Search In Fatwa

Translating Quran in poetic form

Question

Is it permissible to make a poetic translation of the Holy Quran? A poet wants to translate the Holy Quran into Bengali language and make the translated verses rhyme so that they sound like poetic verses with rhythm. May Allaah reward you.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

Translating the meanings of the Quran into another language by someone who is competent in translation, experienced and trustworthy, is permissible, and this translation is permissible in all languages.

If we say that it is permissible to translate the meanings of the Quran, then it is the same whether it is poetry or prose; rather, both poetry and prose are required by the Sharee'ah, because the Quran was revealed to all mankind, and translating the meanings of the Quran to their poetic and prose languages will make it easier to transmit it to them and make it understandable to them.

What is not permissible, however, is transliterating the texts of the Quran and its words and writing it in a language other than Arabic; the scholars stated that it is an obligation to write the words of the Quran in the Arabic language and Arabic alphabet, in the manner it was written by the Companions  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  them.

Al-Burhaan authored by Az-Zarkashi  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him reads, “Imaam Maalik  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him was asked, 'Do you write the Quran according to the present rules of writing which the people are using?' He said, 'No. Only in the manner that it was written in the first place (i.e. by the Companions  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  them).' This was narrated by Abu 'Amr ad-Daani in Al-Muqni', then he said, There is no scholar of the nation who differed with this at all.

For more benefit, please refer to fataawa 83095 and 84570.

Allaah knows best.

Related Fatwa