Qur'an Translation in Indonesia: Scriptural Politics in a Multilingual State

This book explores the Quran translation in Indonesia, a highly diverse and multilingual country, examining the linguistic and political dimensions of this field. It highlights the struggle between religious organizations, traditional institutions, and Wahhabi-Salafi groups for authority over the meaning of the Quran and the role of the Ahmadiyya movement. It also explores the challenges faced by translators when rendering the Quran in languages with different structures, histories, and cultural contexts.

Format: Hardback
Length: 230 pages
Publication date: 29 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book offers a thorough exploration of Quran translation in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, characterized by its diverse and multilingual society. The contributors, many of whom are Indonesian scholars, employ a diverse range of historical, socio-cultural, linguistic, and exegetical approaches to provide fresh insights into this field. They delve into the linguistic and political dimensions of Quran translation, highlighting the constant negotiation of authority between state and non-state actors throughout different historical periods, from the pre-print era to the colonial and postcolonial eras. Religious organizations, traditional institutions of scholarship, and Wahhabi-Salafi groups engage in intense debates over the interpretation of the Quran, while the Ministry of Religious Affairs publishes its own Quran translations in various languages of the country.

The contributors also examine the influential role of the Ahmadiyya movement in shaping Quran translation in Indonesia. Furthermore, they explore the specific challenges that translators face when rendering the Quran in languages with structures, histories, and cultural contexts that differ greatly from Arabic. By expanding the audience of Indonesian scholars' work, this book appeals to anyone interested in Quranic studies and Islam in the Southeast Asia region.

Weight: 590g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032497518