How Context and Belief Shape Interpretations of the Qur'an

Abstract

This paper analyzes diverse hermeneutic patterns in English translations of the Glorious Qur'an across different eras and by different translators. The study compares the interpretations of five translators focusing on five Quranic verses from four Surahs. The paper examines variations in approaching positions like male authority in marriage (Al-Nisaa 4:34), disciplinary track regarding "striking" (Al-Nisaa 4:34), dry ablution (Al-Ma'idah 5:6), the payment of jizyah and submission (Al-Tawbah 9:29), and the questioning of female infants buried alive (At-Takwir 81:8). By comparing these interpretations, the paper reveals how sensitive verses act as indicators, exposing each translator's hermeneutic priorities, such as adherence to tradition, modern reform. The study also highlights how non-Muslim translators, despite their academic rigor, may sometimes lack the nuanced understanding of Islamic cultural practices, leading to distinct interpretive choices. In other words, by comparing these translated texts , it is seen that translated Ayahs provoke various interpretation. They show that the translators in some places  have their own hermeneutics to adhere ( ranging from classical to modern interpretation). Also, a crucial trend is viewed in this study in which non- muslin translators lack the very details of the culture accompanying  the Glorious Qur'an.Thus, this gap leads to various interpretations  that differs from those produced based on faith and beliefs that illustrating the deep influence of translator's  background  that is positioned in English text.