ABSTRACT
An Islamic scholar of Hadith and jurisprudence. A comprehensive compendium of Qur‘anic sciences, organized in 47 categories. Zarkashi extensively covers the works and opinions of his predecessors. In the seventeenth category, al-Zarkashi examines linguistic issues in the Qur‘an, including borrowings from other languages. It is not permissible to translate the Qur‘an into Persian or other languages. Translation is substituting one word or expression for another that can take its place in making a certain idea understandable to an attentive listener. Translation, then, becomes a creative activity, informed by the translator’s agency and individual reading. In On the Rules of Jurisprudence, al-Zarkashi discusses the translation of a variety of religious texts from Arabic, including the Qur‘an and other Islamic texts. The most problematic category seems to be the third, where translated texts are permitted for those who do not speak Arabic, but forbidden for those who do.
