The Quran - A Miracle

[ThatMuslimGuy2]

I'm sure you are very impressed with yourself and your fucking god but frankly there seems to be a zillion ways to translate this gibberish of yours.

051.047
YUSUFALI: With power and skill did We construct the Firmament: for it is We Who create the vastness of pace.
PICKTHAL: We have built the heaven with might, and We it is Who make the vast extent (thereof).
SHAKIR: And the heaven, We raised it high with power, and most surely We are the makers of things ample.

Don't feel bad. We have xtian assholes who are just as willing as you to tamper with a word here or there when it suits their purpose to do so.

Did you even read my previous post?

Common Contention 1

A common contention to the “Expanding Universe” in the Qur’an is to quote three popular translations – Yusuf Ali, Pickthall and Shakir- and say these only translated it as that God made the Heavens Vast. The Translations read:
Yusuf Ali:
[051:047] With power and skill did We construct the Firmament: for it is We Who create the vastness of pace.
Pickthall:
[051:047] We have built the heaven with might, and We it is Who make the vast extent (thereof).
Shakir:
[051:047] And the heaven, We raised it high with power, and most surely We are the makers of things ample.

Although an honest contention – one I held until looking further into the topic- it is misplaced for the following reasons:

1.The Qur’an can never be translated 100% perfectly. Especially into English due to the vast differences in the Language. Each translation is a translators attempt to put across the meaning of the Quranic words used.
2. Naturally this can contain errors.
3. Or translations that do not fully grasp the language.
4. Also one word may have multiple meanings and it is hard to translate all the possible meanings encompassed in a word so a translator may discard some meanings.
5. Also Yusuf Ali, Pickthall and Shakir are not some “Golden Translations” that are 100% correct. Infact they do contain errors and sections where the translators haven’t grasped the original language. For example:


Allah says in Surah An-Naba’ verses 1-2:

سورة النبا بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ٛــــ عم يتساءلون
‏ عن النبأ العظيم

Transliteration:
[078:001] AAamma yatasaaloona
[078:002] AAani alnnaba-i alAAatheemi

Interpretation and Meaning:

Saheeh International:

[078:001] About what are they asking one another?
[078:002] About the great news –

Yusuf Ali:
[078:001] Concerning what are they disputing?
[078:002] Concerning the Great News,

Dr. Munir Munshey
[078:001] What are they asking each other about?
[078:002] The awesome news (of the afterlife)?

Sher Ali:
[078:001] What do they question one another about ?
[078:002] About the mighty Event,

Shakir:
[078:001] Of what do they ask one another?
[078:002] About the great event,

Sale:
[078:001] Concerning what do the unbelievers ask questions of one another?
[078:002] Concerning the great news of the resurrection,

Muhammad Al-Hilali & Muhsin Khan:
[078:001] What are they asking (one another)?
[078:002] About the great news, (i.e. Islamic Monotheism, the Quran, which Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)brought and the Day of Resurrection, etc.),

Palmer:
[078:001] Of what do they ask each other?-
[078:002] Of the mighty information

Arberry:
[078:001] Of what do they question one another?
[078:002] Of the mighty tiding

Khalifa:
[078:001] What are they questioning?
[078:002] The great event.

Rodwell:
[078:001] Of what ask they of one another?
[078:002] Of the great NEWS.

We get the image of great or good news. But look how Pickthall translates the verse:

Pickthall:
[078:001] Whereof do they question one another ?
[078:002] (It is) of the awful tidings,

This is a crazy mistake! Pickthall translates the Arabic as awful tidings instead of good tidings. A huge error. Are the sceptics really pointing to a translation such as this which contains such grave errors as a “Golden Translation” - that translates the Quran 100% correct? It would be idiotic to.

6.They also contain translations that don’t fully grasp the language or have translated something poorly. Here is an example:

Allah says in Surah Al-Fil verse 3:

وارسل عليهم طيرا ابابيل

Transliteration:
[105:003] Waarsala AAalayhim tayran ababeela

Interpretation and Meaning:
Dr. Munir Munshey:
[105:003] He let loose upon them a large flock of birds,

Sher Ali:
[105:003] And HE sent against them swarm of birds,

Sale:
[105:003] and send against them flocks of birds,

Muhammad Al-Hilali & Muhsin Khan:
[105:003] And sent against them birds, in flocks,

Palmer:
[105:003] and send down on them birds in flocks,

Birds is clear correct translation. However lets how Pickthall translated it:

Pickthall:
[105:003] And send against them swarms of flying creatures,

Although this isn’t 100% erroneous it hasn’t really grasped the meaning of the Arabic.

If we are going to point to translations why don’t I just point to these translations?


AND IT IS We who have built the universe with [Our creative] power; and, verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it. [Muhammad Asad]

And the heaven with its regions, spheres and realms of space did We skillfully, powerfully and authoritatively construct and We are expanding the universe. [Al-Muntakhab]

And We constructed the universe using matter, and We will expand it. [Progressive Muslims]

And the heaven, We have constructed it mightily, and it is surely We Who have vast power, and keep expanding it. [Ali Ünal]

And it is We Who have built the Universe, and behold, We are steadily expanding it. [Shabbir Ahmed]

With Our power and prowess, We brought into being the universe. And indeed, We expand it (steadily)! [Dr. Munir Munshey]

And We built the heavenly universe with great might. And surely, We are expanding (this universe) more and more. [Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri]

And the heaven: We constructed it with (Our Own) hands; and surely We are indeed those Who make expansion and create vastness. [Dr. Kamal Omar]

We constructed the universe with power, and We are expanding it. [Talal A. Itani]

I (God) have created the universe myself and will continue to expand it [confirmation of the expansion theory of the universe after the Big Bang.] [Bijan Moeinian]

We constructed the sky with our hands, and we will continue to expand it. [Rashad Khalifa]

And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander. [Saheeh International]

And the sky was built by Us with might; and indeed We are the expanders. [Muhammad Taqi Usmani]

We have built the sky with might, and indeed it is We who are its expanders. [Ali Quli Qara'i]

And the heaven, We raised it high with power, and it is We that expand the vastness of space (or We are the expanders of it). [Hamid S. Aziz]

7. Finally as demonstrated above it is clear that موسعون (mūsi’ūna) can mean the expander or expanding.

The arabic word can mean the following:


1. To encompass the heavens (Physically, Knowledge, Authority). This means that god encompasses it with his power and that he knows everything through his knowledge and has authority over it.
2. To provide for his creation. One who provides for his creation from the heavens. So physically, like the rain that comes down from the heavens. Or spiritually.
3. To physically expand. Meaning to continuously expand something or to make something vaster.
4. To be rich.