William Tyndale's dangerous effort to translate the Bible into English is the starting point for a case, drawn from 26:198 and 14:4, that the Quran must be understood in one's own language. A second article argues from the Quran that meat from the people of the scripture is lawful, that pig fat is not prohibited, and that each eater must mention God's name.
Sometimes in our Quran studies we argue over
a certain word, whether this or that is the best way to translate it.
Occasionally the discussions get heated. But through it all, the one thing
we all agree on is how fortunate we are to have a translation that’s
easy for us to read and comprehend. No one argues the fact that we have
the best translation easily accessible. Well, I think we need to be even
more appreciative of that fact and thank God for the blessing.
I recently read an article in a periodical called Old News. It was about
a man named William Tyndale who lived in England in the 1500’s.
His lifelong ambition was to translate the New and Old Testaments of the
Bible from Latin
into English. It seems like a reasonable thing
to us, but at that time in that place, just to have the idea was punishable
by death! Yes, death.
There were lots of reasons given why it was heretical to translate the
Bible, but the bottom line was that the religious leaders were terrified
of losing their control over the people if any common person, even women,
were able to read the Gospels for themselves. There was great fear that
if people could read the book, they would discover not just what it said,
but what it didn’t say. There is no reference to celibacy of priests,
no trinity, no intercession of a father confessor. Many of the very basic
tenets of the Catholic faith would be questioned.
At that time, the Bible was like a treasure
chest kept locked up for safekeeping. The preacher would take out a single
gem of wisdom for his sermon but keep the whole treasure away from the
common man.
William Tyndale was an ordained preacher, but he couldn’t understand
this attitude. He asked the unanswerable question: “Why may we not
write in English the gospel?” And he said, “The truth of God
standeth not in one language more than in another.” He was arguing
with one learned man who proclaimed that people would be better off without
God’s law than without the Pope’s!
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Translation
Tyndale realized he would never be able to achieve his goal in
England. It was too dangerous. He had fallen under the scrutiny
of Sir Thomas More, who would relentlessly pursue him for years,
believing Tyndale to be a dangerous heretic who deserved to be burned
at the stake. So Tyndale went to Germany in 1524. He lived in exile
for the next 11 years, moving secretly from place to place, always
knowing he was in danger of being betrayed.
By the spring of 1536, copies of his translation of the New Testament
began arriving in England, smuggled in quietly and quite ingeniously.
Anyone caught importing these books would be imprisoned at the very
least. But the demand was high. They brought the books into England
hidden in among cloth-making cargoes, with tools and cannon, glassware
and foodstuff, stacked in barrels labeled wine or oil and hidden
in sacks of flour. They would sell out as soon as they arrived,
even though they had to be sold clandestinely. People were hungry
for the word of God.
The first page of his translation of the New Testament is an elaborate
wood cut, a full page, very intricate illustration. It shows St
Matthew dipping his pen in an inkpot held by a young angel. As the
Quran says: Read, in the name of your Lord,
who created. 96:1 NuN, the pen, and what they (the people) write.
68:1
Tyndale then turned his attention to the Old Testament. An earlier
translation of the first verses of Genesis read: In the first made
God of nought heaven and earth. The earth forsooth was vain within
and
void, and darkness were upon the face
of the sea and the Spirit of God was born upon the waters. And God
said, Be made light, and made is light.
Tyndale chose to write in recognizable English: In the beginning
God created heaven and earth. The earth was void and empty, and
darkness was upon the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the
water. Then God said: let there be light and there was light.
What a gift it must have been to not only being able to read the
book in one’s own language, but to have it clear and understandable.
I feel the same way when I compare Rashad Khalifa’s translation
to all previous translations. It’s very freeing to be able
to study and learn from the scripture. Yet there are traditional
Muslims who tell you that the Quran must be read in Arabic, and
Friday (Juma’a) services are conducted in Arabic even before
an English speaking audience. Just as these early Catholics conducted
all services in Latin—Mass, baptism, readings from the Bible—though
the audience didn’t speak or understand a word of Latin.
What does the Quran tell us about translation?
If we revealed this to people who do not know Arabic.
And had him recite it (in Arabic), they could not possibly believe
in it. We thus render it (like a foreign language) in the hearts
of the guilty. 26:198-200
So the Quran must be translated and the language is irrelevant:
If we made it a non-Arabic Quran they would have
said, "Why did it come down in that language?" Whether
it is Arabic or non-Arabic, say, "For those who believe, it
is a guide and healing. As for those who disbelieve, they will be
deaf
and blind to it, as if
they are being addressed from faraway." 41:44
And verse14:4 tells us that God means for us to be able to understand
His messengers when they come:
We did not send any messenger except (to preach)
in the tongue of his people, in order to clarify things for them.
God then sends astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He
wills. He is the Almighty, the Most Wise.
William Tyndale was finally betrayed and captured in Antwerp in
1535. He was charged with heresy and kept in a prison for over a
year before being formally condemned as a heretic and sentenced
to die. As a nobleman he was spared the horrible punishment of being
burned alive at the stake. He was strangled and then his dead body
was burned, as a warning to others.
But by then the tide was turning. For his own personal reasons,
King Henry VIII had turned away from the Catholic Church. It was
losing influence and power. The demand continued to have the scripture
available in English, so several translations were undertaken. Most
translations relied heavily on the work Tyndale had begun.
I think it’s most interesting that the thing the Catholic
leaders feared the most—that people would realize the discrepancy
between the way the Bible preached the faith and the way it was
practiced—never materialized. Reforms were made, but not in
the major areas of the divinity and idolization of Jesus, celibacy
of priests, the trinity, and the concept of intercession. In the
end, it’s only God who guides. It’s clearly His command
that the religion should be made easily available to everyone.
Page 3
Translation
God tells us not to conceal His revelations and preach to the people.
But regardless of the language, only those with understanding will
take heed.
He bestows wisdom upon whomever He chooses, and
whoever attains wisdom, has attained a great bounty. Only those
who possess intelligence will take heed. 2:269
This is a scripture that we sent down to you, that
is sacred - perhaps they reflect on its verses. Those who possess
intelligence will take heed. 38:29
Indeed, this is a reminder. For those who wish to
take heed. They cannot take heed against God’s will. He is
the source of righteousness; He is the source of forgiveness. 74:54-6
Lydia
References:
Daniell, David. William Tyndale, a Biography. Yale University
Press, New Haven & London, 1994.
Moynahan, Brian. God’s Bestseller. St. Martin’s
Press, New York, 2002.
Old News, Vol. 16, No. 4, December 2004 & January 2005
Old News, Vol. 16, No. 4, December 2004 & January 2005
Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your
God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
Halal Meat
The Arabic word "halal" (lawful or kosher)
is frequently used for indicating products that are permissible
to consume. Many ignorant Muslims are concerned about "halal"
meat, "halal" soap or "halal" toothpaste. They
pay dearly for these "halal" brand products. According
to them, only the act of slaughtering animals in the name of God
makes the meat "halal," and the absence of pig fat from
the ingredients makes the soap or toothpaste "halal"!!!
Obviously, their opinions are based on the hadith or hearsay, but
not the Quran.
Is the meat sold by Christian or Jewish grocery
owners really "haram" (unlawful) for consumption? We learn
in the Quran:
"Today, all good food is
made lawful for you. The food of the people of the scripture is
lawful for you..." (5:5)
Like any activity, we should pronounce the name
of God before we slaughter a bird or an animal for the purpose of
remembering God. But, is this the only criterion that makes the
meat "halal"? We learn from the Quran:
They consult you concerning
what is lawful for them; say, "Lawful for you are all good
things, including what trained dogs and falcons catch for you."
You train them according to God's teachings. You may eat what they
catch for you, and mention God's name thereupon. You shall observe
God. God is most efficient in reckoning. (5:4)
Obviously, the trained
dogs or falcons do not pronounce the name of God before they catch
their prey. We are individually responsible for mentioning the name
of God before eating (5:4, 6:118, 6:119, 6:121)!
When is it necessary to slaughter the animal in the
name of God? The answer is in the Quran:
The animal offerings are among the rites decreed
by God for your own good. You shall mention God's name on them while
they are standing in line. Once they are offered for sacrifice,
you shall eat therefrom and feed the poor and the needy. This is
why we subdued them for you, that you may show your appreciation.
(22:36)
So, we need to mention the name of God for sacrificing
animals. Clearly, the purpose of killing animals or birds just for
eating is quite different than the purpose of sacrificing animals
for observing one of the rites of the "hajj" (Pilgrimage)
decreed by God Almighty.
Many ignorant Muslims sacrifice their animals in
the name of their saints and eat from them!!! These meats are "haram"
(2:173, 6:145, 16:115). One such verse states:
Say, " I do not find in the revelations given
to me any food that is prohibited for any eater except: (1) carrion,
(2) running blood, (3) the meat of pigs, for it is contaminated,
and (4) the meat of animals blasphemously dedicated to other than
God." If one is forced (to eat these), without being deliberate
or malicious, then your Lord is Forgiver, Most Merciful. (6:145)
Page 4
Halal Meat
Is the soap or toothpaste that contains pig fat "haram"?
The above Quranic verse 6:145 teaches us very clearly what animal products
are prohibited for consumption. Soap or toothpaste is not food and the
reason for "halal" or "haram" is irrelevant any way
for these items.
We learn in the above verse 6:145 that meat of pigs is
"haram" for consumption. But, how about pig fat? The Quran is
a perfect (6:38), complete (6:115) and fully detailed (6:114) book and
the answer to it can be derived easily from the Quran. The laws of prohibitions
in the Quran are very specific. God Almighty prohibits either "the
meat" or "the fat" or both. This is clear from the following
verse:
For those who are Jewish we prohibited
animals with undivided hoofs; and of the cattle and sheep we prohibited
the fat, except that which is carried on their backs, or in the viscera,
or mixed with bones. That was a retribution for their transgressions,
and we are truthful. (6:146)
So, according to this verse
the fat derived from cattle or sheep is prohibited for Jews but not for
us. Like cattle or sheep fat, the pig fat is not prohibited for us, since
it is not specifically prohibited anywhere in the Quran.
Please note that according to the verse 6:145 mentioned
earlier, the Quran informs us that the meat of pigs is prohibited since
it is contaminated. It is interesting to know that only pig meat is contaminated
and not pig fat! The most destructive Trichinosis parasite Trichinella
Spiralis and the pork tapeworm Taenia Solium are found in the pig meat,
not the fat and many people are infected annually in the USA. Please note
that the prohibition against eating pig meat is also mentioned in the
previous scriptures (Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8).
The Quran teaches us that God Almighty is not pleased
with those who prohibit anything that was not specifically prohibited
in the Quran (10:59, 16:35, 16:112-116).
Therefore, you shall eat from God's
provisions everything that is lawful and good, and be appreciative of
God's blessings, if you do worship
Him alone. He only prohibits for you dead animals, blood, the meat of
pigs, and food which is dedicated to other than God. If one is forced
(to eat these), without being deliberate or malicious, then God is Forgiver,
Most Merciful. You shall not utter lies with your own tongues stating:
"This is lawful, and this is unlawful," to fabricate lies and
attribute them to God. Surely, those who fabricate lies and attribute
them to God will never succeed. (16:114-116)
Last but not least, it is not the butchers or the grocery
owners but we, the meat consumers, who are individually responsible for
consuming "haram" or "halal" food (6:118, 6:119, 6:121).
Each soul is responsible for its own work and so we need to mention God's
name before we eat, as understood from one such verse:
Do not eat from that upon which the name of God has not
been mentioned, for it is an abomination. The devils inspire their allies
to argue with you; if you obey them, you will be idol worshipers. (6:121)
Irtaza
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