The Dilemma of the Duality of Form and Content of The Holy Qur'an Translation into English in Light of Modern Theories of Meaning

Abstract

Some of the more difficult texts to translate are sacred texts in general and the scripture of Islam, the Holy Qur'an, specifically. It is crucial to sustain the nuance of the original wording. In the Holy Qur'an, form is also as vital to maintain as content (Sardar, 2017; Alhaj, 2015). Moreover, the extent to which the translator of the Holy Qur'an replicates the form and content of the origin language text will be determined by the translated language system and hinge on the functioning of the rendering (Haroun, 2022; Dakake, 2019). This study aimed to identify the dilemma of the duality of form and content of the Holy Qur'an in translation into English in light of modern theories of meaning. The study adopted a qualitative descriptive method. The findings displayed that one of the greatest dilemmas faced by translators in rendering the Holy Qur'an in English is to sustain the form and content of the initial Qur’anic Arabic text while aiming to transfer its implication appropriately. The study concluded that a good rendering of the Qur’anic text reveals the “dynamics” of both the form and content of the Holy Qur'an.