Exploring Stylistic Problems Encountered in Translating Qur’anic Aphoristic Expressions in Surahs Al-Baqarah and Al-Imran to English

Abstract

The stylistic approach in the domain of the Qur’anic research is a relatively forgotten field. To fill this research gap, the current study focuses on the stylistic issues encountered when translating Qur'anic aphoristic expressions into English, as well as gaining a deeper understanding of the styles of rendered versions of these expressions which play a significant role in language as a share of acquiring cultural understanding, figurative meaning, expression power and communicative-pragmatic component. To carry out the study, five verses (ayahs) that include this phenomenon were chosen from Chapter 2 Al-Baqarah (“The Cow”) and Chapter 3 Al Imran (“The Family of Imran”) of the Qur’an. Moreover, a descriptive qualitative method was employed in this study.  The study revealed that there were numerous stylistic problems and meaning losses and gains in the intended translation in the translations of Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali and Muhammad Muhsin Khan(1996); Muhammad A.S. Abdel Haleem (2004), and Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall (1930). The study also found that the translators utilized several different translation strategies such as faithful renditions, free translation, addition, dynamic equivalence, and formal equivalence. Finally, this study offers a more useful definition of aphorism in the translation of the Holy Qur’an.