drh ellipsis in the qur'an
TRANSCRIPT
Hassane DARIRFaculty of LettersUniversity Cadi Ayyad – Marrakech
Ellipsis as a Rhetorical Feature in the Qur'an and the Challenges of Translation
AbstractThis paper is concerned with the kinds of ellipsis (omission) in the holy
Qur'an, the knowledge of which is indispensable to the translator. It is argued here that a well formulated classification can be helpful not only in understanding the holy text, in particular in understanding the rhetorical (i.e. eloquent) function of ellipsis, but also in improving translations, reviewing Arabic traditional grammar and better understanding the Arabic language. On the basis of a corpus of elliptical instances in the Qur'an, collected from various classical and modern sources (…), various possible classifications of ellipsis are discussed and examples taken form the holy Qur'an to illustrate them and consider the type of translation challenges they raise to the translator and the type of translation strategies that have been adopted. The philosophy behind this endeavor is double fold. Firstly, although the phenomenon of ellipsis seems to be universal and human (e.g. ellipsis of repeated elements in discourse), each language has preferred strategies and distributions. Secondly, just as a theory of syntax has to account for the null (implicit or deleted) elements, a theory of translation has to predict ways of recovering and translating them.
DefinitionBefore discussing the types of ellipsis (in the Quran), it is useful to clarify a
number of points. First, let me clarify beforehand that what I mean by ellipsis or omission in the Qur'an is not what an orientalist may understand as the omission from, or insertion of some text into the Qur'an affecting the authenticity of the text and the related abrogation النسخ phenomenon sometimes linked with the collection of the Qur'an. What I mean by ellipsis here is the omission of one word or parts of a sentence which are understood from the text thus generally achieving brevity as a rhetorical value or marking a rhetorical purpose. A Muslim believes that the Qur'an, which is in our presence, is the complete Qur'an as it was revealed to Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and is free from corruption, omission or any alteration (1). In the Quran we read (015: 9):
: [ " الحجر" حاف�ظ�ون ل ه� ل �ا �ن وإ �ر الذ�ك ا �ن ل ز� ن ح�ن� ن �ا �ن [ 9إ
Pickthall Lo! We, even We, reveal the Reminder, and lo! We verily are its Guardian.
Yusuf Ali We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).
Second, it is useful to define what is meant by ellipsis (and its synonyms) in English and the equivalent Arabic term الحذف.
The phenomenon of leaving out a word or sentence elements is syntactically known in English by various names including deletion, reduction, gapping, and dummy, null, zero grammatical elements or empty (2) grammatical categories (which are mostly in use in transformational generative grammar) and ellipsis, and omission (which are used in traditional grammar). Ellipsis is used for instance in A University Grammar of English and omission in A Communicative Grammar of
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English. When what is omitted is a sound or syllable, the phenomenon is known as elision (to elide). This, however, affects only the phonological and morphological levels and when it does not affect meaning it is different from ellipsis proper and need not concern the translator (3).
In Arabic, the phenomenon of leaving out sentence or word elements is subsumed under 4 (الحذف( . In the Arabic linguistic heritage, the term includes different phenomena and affects various levels: the syntactic and semantic levels (e.g. gapping, implicitness and ellipsis proper), the morphological and phonological or even the graphological levels (i.e. elision) (5).
In the Arabic linguistic tradition, the phenomenon of حذفال (especially حذال .in the Qur'anic text) has received close attention from both grammarians (e.g فSibawayh, Ibn jinni, Ibn Hisham, Ibn Maddaa'), rhetoricians (e.g. Al Jurjaani) and modern linguists (including Hamouda). Ellipsis is related to conciseness (or brachylogy, i.e. the use of as few words as possible to give the necessary information). In fact ellipsis is one way of achieving conciseness but the latter does not always involve ellipsis. In the verse (002: 179)
ي�اة� " ح� اص� ص� ال�ق� ف�ي ل�ك�م� �ق�ون و� ت ت �م� �ك عل ل اب� �ب ل األ �ي� �ول أ � ا [179البقرة ] : "ي
Pickthall And there is life for you in retaliation,..
Yusuf Ali In the Law of Equality there is (saving of) Life to you, …
The five words express a complex idea in a concise way. But no ellipsis is involved. In fact, in the Arabic tradition, conciseness is said to be of two types:
conciseness involving ellipsis ( حذف ) and conciseness not involving ellipsis (ايجازقصر i.e. condensation. The latter can be defined as expressing complex ideas ,(ايجاز
in few words. The phenomenon of ellipsis overlaps with that of implicitness (i.e. implicit
elements). The latter, however, does not necessarily involve ellipsis and is largely logical rather than grammatical.
In this paper, the English translations of the Qur'an which will be used in the comparisons are the ten translations included in the Website: http://quranbrowser.com/ and are listed in the Bibliography. Before discussing the types of ellipsis I think it convenient to start by discussing the style of the Qur'an and defining what is meant by rhetorical inimitability.
Style of the QuranTo Moslems, the Quran is the word of God. It is the Greatest and the Ever-
current miracle of the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam), the last Apostle of God. While commenting on the style of the Quran, Abul A'la Mawdudi (http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/thebook.htm) says "The Prophet (s) was entrusted with a special mission and had to appeal both to the emotions and to the intellect; he had to deal with people of different mentalities, cope with different situations and various sets of experiences during the course of his mission".
A reader who approaches the Qur'an expecting to find some uniformity of style or presentation might be disappointed. Repetition or reiteration is not alien to Qur'anic style. In fact, some issues are repeated over and over again in the Qur'an but always with a sense of novelty of presentation and beauty of style.
The Makkan surahs (those revealed in Mekka, i.e. the earliest surahs revealed from 610 to 622) and the Medinan Surahs (those revealed in Madinai, i.e. after the Hijra from Mekka to Medina (622-632) are different from each other in style in terms of elaboration and conciseness. The former ones use an elevated style characterized
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by forceful, rhetorical, and concise language and make reiterations to establish God's truths. Other prominent features of the Makkan surahs include "changing places of the words in a sentence or in using definite articles or omission of articles, or mentioning or omission of certain words or phrases or even sentences" (http://www.islamanswers.net/Quran/repetitions.htm). Since the Makkan surahs were addressed to the polytheists of Quraysh they reiterate the basic new teachings (pillars) of Islam. The Medinan surahs, revealed in the second phase of Islam are characterized by simple, clear, matter-of-fact and detailed discursive language explaining the laws and principles of the new Moslem community". In a unique, matchless style particular to the Qur’an, they usually conclude their explanations with a sentence or phrase related to faith, Divine Unity or the Hereafter" (http://www.islamanswers.net/Quran/repetitions.htm) like "Surely God is All-Powerful over all things"; "Surely God knows all things"; "He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise"; "He is the All-Mighty, the Most Compassionate." Mustansir Mir observes that "many literary devices (such as ellipsis) are as characteristic of the Madinan sūrahs as they are of the Makkan. It is true, however, that, in general, the Makkan sūrahs, with their greater narrative and dramatic element, are best suited for such a study" (http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Q_Studies/Mirliter.html).
Why are there repetitions or reiterations in the Qur'an?The Qur’an is a comprehensive book of call to the Divine Message, guidance,
wisdom, invocations and law that is meant for the whole of mankind from the time of its revelation to the end of time. Being directed at the people of the highest level of understanding as well as the common people and addressing issues as they happen at that time, its style alternates between repetition, elaboration and conciseness (brevity). For example, the Qur'an reiterates some sentences and verses in order to establish truths in minds. By way of illustration, the phrase "In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate" comes at the beginning of every surah (except one) (6). Moreover, the two verses (055: 13)] 13الرحمن : �ما " ] �ك ب ر ء آال ي�
�أ فبان ذ�ب �ك "ت
Pickthall Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that ye deny?
Yusuf Ali Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
: [ " المرسالت" �ين ذ�ب �م�ك �ل ل �ذ; و�مئ ي �ل< [ (37وي077:37 (and
Pickthall Woe unto the repudiators on that day!
Yusuf Ali Ah woe, that Day, to the Rejecters of Truth!
are repeated several times in surah al-Rahman and surah al-Mursalat respectively. Repetition thus serves moral and teaching purposes reminding man of permanent truth and should therefore be considered not a defect, but "an extremely powerful aspect of miraculousness, an extremely elevated virtue of eloquence, and a beauty of language in conformity with the requirements of the subject matter." (http://www.islamanswers.net/Quran/repetitions.htm).
Apart from reiteration, conciseness remains a prominent feature in the Qur'an. Indeed, for classic Arab rhetoricians, eloquence was brevity. Their motto was
اإليجاز Thus, even though the Qur'an as a religious and moral text is .الفصاحةnaturally expected to resort to repetition as in any teaching book, brevity remains a prominent feature of Qur'anic style as shown by comparing the Qur'an in Arabic with
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any translation, which will normally make recourse to parenthetical additions in order to clarify text. This concise style of the Qur'an is in marked contrast with modern Arabic style, which tends to be circumlocutory (using more words than necessary to express something, especially to avoid saying it), repetitive and cumbersome with synonyms.
Inimitability (Miraculousness) in the QuranRhetorical inimitability, البالغي is one of the aspects that make the ,االعجاز
Qur'an truly unique. Besides reporting about past prophets and civilizations, prophesizing future events (e.g. the defeat and decline of the Persian Empire and the Roman (Byzantine) Conquest of Persia), providing scientific information that was not available at the time of the prophet (e.g. concerning the various stages of pregnancy) and law-making, the Qur'an (e.g. 2:23; 11:13; 17:88; 52:33-34) challenged the Arabs' literary and rhetorical skills to imitate it when they claimed it was put together by Mohamed (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) (7). The fact that the challenge was addressed not so much to the believers as to the unbelievers means that it is more than rhetorical inimitability which is meant here. In any case the challenge stands as an invitation to ponder over the Qur'an.
Rhetorical inimitability can be defined as the highest stage of rhetoric. االعجاز( القزويني ( و السكاكي البالغة حدود أقصى The Arabs in the pre-Islamic period .هوenjoyed and up to now still enjoy the great works of literature, as attested the great prestige the معلقات enjoyed. Rhetorical inimitability is what makes the beauty of the Qur'anic text. It is not possible to try and cover all aspects of rhetorical inimitability in the Qur'an in a brief presentation. The Qur'an has always been considered a model of rhetoric in the Arabic tradition and scholars have discussed many aspects of its rhetorical inimitability such as exemplified by metaphors استعارة, similes تشبيه, brevity of style ايجاز, implicitness تضمين and other linguistic aspects, e.g. word order and emphasis, word choice, ellipsis, etc., which are represented in the whole Qur'an but are more pronounced in the Makkan surahs, which by their greater narrative and dramatic element, are best suited for such a style (http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Q_Studies/Mirliter.html).
Ellipsis in the Qur'anAs stated before, one of the rhetorical aspects of inimitability in the Qur'an is its conciseness. The latter is syntactically represented by ellipsis, which may overlap semantically and pragmatically with the phenomenon of implicitness.
Types of EllipsisNo discussion of ellipsis can be exhaustive without first recognizing its various types. It is pointless to talk of its causes, conditions, effects or recoverability without first recognizing and establishing the types. As a matter of fact, various types of ellipsis have been suggested. One taxonomy distinguishes between optional ellipsis and obligatory ellipsis. In the Arabic traditional grammar, obligatory ellipsis does not refer to a sentence element that is never realized on the surface structure but refers to a sentence element that, under certain conditions, gets deleted. Even though this distinction may be very relevant from a linguistic point of view, it is too general to be of some use to the translator for whom the basic questions are: what purpose is served by ellipsis? How should the omitted element be rendered?
Another classification (followed by most grammarians) consists in referring to the grammatical category of what is omitted, e.g. ellipsis of the noun, verb, particle or
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whole clause in Arabic. In this respect the taxonomy correlates with the parts of speech that are recognized in a language. This classification is of little use to a translator because parts of speech to do not coincide in all languages. Furthermore, the classification says nothing about the reasons or goals of ellipsis, which are more important from a translation point of view.
Another classification refers to the ultimate goals that the speaker or writer wants to achieve in omitting certain clause elements (e.g. desire for vagueness, exaggeration, minimalization, etc.). This, however, is but one subtype of ellipsis.
Another classification refers to the causes leading to ellipsis (e.g. frequency of use, desire for conciseness, ignorance, poetical rhythm and meter,…). In fact, various reasons and goals may combine to justify ellipsis. Ibn Hisham distinguishes between grammatical ellipsis whose postulation is required primarily by the grammatical descriptive framework (i.e. ellipsis is dependent on linguistic context) and ellipsis whose postulation is required for the semantic or pragmatic completeness or comprehension of meaning (i.e. ellipsis is dependent on pragmatic context). He says:
بدون" خبرا يجد بأن ذلك و الصناعة، اقتضته ما هو فيه النظر النحوي يلزم الذي الحذف .... قولهم وأما عامل بدون معموال أو عليه، معطوف بدون معطوفا أو بالعكس، أو مبتدأ
: " البرد " و التقدير إن الحر تقيكم سرابيل نحو وجعل " ]في T ال ظ�ال خلق م�م�ا �م ك ل جعل Wه� والل Xم� �ت ي �ك ذل ك �م� ك س
� أ ب �م ق�يك ت �يل اب ر وس �حر� ال �م� ق�يك ت �يل اب ر س �م� ك ل وجعل T انا �ن ك أ ال� ب �ج� ال م�ن �م ك ل�م�ون ل �س� ت �م� �ك عل ل �م� �ك ي عل ه� �ع�مت "[ [81النحل ] : "ن نحو و ن�ي ، ب �دت� عب ن� أ علي� Xها م�ن ت �ع�مة< ن �ل�ك وت
�يل ائ ر �س� . [22الشعراء ] : "إ ت لم و التقدير ذلك �بع�إن إنما و النحو، فن في ففضول دني،الجهل أو بالعكس، أو المفعول، حقارة و لعظمته الفاعل بحذف قولهم كذا و للمفسر،
بعض أذكر لم و البيان، صناعة على منهم تطفل فإنه ذلك نحو أو منه أو عليه خوفا أو به، ..... و التفسير متعاطي إلفادة الكتاب وضعت ألني بل عادتهم على جريا كتابي في ذلك
) " جميعا اللبيب العربية . مغني ص ،853.(
Types of Ellipsis in this PaperIn my opinion a translator has to be aware of at least the following five types
of ellipsis. In this presentation, various examples will be selected to illustrate each type.
Types of Ellipsis ┌──────────┬─────────┼───────────┬──────────┐
Type One Type Two Type Three Type Four Type FiveRhetorically motivated ellipsis
Syntactically motivated ellipsis
High contextualization or Pragmatically explained ellipsis
Obligatory ellipsis or Language specific ellipsis
grammarians' artefacts
1. Rhetorical Ellipsis By Rhetorical Ellipsis I mean rhetorically motivated ellipsis, i.e. cases where
sentence elements have been omitted by speaker or writer to achieve a certain rhetorical effect besides conciseness. The elements may or may not be required by rules of syntactic sentence completion. Such elements can be recovered by considering the intention of the speaker: making a generalization, leaving an issue deliberately ambiguous, irony, etc. The recoverability of the elliptical element calls in rhetorical abilities and, as far as translation is concerned, is taken care of by
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contrastive rhetoric. The knowledge of this type of ellipsis is very relevant to translation.
Some Elliptical InstancesVerse (001:6)
ق�يم " الم�ست اط الص�ر ـــا ـ [6الفاتحة ] : "اهد�نIn the Arabic language, the usual expression to convey the meaning of ‘show
me the right way’ is المستقيم إلىاهدني الصراط or السوي إلىاهدني الطريق . The Qur'an, however, in surat al Faatiha, which is the opening chapter of the Qur'an, has chosen to omit the preposition ‘ila thus yielding المستقيم الصراط to achieve a اهدناpurpose. What is meant here is that not only do we have to be shown the straight way but we also have to be kept on the right path. This is a rhetorical feature. The translator of the holy Qur'an has to recover and to translate the implied message, which is ‘Guide us to and in the straight way’ or 'Show us the straight path and keep us on the right way".In life, we may be wandering aimlessly. Therefore the first step is to find or be guided to the straight way; and the second need is to persevere in the right Way; otherwise, we may fail in either case. This meaning is not explicit in any translation. Unfortunately it is Pickthall's and Yusuf Ali's translations, which are in other respects more successful, which are least successful here. It makes a difference to say Guide us to the Straight Way (Hilali-Khan) or Guide us in the straight path (Sher Ali).
Pickthall Show us the straight path,
Yusuf Ali Show us the straight way,
Hilali-Khan Guide us to the Straight Way
Shakir Keep us on the right path.
Sher Ali Guide us in the straight path,
Khalifa Guide us in the right path:
Arberry Guide us in the straight path,
Palmer Guide us in the right path,
Rodwell Guide Thou us on the straight path,
Sale Direct us in the right way,
Verse (013:33)ب�ت� " ك�س� ا ب�م� �ن�ف�س ك�ل ع�ل�ى آئ�م� ق� و� ه� م�ن� ف�م� أ� أ سمXوه�م� ق�ل� اء ك ر ش� Wه� �ل ل � �وا وجعل
� وص�دXوا ه�م� �ر� مك � وا فر� ك �ذ�ين �ل ل �ن ي ز� ل� ب �قو�ل� ال م�ن �ظاه�ر; ب م أ ر�ض� األ ف�ي م� ع�ل ي ال �ما ب ه� �ون �ئ ب �ن ت
هاد; م�ن� ه� ل فما Wه� الل �ل� �ض�ل ي ومن �يل� ب الس� [33الرعد ] : "عن�What is omitted in (013:33) is the predicate كذلك ليس A reader realizes .كمن
that the construction is not complete. On the one hand, a parallelism is broken between 'Is HE, Allah, who stands over every soul and knows all that it gets' and any other who is so impotent and miserable as not to be even mentioned, which is the meaning that is recovered in Pickthall, Yusuf Ali, Hilali-Khan, and Khalifa's translations. On the other hand, another explanation is provided by Sher Ali, who translates it as 'Will then HE, Who stands over every soul watching what it earns, let them go unpunished?', which also makes sense. Hence, ellipsis here plays more than one
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function. Without recovering this omission at least in part, the English translation sounds awkward as is the case of Shakir, Arberry, and Palmer's translations. Rodwell, and Sale simply fail to capture any part of the original meaning.
Pickthall
Is He Who is aware of the deserts of every soul (as he who is aware of nothing)? …
Yusuf Ali
Is then He who standeth over every soul (and knoweth) all that it doth, (like any others)? …
Hilali-Khan
Is then He (Allah) Who takes charge (guards, maintains, provides, etc.) of every person and knows all that he has earned (like any other deities who know nothing)? …
Shakir Is He then Who watches every soul as to what it earns? …
Sher Ali Will then HE, Who stands over every soul watching what it earns, let them go unpunished? …
Khalifa Is there any equal to the One who controls every single soul? …
Arberry What, He who stands over every soul for what it has earned? --
Palmer Shall He who is standing over every soul (to note) what it has earned -?
Rodwell Who is it then that is standing over every soul to mark its actions? …
Sale Who is it therefore that standeth over every soul, ]to observe[ that which it committeth? …
Such ellipsis illustrates what is known as anacoluthon, which is defined as
"An abrupt change within a sentence to a second construction inconsistent with the
first, sometimes used for rhetorical effect” (The American Heritage Dictionary of
English).
Verse (O53:43)�كى " ب وأ ض�حك أ ه�و �ه� ن
[43النجم ] : "وأThe object that is omitted here is 'whom he wills' (Hilali-Khan), 'people' or 'men'
(Shakir). This is what is known in Arabic as االقتصار (confinement). It is possible to try to achieve the same effect in English as in Pickthall, Yusuf Ali, Arberry, Rodwell and Sale’s translations. It is, however, honest to say that such translations sound rather awkward.
Pickthall
And that He it is who maketh laugh, and maketh weep,
Yusuf Ali
That it is He Who granteth Laughter and Tears;
Hilali-Khan
And that it is He (Allah) Who makes (whom He wills) laugh, and makes (whom He wills) weep;
Shakir And that He it is Who makes (men) laugh and makes (them) weep;
Sher Ali And that it is HE WHO makes people laugh and makes them weep;
Khalifa He is the One who makes you laugh or cry.
Arberry and that it is He who makes to laugh, and that makes to weep,
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Palmer and that it is He who makes men laugh and weep;
Rodwell And that it is He who causeth to laugh and to weep,
Sale and that he causeth to laugh, and causeth to weep;
The omission of an object of a verb gives a general dimension to the verb (i.e. it causes one to focus on the action of the verb rather than the instance of the action).Similar instances to (053:43) include (053: 44) and (053:8).
Verse (028:23)�ه� " ي عل وجد ن مد�ي ماء د ور م�ا م�ةTول
� �اس� أ الن ون�م�ن ق� �ن� ي�س� ي أت ام�ر �ه�م� د�ون م�ن ووجد
ال ت�ذ�ود�ان� ا ت قال �ما �ك خط�ب ما ق�يقال د�ر�حت�ى ن�س� عاء ي�ص� �ير< الر� ب ك �خ< ي ش ا �ون ب "وأ[23القصص] :
In the verse (028:23), four objects are omitted as shown by Yusuf Ali's translation. The verse exemplifies an interesting case of االقتصار, i.e. unspecified object ellipsis. The aim behind omitting the objects is emphasizing the morals of the story rather than the details. It is irrelevant whether the people or the men were watering sheep, camels or goats, hence the use of the word flocks (which refers to goats and sheep but maybe not camels) in some translations. In fact, as Al Jurjaani (
االعجاز Vol. 1, p. 132) points out if what the two women were watering were ,دالئلspecified as sheep or goats or camels the problem or restriction might be understood as limited to the nature of animals the two women were going to water. It would be reasonable to assume, for example, that camels were prevented from watering but not sheep or vice versa.
Pickthall
And when he came unto the water of Midian he found there a whole tribe of men, watering. And he found apart from them two women keeping back (their flocks). He said: What aileth you? The two said: We cannot give (our flocks) to drink till the shepherds return from the water; and our father is a very old man.
Yusuf Ali
And when he arrived at the watering (place) in Madyan, he found there a group of men watering (their flocks), and besides them he found two women who were keeping back (their flocks). He said: "What is the matter with you?" They said: "We cannot water (our flocks) until the shepherds take back (their flocks): And our father is a very old man."
Hilali-Khan
And when he arrived at the water of Madyan (Midian) he found there a group of men watering (their flocks), and besides them he found two women who were keeping back (their flocks). He said: "What is the matter with you?" They said: "We cannot water (our flocks) until the shepherds take (their flocks). And our father is a very old man."
Shakir And when he came to the water of Madyan, he found on it a group of men watering, and he found besides them two women keeping back (their flocks). He said: What is the matter with you? They said: We cannot water until the shepherds take away (their sheep) from the water, and our father is a very old man.
Sher Ali And when he arrived at the water of Midian, he found there a party of men, watering their flocks. And he found beside them two women holding back their flocks. He said, `What is your the problem (sic)?' They replied, `We cannot water our flocks until the shepherds depart with their flocks, and our father is a very old man.'
Khalifa When he reached Midyan's water, he found a crowd of people watering, and noticed two women waiting on the side. He said, "What is it that you need?" They said, "We are not able to water, until the crowd disperses, and our father is an old man."
Arberry And when he came to the waters of Midian he found a company of the people there
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drawing water, and he found, apart from them, two women holding back their flocks. He said, 'What is your business?' They said, 'We may not draw water until the shepherds drive off; and our father is passing old.'
Palmer And when he went down to the water of Midian he found thereat a nation of people watering their flocks. And he found beside them two women keeping back their flocks. Said he, 'What is your design?' They said, 'We cannot water our flocks until the herdsmen have finished; for our father is a very old man.'
Rodwell And when he arrived at the water of Madian, he found at it a company of men watering. And he found beside them, two women keeping back their flock: "Why do ye," said he, "thus?" They said "We shall not water till the shepherds shall have driven off; for our father is very aged."
Sale And when he arrived at the water of Madian, he found about the ]well[ a company of men, who were watering ]their flocks[. And he found, besides them, two women, who kept off ]their sheep at a distance. And[ he said ]unto them[, what is the matter with you? They answered, we shall not water ]our flock[, until the shepherds shall have driven away ]theirs[; for our father is an old man, stricken in years.
Verse (041:41)ع�ز�يز� " ل�ك�ت�اب� �ن6ه� إ و� اءه�م� ج� ا ل�م6 ب�الذ ك�ر� وا ر� ك�ف� ال6ذ�ين� [41فصلت ] : "إ�ن6
Syntactically and semantically required is the predicate, i.e. خبر of إن. Particularly interesting is the number of possible explanations suggested by the various translations, which may be the very purpose for the ellipsis: none of the explanations can be said to be wrong. Nevertheless, what is meant are all of them, namely: those who disbelieve in the Reminder (the Qur'an) are guilty (Pickthall) / are not hidden from Us (Yusuf Ali) / shall receive the punishment (Hilali-Khan) / are the losers (Sher Ali) / shall one day be discovered (i.e. disclosed?) (Sale) and most surely it is a Mighty Book:). This is an aspect of the Qur'an's inimitability. The recipient of the Qur'anic text is left to imagine the greatness and horror of the punishment deserved by those who reject the message and this is another instance of anacoluthon.
Pickthall Lo! those who disbelieve in the Reminder when it cometh unto them (are guilty), for lo! it is an unassailable Scripture.
Yusuf Ali Those who reject the Message when it comes to them (are not hidden from Us). And indeed it is a Book of exalted power.
Hilali-Khan Verily, those who disbelieved in the Reminder (i.e. the Qur'an) when it came to them (shall receive the punishment). And verily, it is an honourable respected Book (because it is Allah's Speech, and He has protected it from corruption, etc.). (See V.15:9[
Shakir Surely those who disbelieve in the reminder when it comes to them, and most surely it is a Mighty Book:
Sher Ali Those who disbelieve in the Reminder - the Qur'an - when it has come to them are the losers. And truly, it is a mighty Book,
Khalifa Those who have rejected the Quran's proof when it came to them, have also rejected an Honorable book.
Arberry Those who disbelieve in the Remembrance when it comes to them -- and surely it is a Book Sublime;
Palmer Verily, those who misbelieve in the reminder when it comes to them - and, verily, it is a glorious Book!
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Rodwell Verily, they who believe not in "the warning," after it hath come to them . . . and yet the Koran is a glorious book!
Sale Verily they who believe not in the admonition ]of the Koran[, after it hath come unto them, ]shall one day be discovered[. It ]is[ certainly a book of infinite value:
Verse (013:31)و�ت�ى " ال�م� ب�ه� ك�ل م� و�
أ� ض� ر�األ� ب�ه� ق�ط ع�ت� و�
أ� ب�ال� ال�ج� ب�ه� ت� ي ر� س� Bآنا ر� ق� ن6أ� ل�و� Wه� و� �ل ل ل ب
�ذ�ين ال ال� ز ي وال T جم�يعا �اس الن هدى ل Wه� الل اء� ش ي �و� ل ن أ � �وا آمن �ذ�ين ال س� �أ ي ي م� فل أ T جم�يعا م�ر� األ
ال Wه الل �ن� إ Wه� الل وع�د� �ي �ت أ ي �ى حت دار�ه�م� م�ن T قر�يبا Xح�ل ت و� أ قار�عة< � ع�وا صن �ما ب �ه�م �ص�يب ت � وا فر� ك
�م�يعاد ال ل�ف� �خ� [31الرعد ] : "يThe response to the implicit question 'And if there had been a Qur'an with
which mountains could be moved, or the earth could be cloven asunder, or the dead could be made to speak’ is omitted. The response is presumably القرآن هذا this لكانQur'an would have done so (Pickthall) or يؤمنوا لن but they will not believe (Sher لكنهمAli) or it would be in vain (Sale). This is another instance of rhetorical anacoluthon.
Pickthall Had it been possible for a Lecture to cause the mountains to move, or the earth to be torn asunder, or the dead to speak, (this Qur'an would have done so)…
Yusuf Ali If there were a Qur'an with which mountains were moved, or the earth were cloven asunder, or the dead were made to speak, (this would be the one!) …
Hilali-Khan
And if there had been a Qur'an with which mountains could be moved (from their places), or the earth could be cloven asunder, or the dead could be made to speak (it would not have been other than this Qur'an) ...
Shakir And even if there were a Quran with which the mountains were made to pass away, or the earth were travelled over with it, or the dead were made to speak thereby; …
Sher Ali And if there was a Qur'an by which mountains could be moved or by which the earth could be cut asunder or by which the dead could be spoken to, they would still not believe in it…
Khalifa Even if a Quran caused mountains to move, or the earth to tear asunder, or the dead to speak (they will not believe)…
Arberry If only a Koran whereby the mountains were set in motion, or the earth were cleft, or the dead were spoken to --
Palmer And though it were a Qur'an by which the mountains were moved, or by which the earth were cut up, or the dead made to speak - nay, God's is the command altogether! …
Rodwell If there were a Koran by which the mountains could be set in motion, or the earth cleft, or the dead be made to speak ! …
Sale Though a Koran ]were revealed[ by which mountains should be removed, or the earth cleaved in sunder, or the dead be caused to speak, ]it would be in vain[…
Verse (012:82)ي�ة� " ر� ال�ق� ل�
أ� يوسف " ] : و�اس� لصاد�ق�ون �ا �ن وإ ف�يها ا �ن ل ق�ب أ �ي �ت ال �ر �ع�ي وال ف�يها �ا �ن ك �ي �ت [82الNormally, you do not ask a town or a village but you ask the people therein.
Therefore, in ‘ ة ي �قر� ال ل� أ what is omitted is the noun to which the annexation is ’واس�
made (to which another word is annexed), namely أهل. Its ellipsis provides a nice instance of personification. In some English translations, the omitted phrase (the people of), which is semantically but not syntactically required, supply the omitted
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elements from the Arabic text. In Hilali-Khan’s translation the omitted parenthetical phrase is explicitly stated. In other translations other syntactic solutions are explored, e.g. ask in the city, enquire of the city, or enquire in the town.
Pickthall Ask the township where we were, and the caravan with which we travelled hither. Lo! we speak the truth.
Yusuf Ali "'Ask at the town where we have been and the caravan in which we returned, and (you will find) we are indeed telling the truth.'"
Hilali-Khan "And ask (the people of) the town where we have been, and the caravan in which we returned, and indeed we are telling the truth."
Shakir And inquire in the town in which we were and the caravan with which we proceeded, and most surely we are truthful.
Sher Ali `And inquire of the people of the town wherein we were, and of the caravan with which we came, and certainly we are speaking the truth.'
Khalifa `You may ask the community where we were, and the caravan that came back with us. We are telling the truth.' "
Arberry Enquire of the city wherein we were, and the caravan in which we approached; surely we are truthful men".'
Palmer 'Ask then in the city where we were, and of the caravan in which we approached it, for, verily, we tell the truth.'
Rodwell Enquire for thyself in the city where we have been, and of the caravan with which we have arrived; and we are surely speakers of the truth.'
Sale And do thou inquire in the city, where we have been, and of the company of merchants, with whom we are arrived, and ]thou wilt find[ that we speak the truth.
A similar instance to (012:82) is to be found in (021: 74). T �ما ل وع� T �ما ح�ك اه� �ن ي آت T ي�ة� ول�وطا ر� ال�ق� م�ن� ي�ن�اه� ن�ج6 قو�م و� �وا ان ك �ه�م� �ن إ �ث ائ ب �خ ال �ع�مل� ت ت ان ك �ي �ت ال
األنبياء ] : ق�ين فاس� و�ء; [74س
In this latter case, two solutions are explored: substituting city by community (which normally refers to people) or preserving the personification.
Pickthall
And unto Lot we gave judgment and knowledge, and We delivered him from the community that did abominations...
Yusuf Ali
And to Lut, too, We gave Judgment and Knowledge, and We saved him from the town which practised abominations:...
Hilali-Khan
And (remember) Lout (Lot), We gave him Hukman (right judgement of the affairs and Prophethood) and (religious) knowledge, and We saved him from the town (folk) who practised Al-Khaba'ith (evil, wicked and filthy deeds, etc.)...
Shakir And (as for) Lut, We gave him wisdom and knowledge, and We delivered him from the town which wrought abominations;…
Sher Ali And to Lot WE gave wisdom and knowledge. And WE saved him from the city which practised abominations. They were indeed a wicked and rebellious people.
Khalifa As for Lot, we granted him wisdom and knowledge, and we saved him from the community that practiced abominations; they were wicked and evil people.
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Arberry And Lot -- to him We gave judgment and knowledge; and we delivered him from the city that had been doing deeds of corruption;…
Palmer And Lot, to him we gave judgment and knowledge, and we brought him safely out of the city which had done vile acts; verily, …
Rodwell And unto Lot we gave wisdom, and knowledge; and we rescued him from the city which wrought filthiness;…
Sale And unto Lot we gave wisdom and knowledge, and we delivered him out of the city which committed filthy crimes;…
The full expression القرية does occur in the Qur'an as in (29: 31)أهل�وا ان ك ها ه�ل
أ �ن� إ ة� ي �قر� ال هذ�ه� ه�ل� أ �و �ك م�ه�ل �ا �ن إ �وا قال ى ر �ش� �ب �ال ب اه�يم �ر �ب إ ا �ن ل س� ر� جاءت� م�ا ولالعنكبوت ] : �م�ين [31ظال
2. Syntactic (or grammatical) Ellipsis By syntactic ellipsis I refer to cases where it is necessary to think of elliptical
sentence elements for the syntactic completion and acceptability (grammaticality) of the sentence. In the case of syntactic ellipsis the omitted words are necessary to complete the grammatical construction (and meaning). The usual construction is normally independently established elsewhere in the language. Syntactic ellipsis is itself of different types.2.1 Ellipsis explaining particular case markings إعرابية حاالت يفسر حذف2.2 Ellipsis explaining specific incomplete grammatical constructions. 2.3 Conversational ellipsis: As a matter of fact, in all languages there are incomplete sentences and fragments of discourse, some of whose elements have been omitted because they already occur elsewhere in speech. For instance, all identical (i.e. repeated) sentence elements are normally omitted in a dialogue. 2.4 Ellipsis of repeated elements in complex and compound sentences.
Most of the time the postulation of syntactic ellipsis is justified merely by the apparent ungrammaticality of a sentence. These types of ellipsis, which call in syntactic abilities, achieve conciseness. The meaning of the omitted elements is fairly deduced from the structural context of the sentence.
2.1 Ellipsis explaining case marking:Verse (016:24)
�ين " و�ل األ اط�ير� س
أ � �وا قال �م� Xك ب ر ل نز أ م�اذا ه�م ل ق�يل �ذا [24النحل ] : "وإ�ين و�ل
األ اط�ير� س Tales of the ancients’ is not in the objective case and so is not‘ أ
an object of قالوا. It is rather a خبر of a demonstrative تلك. Sher Ali aptly captures this by translating the verse above as: "And when it is said to them, `What think ye of that which your Lord has sent down?' They say, `They are but mere stories of the ancients.'" All other translators felt the reference to the subject ‘they’ merely redundant.
Pickthall
And when it is said unto them: What hath your Lord revealed? they say: (Mere) fables of the men of old,
Yusuf Ali
When it is said to them, "What is it that your Lord has revealed?" they say, "Tales of the ancients!"
Hilali-Khan
And when it is said to them: "What is it that your Lord has sent down (unto Muhammad SAW)?" They say: "Tales of the men of old!"
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Shakir And when it is said to them, what is it that your Lord has revealed? They say: Stories of the ancients;
Sher Ali And when it is said to them, `What think ye of that which your Lord has sent down?' They say, `They are but mere stories of the ancients.'
Khalifa When they are asked, "What do you think of these revelations from your Lord," they say, "Tales from the past."
Arberry And when it is said to them, 'What has your Lord sent down?' they say, 'Fairy-tales of the ancients.'
Palmer And when it is said to them, 'What is it that your Lord has sent down?' they say, 'Old folks' tales!'
Rodwell For when it is said to them, "What is this your Lord hath sent down?" they say, "Fables of the ancients," -
Sale And when it is said unto them, what hath your Lord sent down ]unto Mohammed[? They answer, fables of ancient ]times[.
Verse (OO3:61) � و�ا عال ت فق�ل� � �م �ع�ل ال م�ن جاءك ما ع�د� ب م�ن ف�يه� حآج�ك ا ن�د�ع�فمن� اءن �س ون �م� اءك �ن ب وأ ا اءن �ن ب أ
�ين اذ�ب �ك ال على Wه� الل ة �ع�ن ل ج�عل فن ه�ل� �ت ب ن �م� ث �م� ك نف�س وأ ا ن نف�س وأ �م� اءك �س عمران ] : "ون [61آلThis is another instance where ellipsis explains particular and otherwise
unexplained case markings. In Arabic, just as a noun in the accusative case signals the presence of a governor, albeit theoretically, the apocopate case (and elided form) of د�ع� is explained by postulating a deleted ( ندعو where otherwise the expected form is) نconditional sentence 'if you come'. No attempt is made by any of our translators to recover the omitted elements. The difference is great if you say ‘come, let us summon’… or ‘if you come we will summon’. In the latter case the implied message is that they will never come. So this is a challenge that is reflected in none of the translations.
Pickthall
And whoso disputeth with thee concerning him, after the knowledge which hath come unto thee, say (unto him): Come! We will summon our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, then we will pray humbly (to our Lord)...
Yusuf Ali
If any one disputes in this matter with thee, now after (full) knowledge Hath come to thee, say: "Come! let us gather together, - our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves: Then let us earnestly pray, …”
Hilali-Khan
Then whoever disputes with you concerning him ]'Iesa (Jesus)[ after (all this) knowledge that has come to you, ]i.e. 'Iesa (Jesus)[ being a slave of Allah, and having no share in Divinity) say: (O Muhammad SAW) "Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves - then we pray …"
Shakir But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say: Come let us call our sons and your sons and our women and your women and our near people and your near people, then let us be earnest in prayer, …
Sher Ali Now whoso disputes with thee concerning him, after what has come to thee of Knowledge, say to him `Come, let us call our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and our people and your people; then let us pray fervently...
Khalifa If anyone argues with you, despite the knowledge you have received, then say, "Let us
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summon our children and your children, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then let us invoke GOD's curse upon the liars."
Arberry And whoso disputes with thee concerning him, after the knowledge that has come to thee, say: 'Come now, let us call our sons and your sons, our wives and your wives, our selves and your selves, then let us humbly pray...'
Palmer And whoso disputeth with thee after what has come to thee of knowledge, say, 'Come, let us call our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves: then we will imprecate and put God's curse on those who lie.'
Rodwell As for those who dispute with thee about Him, after "the knowledge" hath come to thee, SAY: Come, let us summon our sons and your sons, our wives and your wives, and ourselves and yourselves. Then will we invoke and lay the malison of God on those that lie!
Sale And whoever shall dispute with thee concerning him, after the knowledge which hath been given thee, say ]unto them[, come, let us call together our sons, and your sons, and our wives, and your wives, and our selves, and your selves; then let us make imprecations,…
Verse (091:13)الشمس ] : اها ق�ي وس� �ه� الل اقة ن �ه� الل س�ول� ر ه�م� ل [13فقال
What are omitted here are the verbs leave alone 'the she-camel of Allah' and hinder not her 'drinking'. The elided verbs are signaled by the accusative case assigned to the objects. This specific interpretation is only captured by Shakir’s, Sher Ali’s and Sale’s translations.
Pickthall
And the messenger of Allah said: It is the she-camel of Allah, so let her drink!
Yusuf Ali
But the Apostle of God said to them: "It is a She-camel of God! And (bar her not from) having her drink!"
Hilali-Khan
But the Messenger of Allah ]Salih (Saleh)[ said to them: "Be cautious! Fear the evil end. That is the she-camel of Allah! (Do not harm it) and bar it not from having its drink!"
Shakir So Allah's apostle said to them (Leave alone) Allah's she-camel, and (give) her (to) drink.
Sher Ali Then the Messenger of ALLAH said, `Leave alone the she-camel of ALLAH and obstruct not her drink.'
Khalifa GOD's messenger said to them, "This is GOD's camel; let her drink."
Arberry Then the Messenger of God said to them, 'The She-camel of God; let her drink!'
Palmer and the apostle of God said to them, Gods she-camel! so give her to drink.
Rodwell Said the Apostle of God to them, - "The Camel of God! let her drink."
Sale and the apostle of God said unto them, ]let alone[ the camel of God; and ]hinder not[ her drinking.
2.2 Ellipsis explaining incomplete grammatical constructions:
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Verse (039:24)ة� " ي�ام� ال�ق� ي�و�م� ال�ع�ذ�اب� وء� س� ه� ه� ب�و�ج� ي ي�ت6ق� م�ن ف��م� أ� �نت ك ما ذ�وق�وا �م�ين �لظ�ال ل وق�يل
�ون ب �س� ك [24الزمر ] : "تWhat is omitted is the predicate of the question particle ‘أ’, which needs a
subject and a predicate; the latter is understood as الجنة في ينعم as he who‘ كمنenters peacefully in Paradise’. This elliptical clause together with the following one constitute another instance of anacoluthon. Most translators (Pickthall, Yusuf Ali, Hilali-Khan, Sher Ali, Khalifa, Sale) felt it necessary to recover the omitted elements.
Pickthall
Is he then, who will strike his face against the awful doom upon the Day of Resurrection (as he who doeth right)? …
Yusuf Ali
Is, then, one who has to fear the brunt of the Penalty on the Day of Judgment (and receive it) on his face, (like one guarded therefrom)? …
Hilali-Khan
Is he then, who will confront with his face the awful torment on the Day of Resurrection (as he who enters peacefully in Paradise)? …
Shakir Is he then who has to guard himself with his own person against the evil chastisement on the resurrection day? …
Sher Ali Is he, then, who has only his own face to shield from the evil punishment on the Day of Resurrection, like him who is secure? …
Khalifa What is better than saving one's face from the terrible retribution on the Day of Resurrection? …
Arberry Is he who guards himself with his face against the evil of the chastisement on the Day of Resurrection . . .? ….
Palmer Shall he who must screen himself with his own face from the evil torment on the resurrection day. . . . ? (….)
Rodwell Shall he who shall have nought but his own face to shelter him with from the torment of the punishment on the day of the resurrection . . .? (…)
Sale Shall he therefore who shall ]be obliged to[ screen himself with his face from the severity of the punishment on the day of resurrection, ]be as he who is secure therefrom[? …
Verse (035:008) B نا س� ح� آه� ر� ف� ل�ه� ع�م� وء� س� ل�ه� ي ن� ز� م�ن ف�
فال أ� اء� ش ي من ه�د�ي وي اء� ش ي من Xض�ل� ي �ه الل �ن� فإفاطر ] : ع�ون ص�ن ي �ما ب �يم< عل �ه الل �ن� إ ات; ر حس �ه�م� ي عل ف�س�ك ن ذ�هب� [8ت
Similarly, in the preceding verse what is elided is الله هداه equal to one‘ كمنwho is rightly guided’ (as in most translations) or ‘other than Satan's dupe’ (as in Pickthall’s translation).
Pickthall Is he, the evil of whose deeds is made fairseeming unto him so that he deemeth it good, (other than Satan's dupe)?...
Yusuf Ali Is he, then, to whom the evil of his conduct is made alluring, so that he looks upon it as good, (equal to one who is rightly guided)? …
Hilali-Khan Is he, then, to whom the evil of his deeds made fairseeming, so that he considers it as good (equal to one who is rightly guided)? …
Shakir What! is he whose evil deed is made fairseeming to him so much so
15
that he considers it good? …
Sher Ali Can he, then, to whom the evil of his conduct is made to appear pleasing, so that he looks upon it as good, be like him who believes and does good deeds? …
Khalifa Note the one whose evil work is adorned in his eyes, until he thinks that it is righteous…
Arberry And what of him, the evil of whose deeds has been decked out fair to him, so that he thinks it is good? …
Palmer What! is he whose evil act is made seemly for him, so that he looks upon it as good,-? …
Rodwell Shall he, the evil of whose deeds are so tricked out to him that he deemeth them good, be treated like him who seeth things aright? …
Sale Shall he therefore for whom his evil work hath been prepared, and who imagineth it to be good, ]be as he who is rightly disposed, and discerneth the truth[?...
Verse (039:022)م� ال� �س� ل�إل� ه� د�ر� ص� الل6ه� ح� ر� ش� م�ن ف�
ب ه� أ� ر6 م ن �ن�ور ع�ل�ى و� ه� م�ن ف� �ه�م �وب ق�ل ة� ي �قاس� �ل ل �ل< فويالزمر ] : �ين; م�ب ل; ضال ف�ي �ك ئ و�ل
� أ �ه� الل �ر� [22ذ�كIn the preceding verse, what is omitted is قلبه أقسى as he whose heart‘ كمن
is hardened’ (Sale), ‘as he who disbelieveth’ (Pickthall), ‘no better than one hard-hearted’ (Yusuf Ali), ‘as he who is non-Muslim’ (Hilali-Khan) or ‘like the hard-hearted’ (Shakir).
Pickthall Is he whose bosom Allah hath expanded for Al-Islam, so that he followeth a light from his Lord, (as he who disbelieveth)? …
Yusuf Ali Is one whose heart God has opened to Islam, so that he has received Enlightenment from God, (no better than one hard-hearted)? …
Hilali-Khan Is he whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from His Lord (as he who is non-Muslim)? …
Shakir What! is he whose heart Allah has opened for Islam so that he is in a light from his Lord (like the hard-hearted)? …
Sher Ali Is he then whose bosom ALLAH has opened for the acceptance of Islam, so that he possesses a light from his Lord, like him who is grouping in the darkness of disbelief? …
Khalifa If GOD renders one's heart content with Submission, he will be following a light from his Lord....
Arberry Is he whose breast God has expanded unto Islam, so he walks in a light from his Lord . . .?(…)
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Palmer Is he whose breast God has expanded for Islam, and who is in light from his Lord .... ? (…)
Rodwell Shall he then whose breast God hath opened to Islam, and who hath light from his Lord . . .? (…)
Sale Shall he, therefore, whose breast God hath enlarged to ]receive the religion of[ Islam, and who followeth the light from his Lord, ]be as he whose heart is hardened[? …
Verse (006:35)اض�ه�م� �ع�ر إ �ك ي عل �ر ب ك ان ك �ن B وإ ل6ما س� و�
أ� ض� ر�األ� ف�ي Bقا ن�ف� ت�ب�ت�غ�ي� أ�ن ت�ط�ع�ت� اس� إ�ن� ف�
ت�ي�ه�م ت�أ� ف� اء م� الس6 �ين ف�ي اه�ل �ج ال م�ن ن� �ون ك ت فال �ه�دى ال على جمعه�م� ل Wه� الل اء ش و� ول ة; �آي ب
[35األنعام] : The previous verse provides another good example of ellipsis and conciseness.
The if-clause ;ة �آي ب ه�م �ي ت� أ فت ماء الس� ف�ي T �ما ل س� و�
أ ر�ض� األ ف�ي T فقا ن غ�ي �ت ب ت ن أ طع�ت ت اس� �ن� is فإ
so concise that it sounds incomplete. The idea, however, is 'if you can do it then do it but even then your effort will be fruitless'. Both ideas are captured by Sale: "if thou canst seek out a den into the earth, or a ladder into heaven, that thou mayest shew them a sign, ]do so, but thy search will be fruitless". What is omitted then is not a word or a phrase but clauses.
Pickthall
… if thou canst, seek a way down into the earth or a ladder unto the sky that thou mayst bring unto them a portent (to convince them all)! -…
Yusuf Ali
…yet if thou wert able to seek a tunnel in the ground or a ladder to the skies and bring them a sign, - (what good?)…
Hilali-Khan
…then if you were able to seek a tunnel in the ground or a ladder to the sky, so that you may bring them a sign (and you cannot do it, so be patient)…
Shakir …then if you can seek an opening (to go down) into the earth or a ladder (to ascend up) to heaven so that you should bring them a sign …
Sher Ali … then, if thou art able to seek a passage into the earth or a ladder unto heaven and bring them a Sign, thou canst do so…
Khalifa …you should know that even if you dug a tunnel through the earth, or climbed a ladder into the sky, and produced a miracle for them (they still would not believe)…
Arberry …if thou canst seek out a hole in the earth, or a ladder in heaven, to bring them some sign …
Palmer …and if thou canst seek for a shaft down into the earth, or a ladder up into the sky, to bring them a sign -…
Rodwell … and if thou art able to seek out an opening into the earth or a ladder into Heaven, that thou mightest bring them a sign. . . .
Sale …if thou canst seek out a den ]whereby thou mayest penetrate[ into ]the
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inward parts of[ the earth, or a ladder ]by which thou mayest ascend[ into heaven, that thou mayest shew them a sign, ]do so, but thy search will be fruitless[…
Verse (057:10)ض� ر�
واأل� ماوات� الس� اث� م�ير �ه� �ل ول �ه� الل �يل� ب س ف�ي �نف�ق�وا ت ال� أ �م� ك ل ن� وما م6 نك�م م� ت�و�ي ي�س� ال�ات�ل� و�ق� ت�ح� ال�ف� ب�ل� ق� م�ن ق� نف�
أ��ما ب �ه� والل ى ن �ح�س� ال �ه� الل وعد T Wال� وك �وا ل وقات ع�د� ب م�ن نفق�وا أ �ذ�ين ال م�ن Tةج در ع�ظم� أ �ك ئ و�ل
� أالحديد ] : �ير< ب خ ع�مل�ون [10ت
The only implied comparison before those who spent and fought before the Makkan victory and those who fought and spent afterwards is made explicit in most translations.
Pickthall
…Those who spent and fought before the victory are not upon a level (with the rest of you)…
Yusuf Ali
...Not equal among you are those who spent (freely) and fought, before the Victory, (with those who did so later)…
Hilali-Khan
…Not equal among you are those who spent and fought before the conquering (of Makkah) (with those among you who did so later)…
Shakir …not alike among you are those who spent before the victory and fought (and those who did not):...
Sher Ali …Those of you who spent and fought before the Victory are not equal to those who did so later...
Khalifa …Distinguished from the rest are those among you who spend before the victory and strive…
Arberry …Not equal is he among you who spent, and who fought before the victory;...
Palmer …Not alike amongst you is he who gives alms before the victory and fights,- …
Rodwell …Those among you who contributed before the victory, and fought, shall be differently treated from certain others among you!...
Sale …Those among you who shall have contributed and fought ]in defence of the faith[, before the taking ]of Mecca[, shall not be held equal ]with those who shall contribute and fight for the same afterwards[…
Verses (036: 45-46)م�ون� " ح� ت�ر� ل�ع�ل6ك�م� ك�م� ل�ف� خ� ا و�م� ي�د�يك�م�
� أ ب�ي�ن� ا م� وا ات6ق� م� ل�ه� ق�يل� إ�ذ�ا [45يس ] : "و�م�ع�ر�ض�ين " �ها عن �وا ان ك �ال� إ �ه�م� ب ر ات� آي م�ن� ة; آي م�ن� �يه�م ت
� أ ت [46يس: ]"وماThe first verse is clearly elliptical. What is meant is that when they are advised
'to guard themselves against that which is before them through Prayer and that which is behind them through Repentance, that they may receive mercy,' they turn away /they are heedless, they turn back. What is omitted from the first verse is
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الشرط the second clause in a conditional sentence) أعرضوا جواب جملة as (حذفexplicitly stated in the second verse. Without postulating the omitted elements, the English translation is awkward. Compare Pickthall’s and Yusuf Ali’s translations, on the one hand, and Shakir’s and Arberry’s translations, on the other hand.
Pickthall
When it is said unto them: Beware of that which is before you and that which is behind you, that haply ye may find mercy (they are heedless).
Yusuf Ali
When they are told, "Fear ye that which is before you and that which will be after you, in order that ye may receive Mercy," (they turn back).
Hilali-Khan
And when it is said to them: "Beware of that which is before you (worldly torments), and that which is behind you (torments in the Hereafter), in order that you may receive Mercy (…).
Shakir And when it is said to them: Guard against what is before you and what is behind you, that mercy may be had on you.
Sher Ali And when it is said to them, `Guard yourselves against that which is before you through Prayer and that which is behind you through repentance, that you may receive mercy,' they turn away.
Khalifa Yet, when they are told, "Learn from your past, to work righteousness for your future, that you may attain mercy,"
Arberry And when it is said to them, 'Fear what is before you and what is behind you; haply you will find mercy' --
Palmer And when it is said to them, 'Fear what is before you and what is behind you, haply ye may obtain mercy;'
Rodwell And when it is said to them, Fear what is before you and what is behind you, that ye may obtain mercy. . . .
Sale When it is said unto them, fear that which is before you, and that which is behind you, that ye may obtain mercy; ]they withdraw from thee[:
Verse (012:18) T م�را
أ �م� ك نف�س� أ �م� ك ل و�لت� س ل� ب قال ذ�ب; ك ; �دم ب قم�يص�ه� على يل� وجآؤ�وا م� ج� ب�ر� Wه� ف�ص� والليوسف ] : ص�ف�ون ت ما على عان� ت �م�س� [18ال
The previous verse provides another instance of conciseness, for which a variety of translations have been supplied. Grammatically, it is claimed that what is omitted is the مبتدأ, i.e. جميل صبر I see, however, no reason why the other . صبريpossibility ( جميل .should not be considered (فالصبر
Pickthall … (My course is) comely patience…
Yusuf Ali …(for me) patience is most fitting…
Hilali-Khan … (for me) patience is most fitting…
Shakir …patience is good …
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Sher Ali ... So comely patience is now called for…
Khalifa ... All I can do is resort to a quiet patience…
Arberry ... But come, sweet patience! …
Palmer …but patience is fair!...
Rodwell ... But patience is seemly…
Sale …However patience is most becoming…
Verse (016:117)ل�يل� ق� ت�اع� �يم< م� ل أ عذاب< ه�م� [117النحل] : ول
In the previous verse, it can be claimed that what is omitted is the مبتدأ (i.e. متاعهم).
Pickthall A brief enjoyment (will be theirs)...
Yusuf Ali (In such falsehood) is but a paltry profit…
Hilali-Khan A passing brief enjoyment (will be theirs)…
Shakir A little enjoyment...
Sher Ali This life is a brief enjoyment …
Khalifa They enjoy briefly…
Arberry A little enjoyment…
Palmer A little enjoyment - …
Rodwell Brief their enjoyment…
Sale ]They shall have[ small enjoyment ]in this world[…
Verse (029:45)ة " الص�ال � ق�م وأ اب� �ك�ت ال م�ن �ك ي �ل إ �وح�ي أ ما �ل� نك�ر� ات ال�م� و� اء ش� ح� ال�ف� ع�ن� ت�ن�ه�ى ة� ال� الص6 إ�ن6
ع�ون ص�ن ت ما م� ع�ل ي �ه� والل ر� �ب ك أ �ه� الل �ر� ذ�ك [45العنكبوت ] : "ول
In the sentence ر� �م�نك وال اء �فح�ش ال عن� �هى ن ت ة الص�ال �ن� one can argue that the إverb تنهى (variously translated as preserve, restrain, prevent, keep away from, prohibit, forbid) needs a direct object ( المصلين أو This is an instance of .(الناسunspecified object deletion, which is preserved in English except in Shakir, Sher Ali and Sale’s translations.
Pickthall …Lo! worship preserveth from lewdness and iniquity, …
Yusuf Ali …for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; …
Hilali-Khan
…Verily, As-Salat (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahsha' (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed, etc.) ...
Shakir … surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil…
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Sher Ali … Surely, Prayer restrains one from indecency and manifest evil…
Khalifa … for the Contact Prayers prohibit evil and vice…
Arberry …prayer forbids indecency and dishonour….
Palmer … verily, prayer forbids sin and wrong…
Rodwell …for prayer restraineth from the filthy and the blame-worthy…
Sale …for prayer preserveth ]a man[ from filthy crimes, and ]from[ that which is blamable…
Verse (017: 09)م� و� ق�أ� ه�ي� ل�ل6ت�ي د�ي ي�ه� آن� ر� ال�ق� ـذ�ا ه� ن� إ�ن6 أ �حات� الص�ال ع�مل�ون ي �ذ�ين ال �ين �م�ؤ�م�ن ال ر� ش� �ب وي
اإلسراء ] : T �يرا ب ك T ج�را أ ه�م� [9لSimilarly in the sentence �مق�و أ ه�ي �ي �ت �ل ل �ه�د�ي ي آن �ق�ر� ال ذا هـ �ن� one can argue that إ
.peopleالناس believers or ،المؤمنين needs an object such as (guide, direct) يهدي
Pickthall Lo! this Qur'an guideth unto that which is straightest,...
Yusuf Ali Verily this Qur'an doth guide to that which is most right (or stable), …
Hilali-Khan Verily, this Qur'an guides to that which is most just and right …
Shakir Surely this Quran guides to that which is most upright...
Sher Ali Surely, this Qur'an guides to what is most right; …
Khalifa This Quran guides to the best path,...
Arberry Surely this Koran guides to the way that is straightest …
Palmer Verily, this Qur'an guides to the straightest path, …
Rodwell Verily, this Koran guideth to what is most upright; …
Sale Verily this Koran directeth unto ]the way[ which is most right, …
Verse (053: 43)النجم ] : �كى ب وأ ض�حك أ ه�و �ه� ن
[43وأThe object that is omitted here is 'whom he wills' (Hilali-Khan), 'people' or 'men'
(Shakir). This is what is known in Arabic as االقتصار (restriction). The omission of the object of a verb gives a general dimension to the verb and causes one to focus on the action of the verb rather than on any particular instance. It is possible to achieve the same effect in English as in Pickthall, Yusuf Ali, Arberry, Rodwell and Sale. It is, however, honest to say that these translations sound rather awkward.
Pickthall And that He it is who maketh laugh, and maketh weep,
Yusuf Ali That it is He Who granteth Laughter and Tears;
Hilali-Khan
And that it is He (Allah) Who makes (whom He wills) laugh, and makes (whom He wills) weep;
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Shakir And that He it is Who makes (men) laugh and makes (them) weep;
Sher Ali And that it is HE WHO makes people laugh and makes them weep;
Khalifa He is the One who makes you laugh or cry.
Arberry and that it is He who makes to laugh, and that makes to weep,
Palmer and that it is He who makes men laugh and weep;
Rodwell And that it is He who causeth to laugh and to weep,
Sale and that he causeth to laugh, and causeth to weep;
2.3 Conversational ellipsis:Verse (043:87)
قه�م� " ل خ م�ن� ه�م �ت ل أ س �ن ئ الل6ه� ول ول�ن6 �ون ل�ي�ق� �ؤ�فك ي �ى ن [87الزخرف ] : "فأ
In the sentence �ه� الل �ن� ق�ول ي it is clear that the complete structure is 'they will لsurely say: Allah (created us)'. Nevertheless, it is evident that the postulated deleted element in Arabic is introduced for the sake of accounting for the grammatical case of the word ‘Allah’. This, however, does not raise any problem for the English translation.
Pickthall
And if thou ask them who created them, they will surely say: Allah. How then are they turned away?
Yusuf Ali
If thou ask them, who created them, they will certainly say, God: How then are they deluded away (from the Truth)?
Hilali-Khan
And if you ask them who created them, they will surely say: "Allah". How then are they turned away (from the worship of Allah, Who created them)?
Shakir And if you should ask them who created them, they would certainly say: Allah. Whence are they then turned back?
Sher Ali And if thou ask them, `Who created them?' They will surely, say, `ALLAH.' How, then, are they being turned away?
Khalifa If you asked them who created them, they would say, "GOD." Why then did they deviate?
Arberry If thou askest them, 'Who created you?' they will say, 'God.' How then are they perverted?
Palmer And if thou shouldst ask them who created them they shall surely say, 'God!' How then can they lie?
Rodwell If thou ask them who hath created them, they will be sure to say, "God." How then hold they false opinions?
Sale If thou ask them who hath created them, they will surely answer, God. How therefore are they turned away ]to the worship of others? …[
2.4 Ellipsis of repeated elements in complex and compound sentences Verse (013:35)
�هار� ن األ �ها ت ح� ت م�ن ج�ر�ي ت �ق�ون �م�ت ال و�ع�د �ي �ت ال �ة� ن �ج ال ل� ا م�ث و�ظ�ل[ه� د�آئ�م� ا ك�ل�ه�
ع�ق�بى أ� �ل�ك ت�ار� الن اف�ر�ين �ك ال ى و�ع�ق�ب � �قوا ات �ذ�ين [35الرعد ] : "ال
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An instance of ellipsis in coordinated clauses is provided by the preceding verse, in which is omitted the adjective functioning as a predicate in the second clause in bold. The understood meaning is دائم وظلها دائم its fruit is everlasting, and so is‘ أكلهاits shade’. Various strategies are explored by the translators to cover the omitted element except in Pickthall and Arberry’s translations.
Pickthall …its food is everlasting, and its shade…
Yusuf Ali …perpetual is the enjoyment thereof and the shade therein…
Hilali-Khan … its provision is eternal and so is its shade…
Shakir …its food and shades are perpetual…
Sher Ali … its fruit is everlasting, and so is its shade…
Khalifa … inexhaustible provisions, and cool shade…
Arberry …its produce is eternal, and its shade…
Palmer … its food is enduring, and likewise its shade! …
Rodwell … its food and its shades are perpetual...
Sale … its food is perpetual, and its shade ]also[…
3. High Contextualization or pragmatically explained ellipsisIn what I call high contextualization, or semantically and pragmatically
justified ellipsis, the postulation of the elliptical sentence element is required by the semantic or pragmatic completeness of the sentence. In other words, the omitted words are necessary to the comprehension of the sentence but are not necessary to its grammatical acceptability. In many instances, this type of ellipsis overlaps with implicitness. A theory of translation has to account for those aspects of implicit meaning (logically understood from the context) which may not be understood in the target language. A concrete example of this type is what is called unspecified object ellipsis or, in Arabic, االقتصار, i.e. ellipsis of objects which are not necessary to meaning or which are irrelevant for the purpose of the speaker or the writer.
This type of ellipsis calls in semantic as well as pragmatic abilities. The recoverability of the elliptical element in translation is taken care of by contrastive pragmatics. The term high contextualization I am using to refer to this type of ellipsis is borrowed from Hall's dimension high context vs. low context cultures.
Verse (010: 38)As an example of implicit meaning, which may be made explicit in translation
consider the following verse: �م� " �نت ك �ن إ Wه� الل د�ون� م�ن �م طع�ت ت اس� من� � واد�ع�وا �ه� �ل م�ث ة; ور �س� ب � �وا ت
� فأ ق�ل� اه� ر اف�ت �ون ق�ول ي م� أ[38يونس ] : "صاد�ق�ين
What is implicit here is the reason for which the unbelievers may call upon whomsoever they want, namely to assist them in producing a surah like those in the Qur’an. This is made explicit in Pickthall, Yusuf Ali, Sher Ali and Sale’s translations.
Pickthall
Or say they: He hath invented it? Say: Then bring a surah like unto it, and call (for help) on all ye can besides Allah, if ye are truthful.
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Yusuf Ali
Or do they say, "He forged it"? say: "Bring then a Sura like unto it, and call (to your aid) anyone you can besides God, if it be ye speak the truth!"
Hilali-Khan
Or do they say: "He (Muhammad SAW) has forged it?" Say: "Bring then a Surah (chapter) like unto it, and call upon whomsoever you can, besides Allah, if you are truthful!"
Shakir Or do they say: He has forged it? Say: Then bring a chapter like this and invite whom you can besides Allah, if you are truthful.
Sher Ali Do they say, `He has forged it?' Say, `Bring then a Surah like unto it, and call for help on all you can, apart from ALLAH, if you are truthful.'
Khalifa If they say, "He fabricated it," say, "Then produce one sura like these, and invite whomever you wish, other than GOD, if you are truthful."
Arberry Or do they say, 'Why, he has forged it'? Say: 'Then produce a sura like it, and call on whom you can, apart from God, if you speak truly.'
Palmer Do they say, 'He hath devised it?' say then, 'Bring a surah like it,- and call, if ye can, on other than God, if ye do tell the truth!'
Rodwell Do they say, "He hath devised it himself?" SAY: Then bring a Sura like it; and call on whom ye can beside God, if ye speak truth.
Sale Will they say, ]Mohammed[ hath forged it? Answer, bring therefore a chapter like unto it; and call whom ye may ]to your assistance[, besides God, if ye speak truth.
Verse (016: 50)النحل ] : ون� ر� ي�ؤ�م� ا م� ع�ل�ون� ي�ف� و� م� و�ق�ه� ف� م ن م ب6ه� ر� اف�ون� [50ي�خ�
We have to politely assume that what they fear is the عذاب ‘punishment’ of their Lord unless what is meant by يخافون is reverence.
Pickthall They fear their Lord above them, and do what they are bidden.
Yusuf Ali They all revere their Lord, high above them, and they do all that they are commanded.
Hilali-Khan They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded.
Shakir They fear their Lord above them and do what they are commanded.
Sher Ali They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded.
Khalifa They reverence their Lord, high above them, and they do what they are commanded to do.
Arberry they fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded.
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Palmer They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are bidden.
Rodwell They fear their Lord who is above them, and do what they are bidden:
Sale They fear their Lord, ]who is exalted[ above them, and perform that which they are commanded.
Verse (002: 60)�عصاك ب اض�ر�ب ا �ن فق�ل �قو�م�ه� ل م�وسى قى س� ت اس� �ذ� ر�وإ ج� ت� ال�ح� ر� ج� انف� T ف� �نا عي ة ر عش� ا ت �ن اث �ه� م�ن
د�ين م�ف�س� ر�ض� األ ف�ي � و�ا ع�ث ت وال �ه� الل ق� ز� ر� م�ن � �وا ب ر واش� � �وا �ل ك ه�م� ب ر م�ش� اس; �ن أ Xل� ك �م عل قد�
[60البقرة] : What is elided is فضرب, which is normally predicted to occur between the
two Arabic words in bold. The latter verb is understood from the context. Its ellipsis contributes to conciseness. We may just as well postulate that nothing is omitted but is simply (logically) implicit. Our translators were unanimous in adopting this second interpretation. It may equally be argued that the verse implies that there were twelve tribes. This is stated as an explanation in Sale’s translation.
Pickthall … We said: Smite with thy staff the rock. And there gushed out therefrom twelve springs (so that) each tribe knew their drinking-place…
Yusuf Ali …We said: "Strike the rock with thy staff." Then gushed forth therefrom twelve springs. Each group knew its own place for water…
Hilali-Khan
…We said: "Strike the stone with your stick." Then gushed forth therefrom twelve springs. Each (group of) people knew its own place for water…
Shakir …We said: Strike the rock with your staff So there gushed from it twelve springs; each tribe knew its drinking place:…
Sher Ali …and WE said, `Strike the rock with thy rod;' And there gushed forth from it twelve springs, so that each tribe knew their drinking place…
Khalifa … We said, "Strike the rock with your staff." Whereupon, twelve springs gushed out therefrom. The members of each tribe knew their own water…
Arberry …so We said, 'Strike with thy staff the rock'; and there gushed forth from it twelve fountains; all the people knew now their drinking-place…
Palmer …and we said, 'Strike with thy staff the rock,' and from it burst forth twelve springs; each man among them knew his drinking place…
Rodwell …we said, "Strike the rock with thy rod;" and from it there gushed twelve fountains: each tribe knew their drinking-place : …
Sale …we said, strike the rock with thy rod; and there gushed thereout twelve fountains ]according to the number of the tribes[, and all men knew their ]respective[ drinking-place…
Verse (018: 79)
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ها ع�يب أ ن� أ Xدت ر
فأ ح�ر� �ب ال ف�ي ع�مل�ون ي �ين اك �مس ل ت� ان فك ة� ف�ين الس� م�ا ل�ك� أ م6 اءه�م و�ر� و�ك�ان�
B با غ�ص� �ين�ة ف� س� ك�ل6 ذ� : ي�أ�خ� [79الكهف ]Of the ten translations only Sale was mindful to specify that the king was not
after every ship but was after sound ships, a fact that is explained in Arabic in the light of the phenomenon of what I call high contextualization.
Pickthall …for there was a king behind them who is taking every ship by force.
Yusuf Ali … for there was after them a certain king who seized on every boat by force.
Hilali-Khan … as there was a king after them who seized every ship by force.
Shakir … and there was behind them a king who seized every boat by force.
Sher Ali … for there was behind them a king who seized every boat by force;
Khalifa …There was a king coming after them, who was confiscating every ship, forcibly.
Arberry …for behind them there was a king who was seizing every ship by brutal force.
Palmer …for behind it was a king who seized on every bark by force.
Rodwell … for in their rear was a king who seized every ship by force.
Sale … because there was a king behind them, who took every ]sound[ ship by force.
Verse (004: 171)�ن� اب ع�يسى يح� �مس� ال �ما �ن إ �حق� ال � �ال إ Wه� الل على � �وا ق�ول ت وال �م� �ك د�ين ف�ي � �وا غ�ل ت ال اب� �ك�ت ال ه�ل أ ا ي
�ه� ل س� ور� Wه� �الل ب � �وا فآم�ن �ه� م�ن وح< ور� م ي مر� �لى إ �قاها ل أ �ه� �مت ل وك Wه� الل س�ول� ر م ي � مر� ول�وا ت�ق� و�ال�وما ث�ال�ث�ة� ماوات الس� ف�ي ما �ه� ل د< ول ه� ل �ون ك ي ن أ ه� ان �ح ب س� واح�د< ه< ـ �ل إ Wه� الل �ما �ن إ �م� �ك ل T �را ي خ � ه�وا انت
النساء ] : T �يال وك Wه� �الل ب فى وك ر�ض� األ [171 ف�ي
The idea that people of the scriptures should not say that there are three gods is captured explicitly in only Rodwell’s and Sale’s translations.
Pickthall … and say not "Three"…
Yusuf Ali ... Say not "Trinity"…
Hilali-Khan ... Say not: "Three (trinity)!"…
Shakir …and say not, Three…
Sher Ali … and say not, `They are three.'…
Khalifa ... You shall not say, "Trinity."…
Arberry … and say not, 'Three.'…
Palmer …and say not 'Three.'…
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Rodwell … and say not, "Three:" (there is a Trinity) - …
Sale … and say not, ]there are[ three ]Gods[…
Verse (002: 196)حت�ى �م� ك ؤ�وس ر� � �ق�وا ل ح� ت وال �هد�ي� ال م�ن ر �س ي ت اس� فما �م� ت �ح�ص�ر� أ �ن� فإ Wه� �ل ل ة �ع�م�ر وال �حج� ال � �مXوا ت
وأ�ه� ل مح� �هد�ي� ال �غ �ل ب ي�ام� ي ص� م ن د�ي�ة� ف� ف� ه� س�
أ� ر6 م ن ذBىأ� ب�ه� و�
أ� Bر�يضا م6 نك�م م� ك�ان� م�ن ف� �ك ن�س� و�أ� �ة د�ق� ص� و�
فمن أ� �هد�ي� ال م�ن ر �س ي ت اس� فما �حج� ال �لى إ ة� �ع�م�ر �ال ب �ع مت ت فمن �م� م�نت أ �ذا فإ�ن� ك ي �م� ل �من ل �ك ذل ة< ام�ل ك ة< ر عش �ل�ك ت �م� ع�ت ج ر �ذا إ �عة; ب وس �حج� ال ف�ي ; �ام ي أ ة� الث ث ام� فص�ي ج�د� ي �م� ل
البقرة ] : �ع�قاب� ال د�يد� ش Wه الل ن� أ � م�وا واع�ل Wه الل � �ق�وا وات � ام �حر ال ج�د� �مس� ال حاض�ر�ي �ه� ه�ل [196أ
Without referring to the omitted word i.e. فحلق (and shaved), it is difficult to see in English the meaning of the verse. This omitted verb is mentioned in Yusuf Ali, Hilali-Khan, Khalifa and Sale’s translations.
Pickthall
... And whoever among you is sick or hath an ailment of the head must pay a ransom of fasting or almsgiving or offering...
Yusuf Ali
... And if any of you is ill, or has an ailment in his scalp, (Necessitating shaving), (He should) in compensation either fast, or feed the poor, or offer sacrifice;…
Hilali-Khan
... And whosoever of you is ill or has an ailment in his scalp (…), he must pay a Fidyah (ransom) of either observing Saum (fasts) (three days) or giving Sadaqah (…) or offering sacrifice (one sheep)…
Shakir … but whoever among you is sick or has an ailment of the head, he (should effect) a compensation by fasting or alms or sacrificing,…
Sher Ali ... And whoever among you is sick or has an ailment of the head, should make and expiation either by fasting or alms giving, or a sacrifice…
Khalifa ... If you are ill, or suffering a head injury (and you must cut your hair), you shall expiate by fasting, or giving to charity, or some other form of worship…
Arberry ... If any of you is sick, or injured in his head, then redemption by fast, or freewill offering, or ritual sacrifice…
Palmer …and he amongst you who is sick or has a hurt upon his head, then the redemption is by fasting or by alms or by an offering…
Rodwell ... But whoever among you is sick, or hath an ailment of the head, must satisfy by fasting, or alms, or an offering…
Sale ... But whoever among you is sick, or is troubled with any distemper of the head, must redeem ]the shaving his head[ by fasting, or alms, or some offering…
Verses (027: 28-29)النمل ] : ج�ع�ون ر� ي ماذا فانظ�ر� �ه�م� عن ول� ت �م� ث �ه�م� ي �ل إ �ق�ه� ل فأ هذا �ي اب �ت �ك ب Xها[ 28اذ�هب ي
أ ا ي قالت�ر�يم ك اب< �ت ك ي� �ل إ �ق�ي �ل أ �ي �ن إ
� : [المأل <]29النمل
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In the story of Solomon, The Queen of Sheba and the Hoopoe, there are a number of events that logically took place between the events referred to in verse 28 and those in verse 29 (e.g. the hoopoe took the letter, delivered it and then draw back from them. The queen read the letter and said)
Yusuf Ali
"Go thou, with this letter of mine, and deliver it to them: then draw back from them, and (wait to) see what answer they return"...
Yusuf Ali
(The queen) said: "Ye chiefs! here is delivered to me - a letter worthy of respect.
Ellipsis is frequent in Qur'anic stories, where the goal behind narrating the story determines the ellipsis of certain sentence elements or even sentences, which are understood from the context. In such stories ellipsis contributes to conciseness. Nevertheless, we may just as well postulate that nothing is omitted but is simply (logically) implicit.
Verses (019:12)
مريم ] : T Wا ي وعش� Tة �ر �ك ب �ح�وا ب س ن أ �ه�م� ي �ل إ و�حى فأ اب� �م�ح�ر ال م�ن قو�م�ه� على ج ح�يى [11فخر ي ا ي
اه� �ن ي وآت �ق�و�ة; ب اب �ك�ت ال خ�ذ�مريم ] : T Wا �ي صب �م �ح�ك [12ال
From the time Zakaria was given the good news of a son (Yahya) (verse 11) to the time the Latter (Yahya) is commanded to study and observe the scriptures (verse 12) obviously a life stage (of the baby and the child) is omitted.
Yusuf Ali
So Zakariya came out to his people from him chamber: He told them by signs to celebrate God's praises in the morning and in the evening.
Yusuf Ali
(To his son came the command): "O Yahya! take hold of the Book with might": and We gave him Wisdom even as a youth,
Verses (012:45-46)يوسف ] : ل�ون� س� ر�
فأ �ه� و�يل� أ �ت ب �م �ك �ئ ب �ن أ � ا ن أ م�ة;
� أ ع�د ب ر واد�ك �ه�ما م�ن ا ج ن �ذ�ي ال Xها [45وقال ي أ �وس�ف� ي
�خر وأ خ�ض�ر; ت; �ال نب س� �ع� ب وس ع�جاف< �ع< ب س �ه�ن� �ل ك� أ ي مان; س� ات; قر ب �ع� ب س ف�ي ا �ن ف�ت أ الص�د�يق�
يوسف ] : م�ون ع�ل ي �ه�م� عل ل �اس� الن �لى إ ج�ع� ر� أ �عل�ي ل ات; �س اب [46ي
Again between the two verses a number of events took place (he went to see him and addressed him). This phenomenon is, however, best analyzed in terms of implicitness.
Yusuf Ali
But the man who had been released, one of the two (who had been in prison) and who now bethought him after (so long) a space of time, said: "I will tell you the truth of its interpretation: send ye me (therefore)."
Yusuf Ali
"O Joseph!" (he said) "O man of truth! Expound to us (the dream) of seven fat kine whom seven lean ones devour, and of seven green ears of corn and (seven) others withered: that I may return to the people, and that they may understand."
Verse (003: 106)
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و�ج�وه< Xدو س� وت و�ج�وه< Xض �ي ب ت و�م ان�ك�م� ي إ�يم� ب�ع�د� ت�م ر� ك�ف�أ� م� ه� وه� و�ج� د6ت� و� اس� ال6ذ�ين� ا م6
أ� ف�عمران ] : آل ون �ف�ر� ك ت �م� �ت �ن ك �ما ب �عذاب ال � [106فذ�وق�وا
Verbs of saying are sometimes omitted in the Qur'an for the sake of conciseness but also for the dramatic effect this achieves. This is exemplified by the previous verse, in which what is omitted is لهم ’it will be said unto / to them‘ يقال(Pickthall and Sher Ali), ‘will be said’ (Yusuf Ali), ‘to them will be said’ (Hilali-Khan) ‘they will be asked’ (Khalifa) or ‘God will say’ (Sale): 'Did ye reject Faith after accepting it? Taste then the penalty for rejecting Faith' (Yusuf Ali).
Pickthall …and as for those whose faces have been blackened, it will be said unto them: Disbelieved ye after your (profession of) belief? …
Yusuf Ali …To those whose faces will be black, (will be said): "Did ye reject Faith after accepting it?...
Hilali-Khan …as for those whose faces will become black (to them will be said): "Did you reject Faith after accepting it?...
Shakir …then as to those whose faces turn black: Did you disbelieve after your believing?...
Sher Ali …As for those whose faces will be black, it will be said to them: `Did you disbelieve after believing?...
Khalifa …As for those whose faces are darkened, they will be asked, "Did you not disbelieve after believing?...
Arberry …As for those whose faces are blackened -- 'Did you disbelieve after you had believed?...
Palmer …As for those whose faces are blackened,- 'Did ye misbelieve after your faith…
Rodwell …And as to those whose faces shall have turned black ". . . .What! after your belief have ye become infidels?...
Sale …And unto them whose faces shall become black, ]God will say[, have ye returned unto ]your[ unbelief, after ye had believed?...
Verse (002: 127)ن6ا م� ب6ل� ت�ق� ب6ن�ا ر� اع�يل� م� إ�س� و� ال�ب�ي�ت� م�ن� د� اع� و� ال�ق� يم� اه� �ب�ر� إ ع� ف� ي�ر� إ�ذ� م�يع� و� الس� نت أ �ك �ن إ
البقرة ] : �يم� �عل [127الWhat is omitted is the verb ‘saying’ ‘praying’ or ‘with this prayer’.
Pickthall And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, (Abraham prayed): Our Lord! Accept from us (this duty)…
Yusuf Ali And remember Abraham and Isma'il raised the foundations of the House (With this prayer): "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us:...
Hilali-Khan And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) and (his son) Isma'il (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), (saying), "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us…
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Shakir And when Ibrahim and Ismail raised the foundations of the House: Our Lord! accept from us;…
Sher Ali And remember the time when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the house, praying, `Our Lord, accept this from us;…
Khalifa As Abraham raised the foundations of the shrine, together with Ismail (they prayed): "Our Lord, accept this from us…
Arberry And when Abraham, and Ishmael with him, raised up the foundations of the House: 'Our Lord, receive this from us;…
Palmer And when Abraham raised up the foundations of the House with Ishmael, 'Lord! receive it from us,…
Rodwell And when Abraham, with Ismael, raised the foundations of the House, they said, "O our Lord! accept it from us;…
Sale And when Abraham and Ismael raised the foundations of the house, ]saying[, Lord, accept ]it[ from us,…
Verse (032: 12)ع�ن�ا م� و�س� ن�ا ر� ب�ص�
أ� ب6ن�ا ر� م� ب ه� ر� ند� ع� م� ه� ؤ�وس� ر� و ن�اك�س� ر�م�ون� ال�م�ج� إ�ذ� ى ت�ر� ل�و� و�السجدة ] : �ون م�وق�ن �ا �ن إ T �حا صال ع�مل� ن ا ج�ع�ن [12فار�
A similar elliptical instance is found in verse (032: 12), where the omitted word is قائلين 'saying'. Assuming that the verse is a conditional sentence, we are also justified in claiming that it involves the omission of the second clause in the conditional sentence, which may be hypothesized as ‘Thou wouldst see an amazing sight’ (Sale’s translation).
Pickthall Couldst thou but see when the guilty hang their heads before their Lord, (and say): Our Lord! We have now seen and heard…
Yusuf Ali If only thou couldst see when the guilty ones will bend low their heads before their Lord, (saying:) "Our Lord! We have seen and we have heard: …
Hilali-Khan And if you only could see when the Mujrimun (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, etc.) shall hang their heads before their Lord (saying): "Our Lord! We have now seen and heard…
Shakir And could you but see when the guilty shall hang down their heads before their Lord: Our Lord! we have seen and we have heard…
Sher Ali If only thou couldst see when the guilty ones will hang down their heads before their Lord, and say, `Our Lord, we have seen and we have heard…
Khalifa If only you could see the guilty when they bow down their heads before their Lord: "Our Lord, now we have seen and we have heard…
Arberry Ah, if thou couldst see the guilty hanging their heads before their Lord!
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'Our Lord, we have seen and heard…
Palmer And couldst thou see when the sinners hang down their heads before their Lord, 'O Lord! we have seen and we have heard…
Rodwell Couldst thou but see when the guilty shall droop their heads before their Lord, and cry, "O our Lord! we have seen and we have heard…
Sale If thou couldest see, when the wicked shall bow down their heads before their Lord, ]saying[, o Lord, we have seen, and have heard…: Suffer us therefore to return ]into the world[, and we will work that which is right; since we are now certain ]of the truth of what hath been preached to us: Thou wouldst see an amazing sight[.
Verse (002:02)البقرة ] : ين� ت6ق� ل ل�م� ه�دBى يه� ف� ي�ب� ر� ال� ال�ك�ت�اب� [2ذ�ل�ك�
In the preceding verse it is argued that there is an omitted خبر of ال, a sort of predicate. The meaning is "there is no doubt in it (being the word of God). (It is) a guidance for the pious ones”. This meaning largely captured in Pickthall’s and Hilali-Khan’s translations.
Pickthall
This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those who ward off (evil).
Yusuf Ali
This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear God;
Hilali-Khan
This is the Book (the Qur'an), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun (…)
Shakir This Book, there is no doubt in it, is a guide to those who guard (against evil).
Sher Ali This is a perfect Book; there is no doubt in it; it is a guidance for the righteous,
Khalifa This scripture is infallible; a beacon for the righteous;
Arberry That is the Book, wherein is no doubt, a guidance to the godfearing
Palmer That is the book! there is no doubt therein; a guide to the pious,
Rodwell No doubt is there about this Book: It is a guidance to the God-fearing,
Sale There is no doubt in this book; ]it is[ a direction to the pious,
Many instances of syntactic ellipsis may be explained in terms of the high contextualization in Arabic, i.e. the heavy reliance on context which was and is still characteristic of the Arabic culture.
4. Obligatory Ellipsis or language specific ellipsis
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This type of ellipsis is stipulated by the nature of language itself. For example, Arabic is a cop(ular) drop(ping) language, which means there is no auxiliary ‘to be’. In Arabic also there is the notion of the dummy subject المستتير as in, for الضميرinstance, خيرا The recoverability of the elliptical element is taken care of by .قالcontrastive syntax.
Verse (084:23) : االنشقاق ] ي�وع�ون� ا ب�م� ع�ل�م�
أ� الل6ه� [23و�The predicate وع�ون� ي �ما ب م� ع�ل ي�وع�ون� in the verbless clause ,أ ا ب�م� ع�ل�م�
أ� الل6ه� و�is rendered by either substituting the superlative with the corresponding verb (e.g. Pickthall and Hilali-Khan) or inserting an auxiliary (e.g. Yusuf Ali and Khalifa).
Pickthall And Allah knoweth best what they are hiding.
Yusuf Ali But God has full knowledge of what they secrete (in their breasts)
Hilali-Khan And Allah knows best what they gather (of good and bad deeds),
Shakir And Allah knows best what they hide,
Sher Ali And ALLAH knows best what they keep hidden in their hearts.
Khalifa GOD is fully aware of their innermost thoughts.
Arberry and God knows very well what they are secreting.
Palmer but God knows best the (malice) that they hide.
Rodwell But God knoweth their secret hatreds:
Sale But God well knoweth the ]malice[ which they keep hidden ]in their breasts[.
5. Examples of Grammarians Artifacts:By grammarians' artifacts I mean that the postulated (so-called) elliptical
element is only justified and required by the grammarians' descriptive system. In other words, the postulation of ellipsis is required primarily by a specific grammatical model (descriptive framework) to achieve internal consistency of description or generalize hypotheses and rules. The knowledge of this type of ellipsis is not relevant to translation and includes the assumption in Arabic traditional grammar that a vocative noun ىم�وس ا .'O Moses!’ is the object of an elliptical verb such as 'I call‘ يSibawayh, for instance, relates all vocative nouns to verbal clauses. Does this assumption or artifact help the translator? Obviously, not. In some cases, the assumption may explain case marking but it contributes nothing to meaning and does not serve the translator's purposes.
Verse (015:72)الحجر ] : ع�مه�ون ي �ه�م� ت �ر ك س ف�ي ل �ه�م� �ن إ ك عم�ر� [72ل
Arab grammarians claim that لعمرك is a مبتدأ (i.e. subject) and that the predicate قسمي .is obligatorily deleted قسمي never occurs in spoken or written لعمرك
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Arabic. As evident from the various translations, such an assumption cannot be supported on semantic grounds.
Pickthall
By thy life (O Muhammad) they moved blindly in the frenzy of approaching death.
Yusuf Ali
Verily, by thy life (O Prophet), in their wild intoxication, they wander in distraction, to and fro.
Hilali-Khan
Verily, by your life (O Muhammad SAW), in their wild intoxication, they were wandering blindly.
Shakir By your life! they were blindly wandering on in their intoxication.
Sher Ali By the life, they, too, in their mad intoxication of wandering in distraction.
Khalifa But, alas, they were totally blinded by their lust.
Arberry By thy life, they wandered blindly in their dazzlement,
Palmer By thy life! verily, they were surely in their intoxication blindly wandering on!-
Rodwell As thou livest, O Muhammad, they were bewildered in the drunkenness of their lust.
Sale As thou livest they wander in their folly.
Verse (026:50)الشعراء ] : �ون �ب م�نقل ا �ن ب ر �لى إ �ا �ن إ �ر ضي ال �وا [50قال
Traditional Arab Grammarians claim that there is a خبر of ال which is omitted, assuring that the underlying structure of this expression is كائن ضير ,This omission .الif there is one, has no serious consequence for translation.
Pickthall They said: It is no hurt, for lo! unto our Lord we shall return.
Yusuf Ali They said: "No matter! for us, we shall but return to our Lord!
Hilali-Khan They said: "No harm! Surely, to our Lord (Allah) we are to return;
Shakir They said: No harm; surely to our Lord we go back;
Sher Ali They said, `It can do us no harm; to our Lord shall WE return;
Khalifa They said, "This will not change our decision; to our Lord we will return.
Arberry They said, 'There is no harm; surely unto our Lord we are turning.
Palmer They said, 'No harm; verily, unto our Lord do we return!
Rodwell They said, "It cannot harm us, for to our Lord shall we return:
Sale They answered, ]it will be[ no harm ]unto us[; for we shall return unto
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our Lord.
Verse (006: 151)ع�ل�ي�ك�م� ب[ك�م� ر� م� ر6 ح� ا م� ت�ل�
أ� � ا ت�ع�ال�و� ل� � ق� �وا �ل ق�ت ت وال T انا �ح�س إ �ن� �دي �وال �ال وب T �ئا ي ش �ه� ب � �وا ر�ك �ش� ت � ال أ وال طن ب وما �ها م�ن ظهر ما �فواح�ش ال � �وا ب ق�ر ت وال �اه�م� �ي وإ �م� ق�ك ز� ر� ن �ح�ن� ن ق; إم�ال م�ن� �م دك و�ال
أاألنعام ] : ع�ق�ل�ون ت �م� �ك عل ل �ه� ب �م� وص�اك �م� �ك ذل �حق� �ال ب � �ال إ Wه� الل م حر� �ي �ت ال �ف�س الن � �وا �ل ق�ت [151ت
The verb أتل is in the apocopate مجزوم case (in this case the final vowel has been omitted from the verb) because, it is claimed, it is a الشرط i.e. second جوابclause in a conditional sentence, which may be paraphrased as 'come, if you come I'll recite'. The elision of the final vowel from the verb may be explained phonetically or phonologically. In any case, this has no consequence for translation.
Pickthall Say: Come, I will recite unto you that which your Lord hath made a sacred duty for you: …
Yusuf Ali Say: "Come, I will rehearse what God hath (really) prohibited you from":…
Hilali-Khan
Say (O Muhammad SAW): "Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited you from:…
Shakir Say: Come I will recite what your Lord has forbidden to you -- …
Sher Ali Say, `I will recite to you what your Lord has forbidden, …
Khalifa Say, "Come let me tell you what your Lord has really prohibited for you: …
Arberry Say: 'Come, I will recite what your Lord has forbidden you: …
Palmer Say, 'Come! I will recite what your Lord has forbidden you, …
Rodwell SAY: Come, I will rehearse what your Lord hath made binding on you - …
Sale Say, come; I will rehearse that which your Lord hath forbidden you; …
The frequent discussions of ellipsis in conditional sentences is largely the result of grammarians' artifacts.
Verse (017:62)ذا هـ ك �ت ي أ ر
أ ع�ل�ي6 قال م�ت� ك�ر6 T ال6ذ�ي �يال قل � ال إ ه� �ت ي ذ�ر� ن� �ك ن ت ح� أل امة� �ق�ي ال � و�م ي �لى إ ن� ت خ�ر� أ �ن� ئ ل[62اإلسراء] :
In Arabic the equivalent of a relative pronoun functions like a linking word rather than a pronoun. Consequently, it is not surprising to find a pronoun in the relative clause referring to the antecedent. In the relative clause ي� عل م�ت ر� ك �ذ�ي ال ذا هـthe object in the relative clause is optionally deleted.
Pickthall He said: Seest Thou this (creature) whom Thou hast honoured above me, …
Yusuf Ali He said: "Seest Thou? this is the one whom Thou hast honoured above me!...
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Hilali-Khan ]Iblis (Satan)[ said: "See? This one whom You have honoured above me, …
Shakir He said: Tell me, is this he whom Thou hast honored above me? …
Sher Ali And he said, `What thinkest thou? Can this whom thou hast honoured above me be my superior? …
Khalifa He said, "Since You have honored him over me, …
Arberry He said, 'What thinkest Thou? This whom Thou hast honoured above me -- …
Palmer Said he, 'Dost thou see now? this one whom Thou hast honoured above me, …
Rodwell Seest thou this man whom thou hast honoured above me? …
Sale ]And[ he said, what thinkest thou, ]as to[ this ]man[ whom thou hast honoured above me? …
Verse (096:1) � أ ر� العلق ] : اق� لق خ �ذ�ي ال �ك ب ر � م �اس� [1ب
The postulation of an elliptical subject in an imperative clause, in accordance with Arabic traditional grammar, has no consequence for Arabic-English translation as is clear from the translations below, except for Rodwell’s translation.
Pickthall Read: In the name of thy Lord Who createth,
Yusuf Ali Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created -
Hilali-Khan Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists),
Shakir Read in the name of your Lord Who created.
Sher Ali Proclaim thou in the name of thy Lord Who created,
Khalifa Read, in the name of your Lord, who created.
Arberry Recite: In the Name of thy Lord who created,
Palmer READ, in the name of thy Lord!
Rodwell RECITE thou, in the name of thy Lord who created; -
Sale Read, in the name of thy Lord, who hath created ]all things[;
Verse (049:17)ل�م�وا س�أ� أ�ن� ع�ل�ي�ك� ن[ون� �م� ي�م� هداك ن� أ �م� �ك ي عل Xم�ن ي �ه� الل ل� ب �م مك ال �س� إ علي� Xوا م�ن ت ال� ق�ل
الحجرات ] : صاد�ق�ين �م� �نت ك �ن إ �يمان� �إل� [17لGrammarians claim that the verb يمن needs a particle namelyبأن . this,
however has no consequence for translation.
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Pickthall They make it a favour unto thee (Muhammad) that they have surrendered (unto Him)…
Yusuf Ali They impress on thee as a favour that they have embraced Islam…
Hilali-Khan They regard as favour upon you (O Muhammad SAW) that they have embraced Islam…
Shakir They think that they lay you under an obligation by becoming Muslims…
Sher Ali They presume to regard it a favour to thee that they have embraced Islam…
Khalifa They act as if they are doing you a favor by embracing Submission!...
Arberry They count it as a favour to thee that they have surrendered!...
Palmer They deem that they oblige thee by becoming Muslims…
Rodwell They taunt thee with their having embraced Islam…
Sale They upbraid thee that they have embraced Islam…
ConclusionsThroughout this paper I have endeavored to show that a taxonomy of ellipsis
in the Qur'anic text, in particular, and in Arabic, in general, is necessary to achieve a comprehensible and faithful translation. The so called elliptical instances in the Qur'an range from those assumed by grammarians for the sake of preserving the consistency or simplicity of the grammatical descriptive framework to really rhetorically significant and meaning-essential instances. Of course it is possible to come across cases of ellipsis which can be taken as representing various types as in Verses (036: 45) and (006:35).
Furthermore, many instances of ellipsis which may, on a simple reading, be considered as dictated by purely reasons of conciseness prove, on a closer reading, to be pregnant with more significant rhetorical functions. This was my experience in writing this paper.
Thus, an exegetical knowledge of the Qur'an (e.g. considering the reasons of revelation النزول besides the linguistic, grammatical and rhetorical (أسبابknowledge is necessary to the translator. Without such knowledge, important elements which are implicit but which were understood by and were clear to the original addressees will be missed especially in the case of a non-Arabic speaking translator. Furthermore, knowledge of the cultural background of the Arabic language at that time as a high context and concise language is necessary to the translator in his attempt to translate the message and achieve the best compromise between reflecting the original structure of the Qur'anic message and its comprehensibility to foreign readers.
In this respect, the various translations considered in this paper represent different experiences having limitations and achievements. Pickthall's translation (The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'an), Yusuf Ali's (The Holy Qur'an: Translation and Commentary) and Sale’s (The Koran) provide faithful, explanatory, literal
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translations albeit now in archaic English. Khalifa’s (The Qur'an: The Final Scripture) and Arberry’s (The Koran Interpreted) provide more easily readable translations in English and which are more conscious about the target readers' enjoyment of the Quran. Hilali-Khan's (Explanatory English Translation of the Holy Qur'an) translation is explanatory and more conscious about the target readers' comprehension of the cultural background of the Quran.
In general, ellipsis is more common in the Makkan surahs, whose style is characterized by forceful, eloquent (rhetorical), poetical, and concise language than the Madinan chapters. Sometimes ellipsis goes hand in hand with reiterations to establish truths.
The most easily recovered elliptical elements are those repeated elements of discourse, which are easily left out in the course of speech. No wonder that the phenomenon of ellipsis of repeated sentence elements in the composite (complex or compound) sentences and in connected speech is not specific to Arabic and as such does not generally raise problems in translation. Humans seem endowed with an ability to recover (i.e. to understand) omitted sentence elements. This ability can be said to be syntactic in some cases, semantic (logical), pragmatic or rhetorical in others. The recoverability of the omitted elements in translation is taken care of by contrastive linguistics, discourse analysis and rhetoric
Endnotes(1) Some claim that the Chapter of al-Ahzab, which contains 72 (Seventy two) verses, was as long as the Chapter of the Cow (containing 287 verses) and that a chapter equal in length to the Chapter of Bara'ah (which contains 130 verses) was deleted from the Quran, that is the deletion of as much as 345 Verses! (http://www.answering-islam.de/Main/Responses/Azmy/failedprophecies2.htm)(2) The notion of zero (empty) grammatical elements may provide an alternative approach to deletion transformations but from a translation point of view it is the same phenomenon.(3) For example, in the phrase الفجر rak'attaa alfajri, the first long vowel gets ركعتاshortened (or alternatively we may speak of the elision of one vowel). The change affects only the pronunciation (not the spelling). (4) On the difference between الحذف and اإلضمار in Arabic grammar, see
: حمودة سليمان . طاهر مصر التوزيع، و النشر و للطباعة الجامعية الدار اللغوي الدرس في الحذف ، ظاهرة19-18ص.
مستتر، " فال بضمير تقديره أمكن حيثما ذلك و يحذف ال و يضمر الفاعل أن هو الوحيد رق" عنه يستغنى قد ما بالمحذوف و منه، البد ما بالمضمر يريدون فكأنهم
(5) Elision of a letter or more from a word at the graphological level can be exemplified by عالم = ما + على . Similarly, when the word مكة makka(t) is used as an adjective, the final consonant is elided yealding مكي Makkiy. (6) Omission of Bismillah"The Surah of the Qur'an, that is known as AT-TAUBAH (because it enunciates the nature of taubah (repentance) and mentions the conditions of its acceptance (vv. 102-118) or AL-BARA'AT (Release), which is taken from the first word of the Surah is the only surah to which Bismillah is not prefixed. "Though the commentators have given different reasons for this, the correct one that which has been given by Imam Razi: namely, this is because the Holy Prophet himself did not dictate it at the beginning of the Surah. Therefore the Companions did not prefix it and their successors followed them. This is a further proof of the fact that utmost care has been
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taken to keep the Quran intact so that it should remain in its complete and original form." (http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/maududi/mau9.html)(7) The challenge is clear in such verses as:
صاد�ق�ين �م� �نت ك �ن إ Wه� الل د�ون� م�ن �م طع�ت ت اس� من� � واد�ع�وا �ه� �ل م�ث ة; ور �س� ب � �وا ت� فأ ق�ل� اه� ر اف�ت �ون ق�ول ي
[38يونس] : Wه� الل د�ون� م�ن �م طع�ت ت اس� من� � واد�ع�وا ات; ي ر م�ف�ت �ه� �ل م�ث ور; س� ر� �عش� ب � �وا ت
� فأ ق�ل� اه� ر اف�ت �ون ق�ول ي م� أهود ] : صاد�ق�ين �م� �نت ك �ن [13إ
القصص ] : صاد�ق�ين �م� �نت ك �ن إ �ع�ه� �ب ت أ �ه�ما م�ن ه�دى أ ه�و �ه� الل ع�ند� م�ن� اب; �ك�ت ب �وا �ت فأ [49ق�ل�
BibliographyArberry, A.J., The Koran Interpreted (London, 1957)Al-Hilali, Taqui al-Din and Muhammad Muhsin Khan, Explanatory English
Translation of the Holy Qur'an: A Summarized Version of Ibn Kathir Supplemented by At-Tabari with Comments from Sahih al-Bukhari (Chicago, 1977)
Khalifa, Rashad, The Qur'an: The Final Scripture (Tucson, 1978)Palmer, E.H., The Qur'an (London, 1880)Pickthall, Muhammad Marmaduke William, The Meaning of the Glorious
Qur'an (London, 1930)Rodwell, J.M., The Koran (London, 1861)Sale, George, The Koran, commonly called The Al Koran of Mohammed
(London, 1734)Shakir, M.H., Holy Qur'an (New York, 1982)Sher Ali, Maulawi, The Holy Qur'an: Arabic Text with English Translation
(Rabwah, 1955).Yusuf Ali, Abdullah, The Holy Qur'an: Translation and Commentary (Lahore,
1934)http://quranbrowser.com/
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