Conceptology of the Word Ḥarf in the Verse ﴾And among the People are those who Worship Allah on the Fringe﴿
(With Emphasis on the Pathology of Contemporary Persian Translations of the Holy Qur’an)
The translation of common words in the Holy Qur’an and the Persian language is one of the instances of disagreement among the Persian translators of the Holy Qur’an. Out of about 700 words and 100 combinations identified in this field, the word ḥarf is one of the words for which different translations have been mentioned.
According to the criteria of translating common words in the Qur’an and Persian language, there are three types of semantic unity, semantic aspects, and semantic differences in the conceptual field. Regarding the word ḥarf, some have equated it with the common meaning in Persian and translated it as “in apparent language”. But other translators have considered it of a semantic difference type and have given different meanings such as “doubt”, “one-sided worship”, “in apparent language” and “weakness and lethargy” [and the English translators have mostly rendered it as, “on the fringe”; “on the verge”; “upon the very edge”, etc.].
Analyzing the opinions of commentators, translators and lexicographers, as well as considering the context of the verses, the author maintains that the conceptual relation of the word ḥarf is of the semantic difference type and the appropriate translation for it in the mentioned verse is “one-sided worship for material gain”. This research has been carried out by descriptive-analytical method and encompasses a selection of contemporary Persian translations of the Holy Qur’an.
Mesbah, K., & Reza’i Kermani, M. A. (2021). Conceptology of the Word Ḥarf in the Verse ﴾And among the People are those who Worship Allah on the Fringe﴿
(With Emphasis on the Pathology of Contemporary Persian Translations of the Holy Qur’an). Qru’anic Reserches, 26(100), 137-154. doi: 10.22081/jqr.2021.60114.3162
MLA
Kazem Mesbah; Muhammad Ali Reza’i Kermani. "Conceptology of the Word Ḥarf in the Verse ﴾And among the People are those who Worship Allah on the Fringe﴿
(With Emphasis on the Pathology of Contemporary Persian Translations of the Holy Qur’an)", Qru’anic Reserches, 26, 100, 2021, 137-154. doi: 10.22081/jqr.2021.60114.3162
HARVARD
Mesbah, K., Reza’i Kermani, M. A. (2021). 'Conceptology of the Word Ḥarf in the Verse ﴾And among the People are those who Worship Allah on the Fringe﴿
(With Emphasis on the Pathology of Contemporary Persian Translations of the Holy Qur’an)', Qru’anic Reserches, 26(100), pp. 137-154. doi: 10.22081/jqr.2021.60114.3162
VANCOUVER
Mesbah, K., Reza’i Kermani, M. A. Conceptology of the Word Ḥarf in the Verse ﴾And among the People are those who Worship Allah on the Fringe﴿
(With Emphasis on the Pathology of Contemporary Persian Translations of the Holy Qur’an). Qru’anic Reserches, 2021; 26(100): 137-154. doi: 10.22081/jqr.2021.60114.3162
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