The debate over translating the Qur'an and praying in translation
مسألة ترجمة القرآن الكريم وإقامة الصلاة بالترجمة
In Arslan's commentary, scholars disagree over translating the Qur'an and praying in other languages. He reports that Hanafis and Hanbalis permitted translation for teaching and explanation, a Shafi'i opinion did the same, and Malik forbade it; reading or writing the scripture in another language is forbidden. He reports the dispute flared in Turkey in 1932 when some began praying in Turkish. The entry records these positions as the commentator reports them; Arslan's own preference is for keeping the Arabic text.
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Overview
In his commentary on The Present State of the Islamic World, Shakib Arslan presents the debate among scholars on translating the Qur'an into languages other than Arabic, and on performing prayer in them. He sets out the views as they are transmitted, and inclines to his own view that the Arabic text must be preserved. 1
The views as transmitted
He mentions that the Hanafis and the Hanbalis permitted its translation for teaching and explanation, that al-Shafi'i permitted it in one view, and that Malik forbade it. He mentions that reciting it in a language other than Arabic, writing the codex in another language, or in a script other than the Uthmanic, is forbidden. 1
He mentions that the question grew heated in Turkey in 1932, when some people began to pray in Turkish. 1
A further source is needed: the attribution of the views to the schools needs checking in the books of jurisprudence, and the report on Turkey needs a second source.
Sources
- Stoddard, Hadir al-ʿalam al-islami (Arabic translation with Arslan's commentary)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The debate over translating the Qur'an and praying in translation”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/quran-translation-debate/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.