Some Suggestions to Qur ān Translators

This article explores translation of a number of special Qur’ānic terms. Being a non-Muslim scholar, Ben-Shemesh conducts a close comparative study of several Qur’ān translations (English versions by Pickthall, Rodwell, Bell, Arberry and Dawood along with certain French and German works) with respect to their renditions of these terms which include al-rahīm, fir‘aun zul-’awtād, the meaning and etymology of sūrah, tasā’alūn-a bihī (al-Nisā’:1), hā-mīm (cryptic letters), the meanings of al-najm and al-shajar in context of al- Rahmān:6 (55:6) and wildān-um mukhalladūn as it occurs in al- Wāqi‘ah:17 (56:17).