The Vernacular Qur'an (Book report)

"The Vernacular Qur'an: Translation and the Rise of Persian Exegesis" is a book in the Quranic field, by Travis Zadeh published by OUP/Institute of Ismaili Studies as one of the Qur'anic Studies Series. The following is a report of the book.

Overview

• Offers a comparative perspective on the translation of sacred scriptures and on various theories of translation

• Examines a broad range of early Persian translations and commentaries of the Qur'an

• Illuminates the relationship between Arabic juridical and theological writings and early Persian hermeneutics and how they connect to early patterns of conversion and institutions of religious education

• Includes images of manuscripts of Qur'anic translations and commentaries, providing insights into the codicological practices of the Qur'an in vernaculars

• Provides translated material from Arabic and Persian hitherto unavailable in English to expand understanding of early Islamic history

Description

This book examines how early juridical and theological debates on the translatability of the Qur'an informed the development of Persian translations and commentaries of the Qur'an. While it is generally believed that Muslims in the eighth to twelfth centuries were disdainful of translating the Qur'an, the historical record proves to be much more nuanced.

Although the philosophy of some schools of law was that the divine nature of the Qur'an could not be conveyed in a language other than Arabic, the reality was that Persian exegetical translations were considered acceptable for use by new converts to Islam. These translations preserved the Arabic text of the Qur'an and, interlinearly, wove Persian commentaries between its lines and verses, thereby preserving the sacred script while expanding on and making the text available to a wider audience. The author gives a thorough overview of the development of Persian exegetical writing, from rhyming translations to major commentaries, starting with the emergence of New Persian literature in the tenth century and continuing on until the institutionalisation of Persian as a language that rivalled Arabic in courts and educational institutions.

Through a series of detailed case studies, this book offers new insight into the development of Qur'anic hermeneutics and its relationship to vernacular cultures, religious elites, institutions of education, and dynastic authority. Presented for the first time to an English readership is a broad array of archival material, spanning five centuries and drawn from across the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia.

Table of Contents

I: Theoretical Implications

1:Early Juridical Considerations

2:Recitations, Codices, and Juridical Authority

3:Scriptural Communities and Heavenly Messengers

4:Divine Speech in Human Language

5:Translation and the Inimitability of the Qur'an

II: Models for Translation

6:Early Translations of the Qur'an

7:Court Culture and Persian Exegesis

8:Urban Networks and the Religious Elite

9:Minbars and Madrasas

10:Sectarian Divisions, Scriptural Authority

11:Transmission and Routinization

Author Information

Travis Zadeh, Assistant Professor, Department of Religion, Haverford College, Haverford PA

Reviews and Awards

"Wide-ranging, yet lucidly argued and eloquently written.. .We may hope that his nuanced and imaginative study draws attention to this long-neglected subject and inspires new scholarly research in this area in the future." - Michael Pregill, International Qur'anic Studies Association

"This is a most informative and enlightening work." - Ali Abd al-Malik, The Islamic Quarterly "a thorough and unbiased account of Qur'anic translation's early history and arguments in 674 well-referenced pages. ... This is a most informative and enlightening work, particularly for non-Arab readers." - Ali Abd al-Malik, The Islamic Quarterly