucial foundations for correctly understanding the Holy Qur'an is syntactic analysis of its verses and accurate identification of the structures employed within them—an endeavor that directly impacts the clarity and accuracy of its translation. Among the syntactically challenging structures found in the Qur'an is the seemingly positive but actually negative causal construction formed by "ʾan + present verb." The Basran and Kufan grammarians have proposed different interpretive approaches to this structure: the Basrans suggest an implicit accusative of cause, such as karāhatan or makhāfatan (i.e., “out of dislike/fear of…”), while the Kufans argue for an elliptical negative particle lā (i.e., “so as not to…”). This study first identifies all Qur'anic occurrences of this structure, and then critically analyzes how it has been translated in 30 different Persian renditions of the Qur'an. Six particularly challenging verses are examined in detail. The results show that the highest application of the Kufan approach is found in Haddad Adel’s Translation, with 22 out of 30 instances (73.33%). The Basran approach is most prominently represented in Dehlavi’s Translation, with 11 out of 30 cases (36.67%). The most frequent mistranslations occur in the Tafsir al-Tabari Translation (16 out of 30; 53.33%), while the fewest are found in the Translations of Ansarian and Yazdi (only 1 error each; 3.3%). Furthermore, the Translation by Fayz al-Islam shows the greatest reliance on interpretations beyond the Basran and Kufan syntactic perspectives, with 11 out of 30 instances ((36.67%). The lack of a consistent pattern across translations suggests that translators’ approaches were driven more by contextual cues and the conventional reading of the verses than by adherence to established Basran or Kufan grammatical theories. |
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| Keywords: Negative Causality, Verbal Noun Clause, Kufan Grammar, Basran Grammar, Qur'anic Translation. |
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Full-Text [PDF 604 kb]
(24 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/05/18 | Accepted: 2025/03/17 | Published: 2025/03/17
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