Orientalists and English Translations of the Holy Qur’ān

By Prof. Abdul Raheem Kidwai: Some Observations

Abstract

Prof. Dr. A. R. Kidwai is a famous critic in the realm of the English translations of the Holy Qur’ān all over the world. Qur’ānic sciences (‘Ulūm al-Qur’ān) orientalism and realm of English translations of the Holy Qur’ān are although different fields but they also have some common borders. Prof. Dr. ‘Abd al-Raḥīm Kidwai is an authority on the English renderings of the Qur’ān but in his articles on the translations of the Holy Qur’ān, he showed some weaknesses in the areas of Qur’ānic sciences, (e.g., Tauqīfī), biographies of the translators, affiliations of translators with one another, inner details and a few minute points of the translations of the Holy Qur’ān. In this article some observations about the critical essays of Prof. Kidwai are mentioned.