Translation of the Qur'an

Translation of the Qur’an is one of the most important topics in Qur’anic studies today. Primarily, this is because the first book that many non-Arabic speakers will encounter in their attempts to understand Islam and its holy text is a translation of the Qur’an. However, most Muslims would not consider a translation of the Qur’an to be equivalent to the Qur’an itself. Since Muslims generally believe the Qur’an was directly revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in Arabic, the preservation of the linguistic form of the original Arabic is considered paramount. Thus, although parts of the Qur’an have been translated into other languages from the very beginning of Islam, translation has until relatively recently occupied a minor position in Islamic scholarship; Muslim scholars have always considered it more effective to learn Arabic and engage with the original text than to study it in translation.