Abstract There is only a small number of rhyming translations of the Qur’ān in European languages, while there are none at all in Dutch. Because of that in this thesis I research the possibility of...Show moreAbstract There is only a small number of rhyming translations of the Qur’ān in European languages, while there are none at all in Dutch. Because of that in this thesis I research the possibility of translating the Qur’ān into rhyming rhythmic Dutch prose, considering the sound-meaning conflation, meaning that the meaning of Arabic words in the Holy Book can be intensified by the sound of that word, and besides that, repeating a certain sound can contribute to the atmosphere and message of a sura. Maybe a rhyming rhytmic translation of the Qur’ān that is a pleasant reading and that touches the heart as well is useful for many Muslims that don’t speak the Arabic language. An attempt is made to answer this research question by means of studying literature on the Islamic debate on inimitability and translatability of the Qur’ān and the occurence of saj‘ in it, and the conditions saj‘ must meet, as well as the theories on translating the sound of the Qur’ān of Shawkat Toorawa and Waleed Bleyhesh al-Amri, and above that by a case study on translating six suras: Q. 93, Q 97, Q. 100, Q. 112, Q,113 and Q. 114. The research has shown that it is possible to translate these sura’s from Arabic into rhyming rhythmic Dutch prose, considering the sound-meaning conflation, with exegetic notes helping to clarify uncertainties, and to justify translation choices. Subsequently not much meaning was lost compared to other translations. Note, however, that a translation will never be equal to the original, whether it is related to problems of translation in general or the impossibility of translating the word of God. And because the rhyme was my first concern, it was not always possible to find special words for hapaxes, or to find words with the same sound as in Arabic. Perhaps more time will be required to accomplish this or perhaps a bilingual researcher will be able to do so. Sometimes I had to deviate from more common interpretations of the meaning because the rhyme was my first concern.Show less
