Criteria for the translation and assessment of Qur’anic metaphor

This paper discusses different approaches to the translation of Qur’anic metaphor, as one of the semantic problematic areas in translating the Qur’an, with a view to recommending principled criteria for translating Qur’anic metaphor. An attempt has been made to analyze, compare and assess six different approaches to the translation of Qur’anic metaphor and a blueprint is provided. The six selected translations are those by Sale (first published in1734), Ali (first published in 1937), Arberry (first published in 1955), Dawood (first published in 1956), Khatib (first published in 1986) and Khān–Hilālī (1996 edition). These translatons represent different orientations in translating the Muslim’s holy Book. Moreover, their translations are regularly reprinted.