On the Translation of Attributes of Allah in the Holy Quran: A Comparative Study

The translation of the Holy Quran is daunting and is primarily based on the scholar’s interpretation. This study aims to investigate how the attributes of Allah are translated from Arabic into English. To this end, the study examines five translations of 12 verses that include attributes of Allah to find commonalities and/or differences in rendering the attributes of Allah. This investigation is discussed in light of a number of interpretations of the HQ, namely: Mafaateeħ Alɣayb by Al-Razi and Jamiʕ Albayan fi Taʔweel AlQuran by Al-Tabari. The study finds that literal translation, the most frequent strategy, does not largely succeed in delivering the intended meaning of the attributes of Allah. Translators need to understand the purpose beyond the use of the attributes of Allah and ‘body parts’ from notable exegetic books. Second, they need to find an equivalent that delivers the same message in the target language. The study provides insights into how religious texts should be translated.