Four English Translations of Al-Kauthar Sura: A Critique

Abstract

The main concern of this paper is to present a critical assessment of four English translations of the Quranic Sura Al-Kauthar so as to highlight some points of weakness and in accuracy manifested in these different translations, and to see if any of which could convey in full the ideas expressed in the Arabic original. The assessment undertaken here is based on the assumption that the essence of translation lies in the preservation of meaning across the two languages (House, 1977: 25). Thus, in order to arrive at good translation, translators should take into account the linguistic and extra-linguistic aspects of the meaning intended. The process of translation becomes more complicated when one deals with a religious text, especially a Quranic text.