Translatability of Laf’dhul-Jalaalah: A Comparative Analysis of Yoruba Translations of the Holy Quran

This study examines the linguistic, theological, and cultural difficulties involved in rendering Lafḍhul Jalālah (“Allah”) into Yoruba language, with a comparative focus on four major Yoruba Qur’an translations: CT1, ST2, AT3, and MT4. Applying Farahzad’s translation criticism model, supported by Critical Discourse Analysis, Functionalist approaches, and exegetical methods, the article analysis selected Qur’anic verses to investigate how the translators negotiate the semantic and doctrinal weight of the sacral term, Allah. The results shows that Yoruba equivalents such as Olohun, Olorun, and Olódùmarè are semantically and theologically insufficient owing to their origin in indigenous Yoruba metaphysical worldviews and their lack of the exclusive monotheistic specificity encoded in the Arabic term Allah. The comparative analysis reveals significant inconsistencies across translations, shaped largely by divergent intra religious ideologies and sectarian commitments. These variations not only compromise theological precision but also contribute to sociolinguistic fragmentation among Yoruba speaking Muslim communities. The study concludes that Lafḍhul Jalālah is fundamentally untranslatable into Yoruba and argues for the adoption of Transference-retaining the Arabic term as the most faithful strategy for preserving doctrinal integrity, ensuring exegetical accuracy, and maintaining global consistency in Qur’an translation.