I. INTRODUCTION: HOMONYMS AND OTHER COGNATES
I.III. Research questions
I.Ⅳ. Scope and limitations of the study
4. CHAPTER FOUR: DISCUSSION
In the following chapter, the researcher will sample controversial homonyms in the original Arabic text of the Holy Quran, followed by their English translations. Each homonymous word will be explained by reference to the above-mentioned lexicons and discussed in light of canonical compendia of exegesis. In this section, the researcher discusses the following homonyms: ‘sahir’, ‘asarru’, ‘salwa’, ‘najm’, Ill, ‘hafadah’ and ‘qaswara’.
4.1. Sahir
ََهُّيَأَاَيَاوُلاَقَو﴿
َُرِحاَّسلا فرخزلاَةروس(َ﴾ َنوُدَتْهُمَلَاَنَّنِإََكَدنِعََدِهَعَاَمِبََكَّبَرَاَنَلَُعْداَ 43
َ:
49 )
Translations:
• Pickthall: And they said: O wizard! Entreat thy Lord for us by the pact that He hath made with thee. Lo! We verily will walk aright.
• N. J. Dawood: “You, sorcerer,” they said, “pray for us to your Lord and invoke the promise He has made you. We will accept your guidance.”
• Yousef Ali: And they said “O thou Sorcerer! Invoke thy Lord for us according to His covenant with thee; for we shall truly accept guidance.”
• King Fahd Complex: And they said [to Mûsâ (Moses)]: “O you sorcerer! Invoke your Lord for us according to what He has covenanted with you. Verily, we shall guide ourselves (aright).”
Ibn Manzur interprets the term sahir as referring to an enchanter and scholar. Al-Zabidi defines it as a superb intellectual as well as a magician. Al-Razi defines the word as a
46 scholar. Lane defines it as an enchanter only and describes it as a person who creates false illusions in the form of truth and reality.
Al-Tabari argues that an intellectual and a scholar each used to be called a sahir. Al- Zamakhshari says that one might be confused after knowing that the tribe of the Israelites requested that the Prophet Moses pray to his God, saying that they would accept his guidance, and he wonders how one might be guided by a sahir. He then adds that this does not contradict the meaning of the term. Instead, it confirms it because they used to do so with scholars. Al-Razi concurred with both Al-Tabari and Zamakhshari. Al-Qurtubi stated that the followers of Moses used to call him so, either because they realized he had already defeated the Egyptian magicians by his own sihr or out of admiration when Moses knew what they meant and did not object. Al-Razi saw that the term sahir meant “scholar.” In conclusion, all four exegetes seemed to agree that sahir meant “scholar.”
The above case shows that the homonymous word has two semantically unrelated meanings. Pickthall interpreted it as “wizard” while N. J. Dawood, Yousef Ali, and the authorized translation of King Fahd Complex used “sorcerer.” These renditions deliver a wholly different meaning and also a different concept of Moses as Prophet. This is because the notion of prophethood contradicts the connotations of a wizard or sorcerer. The translators appear to have avoided going deeper into the meanings of the term sahir and its modern connotations.
Currently, the term sahir is rendered as “magician.” Both Al-Qurtubi and Al-Tabari noted that during the time of Prophet Moses and his foe, the pharaoh of Egypt, scholars were called “sorcerers,” which was neither offensive nor insulting then. Instead, it expressed respect and admiration for a well-educated person. On the other hand, Al-Razi
47 states that out of exaggeration, the people of Prophet Moses used to call skillful and proficient scholars sorcerers because they regarded sorcery with dignity and viewed it as both praiseworthy and glorious.
4.2. Asarru
﴿ اوُّر َسَ
أَو
ُ
﴾ َبا َذَعْلاُاهوَ
أَرُاَلَُ َة َما َدَنلاَ سنويُةروس(
:10 )54
ُ
Translations:
• Pickthall: And they will feel remorse within them, when they see the doom.
• N. J. Dawood: They will rue in secret when they behold the scourge.
• Yousef Ali: They would declare (their) repentance when they see the Penalty.
• King Fahd Complex: And they would feel in their hearts regret when they see the
torment.
Ibn Manzur argues that the verb asarru اورسأ in this particular verse may be taken to mean both declaring and concealing feelings. Though the word is lexically related to the word رس (secret), the context of the verse suggests otherwise. Thus, it seems more appropriate for the disbelievers to declare, rather than conceal, their regrets when they are faced with hellfire on the Day of Judgment. Al-Zabidi agrees with Ibn Manzur but prefers the meaning of “declaring.” Al-Razi holds a similar view maintaining that this term may refer either to hiding feelings or revealing them. However, it is noteworthy that none of the four lexicographers interprets this homonymic expression with absolute certainty.
48 According to Lane, the term asarru carries three different meanings. The first intended meaning is that the polytheists will manifest repentance, the second is that they will conceal their repentance from their chiefs, while the third is that the chiefs of the polytheists will conceal repentance from the lower classes of their people, whom they have misled.
Al-Tabari notes that the verse above refers more specifically to hiding. It explains that the chiefs and heads of polytheists, out of shame, will hide their remorse from their followers. Al-Zamakhshari, however, voices two possible interpretations for the verse. The first is that polytheists will conceal their regrets without intending to; however, their attitudes will show a reaction to the imminent torment they will experience on the Day of Judgment. The second is that the polytheists will reveal their regrets. And although Al-Razi says that asarru holds both meanings, he is more inclined to agree with the view that this verse is more about ‘hiding regrets.’ He argues that the shocked polytheists will try to keep their emotions secret. They will conceal them out of fear of reprimand from their lowly followers. Though Al-Qurtubi, reaches a similar conclusion to earlier exegetes, he adds a third probable explanation, implying that regret is written on the faces of the polytheists.
Thus, it appears that Quran exegetes do not agree on one common interpretation.
In this case, it is evident that the homonymous word is amenable to two different, indeed contradictory, interpretations. Al-Zabidi argues that this verse contains a contronym (aka, a Janus word), i.e., a word which has two opposite meanings. Thus, the simultaneously contrary significations in this verse create a sense of ambiguity. As such, translating this verse is no easy choice. In light of this confusion, it is understandable that translations of Pickthall, N. J. Dawood, and the King Fahd Complex opted for the sense of concealment, while only Yusuf Ali opted for the opposite sense.
49 According to Al-Razi, asarru is indeed a contronym, suggesting that both interpretations are plausible. That the polytheists, shocked by the staggering prospect of their imminent torture, will conceal their feelings is understandable. Accordingly, they will have no choice but to conceal their regrets. But on the Day of Judgment, the polytheist leaders, now stripped of their worldly sway over their followers, will have no choice but to declare their regrets.
In sum, as the context can lend itself to both interpretations, no one can have a clear conclusion or explanation of what is intended by this homonym. Readers of the TT have the right to know the plausible meanings of the verse. However, the burden of delivering this falls on the shoulders of the translators, and such issues should be explained clearly to TT readers.
4.3. Salwa
ُ َنَلَاُ هم هكْيَلَعُاَنْلَزنْ َ
أَوُ َما َمَغْلاُ هم هكْيَلَعُاَنْلَلظ َو﴿َ
ُ ى َوْل َسلاَو
ُهلهكُُۖ
ةرقبلاُةروس(ُ﴾ُُۖ ْم هكاَنْق َزَرُا َمُ ِّتاَبِّ يَ طُن ِّمُاو :2
ُ)57
• Pickthall: And We caused the white cloud to overshadow you and sent down on you the manna and the quails, (saying): “Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you.”
• N. J. Dawood: We caused the clouds to draw their shadow over you and sent down for you manna and quails, saying: “Eat of the wholesome things We have given you.”
50
• Yousef Ali: And We gave you the shade of clouds and sent down to you manna and quails saying: “Eat of the good things We have provided for you.”
• King Fahd Complex: And We shaded you with clouds and sent down on you Al Manna and the quails, (saying): “Eat of the good lawful things We have provided for you.”
Ibn Manzur is of the view that salwa refers to a white bird known as the rallidae, which resembles the quail and appears usually during rainy seasons. Al-Zabidi interprets the term into two meanings: a certain bird and honey. Al-Razi believes that salwa is a bird. Yet, he does not specify what kind of bird it is. He also upholds the opinion that it means honey.
He adds that the reason for calling honey salwa is because of its sweetness. Like Al-Razi, Lane renders it as honey and justifies the name on account of its sweetness, because salwa is originally derived from the root suluw, which means comfort. So, one who tastes honey will be comforted and pleased by its sweetness.
According to Al-Tabari, salwa is a bird which is similar to the quail. Both Al- Zamakhshari and Al-Razi support Al-Tabari’s interpretation, whereas according to Al- Qurtubi, the term salwa could refer to a bird in general, or could refer to a quail or something similar in particular, or could possibly refer to honey in the tribal Arabic dialect of Kinana.
We notice here that the homonym has two semantically unrelated meanings: quail and honey. However, both meanings belong to one semantic field: that of food. We also noticed that in all of the above translations, salwa was unanimously rendered as “quails” to the exclusion of “honey.” Given the context of the verse, “honey” might be as valid as “quails.”
51 In such cases, it behooves translators to explain to their TT readers the other possible meanings of the term in order to give them a taste of the original verse.
4.4. Najm
﴿
ُهم ْجَنلاَو نمحرلاُةروس(ُ﴾ ِّنا َد هج ْسَيُ هر َج َشلاَوُ :55
)6
• Pickthall: The stars and the trees adore.
• N. J. Dawood: The plants and the trees bow down in adoration.
• Yousef Ali: And the herbs and the trees-both (alike) bow in adoration.
• King Fahd Complex: And the herbs (or stars) and the trees both prostrate
themselves.
Ibn Manzur provided several meanings for najm. He argued that it refers to anything with a stem, especially plants. It could also mean “stars.” With regards to this verse, the word could simultaneously carry both meanings. Al-Zabidi maintained that the term najm basically refers to stars or to plants that do not grow vertically. He noted that najm could refer to all planets that appear in the sky. Al-Razi agreed with the previous interpretations, while Lane noted that najm also means Triticum repens or dogs’ grass. Interestingly, all four dictionaries agree upon the same meanings of the word and that the verse could hold both meanings.
Al-Tabari believes that the term najm in the above-mentioned verse refers to grass which has no stem or stalk. It also refers to whatever has been laid down on the ground. He added that najm may refer, in this particular verse, to stars. Al-Zamakhshari agrees that the
52 term signifies grass and plants with no stem. He further notes that it might refer to the stars in the sky. Al-Razi agrees that the term means herbs. He provides a logical explanation stating that since the preceding verse is about the sun and the moon, both of which are in the sky, it follows logically that the following verse would talk about things of the earth, like herbs and trees. Al-Qurtubi agrees with Al-Razi. However, Al-Qurtubi adds that it might also mean the sky or stars.
As a homonym, najm refers to two things, both of which are elements of nature. Yet there is no agreement as to whether they belong to earth or to earth and sky. Thus, it cannot be conclusively determined whether the implied meanings are semantically related or not.
Pickthall chooses the customary meaning of the word stars, the one that comes to the mind of a modern reader, without considering other possible meanings. Dawood and Ali, on the other hand, give primacy to plants. Only King Fahd Complex renders najm as plants and stars. However, placing ‘stars’ in parentheses suggests that this meaning is of secondary importance.
4.5. Ill
ُ ٍنِّمْؤهمُيِّفُ َنوهبهقْرَيُ َلَ﴿
ُ ًلَِّإ
﴾ ًة َم ِّذُلََوَ ُ ةبوتلاُةروس(
ُ:9
ُ)10
• Pickthall: And they observe toward a believer neither pact nor honour .
• N. J. Dawood: They break faith with the believers and set at nought all ties of kin.
• Yousef Ali: In a Believer they respect not the ties either of kinship or of covenant!
53
• King Fahd Complex: With regard to a believer, they respect not the ties, either of
kinship or of covenant!
Nearly all four dictionaries agree on the same meaning of the term ill. The common interpretation is that ill essentially refers to 1) anything which has a quality requiring it to be regarded as sacred or inviolable, which has some right pertaining to it; 2) fulfiller, performer, or keeper of the pact; or 3) covenant. Ibn Manzur points that it might refer to loyal friendships. However, Al-Zabidi, adds another meaning: deism or godhead. Al-Razi confirms only three meanings; namely, 'Allah,' 'covenant,' and 'kinship.' Lane adds
‘neighbor’ as a potential meaning.
Al-Tabari, Al-Zamakhshari, and Al-Qurtubi do not address this term. Al-Razi, however, lists four possible meanings: 'kinship,' 'covenant,' 'confederacy,' and 'God Almighty.' He further notes that some scholars believe that ill is an Arabized form of the Hebrew word for Allah.
In total, homonymous word ill carries six meanings. However, all these meanings have one thing in common: that which is sacred and has to be respected. Interestingly enough, Pickthall renders ill as ‘honor,’ a meaning not listed in any of the dictionaries or compendia of exegesis. On the other hand, Dawood renders ill as ‘faith.’ This rendition is in line with his stated attempt, cited above, to render the meanings of the Quran in simple and modern English. As such, while his approach valorizes simplicity, it sacrifices accuracy and is guilty of distorting the intended message of the verse. Both the translations of Yusuf Ali and King Fahd Complex use the meaning most commonly listed in dictionaries, without adding any other possible meanings.
54 4.6. Hafadah
ُ َنيِّنَبُمهك ِّجاَوْزَأُ ْنِّ مُمهكَلَُلَعَجَوُاًجاَوْزَأُْمهك ِّسهفنَأُ ْنِّ مُمهكَلَُلَعَجُه َاللّ َو﴿
ًُة َد َف َح َو
ُةروس(ُ﴾
لحنلا :16 )72
• Pickthall: And Allah hath given you wives of your own kind, and hath given you, from your wives, sons and grandsons.
• N. J. Dawood: God has given you spouses from among yourselves and, through your spouses, children and grandchildren.
• Yousef Ali: And Allah has made for you mates (and companions) of your own nature. And made for you out of them, sons and daughters and grandchildren.
• King Fahd Complex: And Allâh has made for you Azwâj (mates or wives) of your
own kind, and has made for you, from your wives, sons and grandsons.
In Ibn Manzur (3: 153-154), hafadah means 1) helpers, 2) servants, 3) man’s daughters, 4) grandchildren, 5) sons in law, 6) a man’s step-children 7) man’s in-laws, whoever they were—father or brothers. In addition to the above meanings, Al-Zabidi adds another:
embroiders, meaning those who make embroidered and colored fabrics. In Al-Razi, on the other hand, hafadah means helpers, servants, man’s in laws, sons in law, and grandchildren, whereas Lane maintains that the word signifies assistants, helpers, or auxiliaries and anyone who work, or labor, and had to obey orders and strive for quickness; servants; also, it means a man's male grandchildren because they are like servants while young. Additionally, it signifies a man's children, or his daughters—by which, as some say, are meant those who serve their parents in the house, or one's step-children.
55 Al-Tabari, Al-Razi and Al-Qurtubi,, follow the examples of the Arab lexicographers listed above. Al-Zamakhshari sees the word as referring to the sons themselves, who are at the same time also helpers to their fathers.
The homonymous word in this verse is a complex one. It conjures up to eight semantically related meanings, all of which share the common sense of service and help.
And the context of the verse itself is open to all potential meanings. Yet despite its polysemous significations, hafadah was rendered in all four translations as ‘grandsons’ or
‘grandchildren.’ This is a stark testimony to the literal method of translation followed by the translators in question. Obviously, this method fails to capture the richness of the original verse.
4.7. Qaswara
ةرفنتس همُ ٌر هم هحُمهنأك﴿
(
ُن ِّمُ ْتَرَفُ)50
ٍُة َرَو ْسَق
ُةروس(ُ﴾
رثدلَا :74 50 -
ُ)51
• Pickthall: As they were frightened asses (50) Fleeing from a lion!
• N. J. Dawood: Like frightened asses (50) Fleeing from a lion.
• Yousef Ali: As if they were affrighted asses, (50) Fleeing from a lion!
• King Fahd Complex: As if they were (frightened) wild donkeys (50) Fleeing from
a hunter, or a lion, or a beast of prey.
According to Ibn Manzur and Al-Zabidi, qaswara means the following: 1) a bully, 2) a hunter, 3) archers, 4) a lion, 5) the brave one, 6) the beginning of the night, 7) some kind of trees, 8) a lion (in Abyssinian language), and 9) a beast of prey. Al-Razi, on the other
56 hand, agrees with Ibn Manzur and Al-Zabidi upon three meanings only: a lion, archers, and hunters. Moreover, Lane adds other meanings: hunters whose specific mission is to shoot, archers or bowmen, and the sound of men, their voices or cries.
Al-Tabari stresses the fact that exegetes did not agree upon an explanation of the term qaswara. Yet Al-Zamakhshari and Al-Razi add a whole new meaning not mentioned by the lexicographers: the darkness of the night. Likewise, Al-Qurtubi also has a new meaning for this word, which is 'a league of men.'
A homonymic word having twelve meanings, some related and some unrelated, is obviously a complex one. Yet, three translators (Pickthall, Dawood, and Yusuf Ali) choose to give primacy to one meaning only: a lion. Only the King Fahd Complex translation gives other plausible meanings (a hunter and a beast of prey), thus ignoring the inclination to use only the popular meaning by which qaswara is known. This choice indicates awareness of the homonymy latent in the word. Even though the King Fahd Complex translation does not give all the other possibilities, it at least hints to the TT readers that the ST is a closed text.
The following chapter will be the conclusion of this study. The researcher will sum up the findings she came up with and suggest solutions to tackle the issue of homonymy in translating the Holy Quran.
57