The Translation of the Particle mā in the Holy Qur’an: A Comparative Study of Three Versions

This study is concerned with the particle m in the holy Qur'an and how it is translated into English.The study might seem to be easy to deal with when viewed in terms of the face value of m i.e. being a small word of just two letters, while it is much more complex than that.This is first because of its categorization i.e. being a two-category word: a particle and a noun; second, because each of its categories is of several different meanings.This of course aggravates the process of its translation, but at the same time it creates suspense in the reader to find out how it is translated.This is exactly the objective of this work that aims at finding out how m is translated in the light of its complexities.The methodology adopted to attain this objective includes selecting three approved versions of translation of the holy Qur'an then comparing them in terms of how m is translated.It has been detected through examining these three versions that m is translated differently depending on its category and its meaning in the ayah.These complexities with which m is characterized have in turned impacted its occurrence in the Qur'an i.e. making it occurred or repeated in almost every chapter of it.This has led to detect as well the significance of m in the Qur'anic usage despite its simple form.