Aḥmadīs (Lahore Faction) on Translating and Interpreting the Qur’ān: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

The Holy Qur’an has been rendered into English by many Muslim and non-Muslim, Eastern and Western, British and indigenous translators. Among them,there are a number of Ahmadi or Qadiani translators and commentators who believes in Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani as the Promised Messiah and coming Mahdi. In Indian subcontinent, the foremost Ahmadi translation was undertaken by Dr.Muhammad Abdul Hakim Khan who rendered the Holy Qur’an into English in 1905 but he abandoned Qadianism soon after publication of this work. After the death of the Mirza Qadiani and his first khalifa Maulawi Nuruddin the Ahmadiya community split in two factions:Qadian Party led by Mirza Qadiani’s son Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad and Lahore Party led by Maulvi Muhammad ‘Ali. Both factions undertook translation of the Holy Qur’an and wrote exegeses on it.Maulvi Muhammad ‘Ali, the head of Lahore faction, published his translation and commentary in 1917.An other Qadiani translators and commentators was Dr Khadim Rahmani Nuri who put the explanatory words and sentences in brackets within the translation avoiding footnotes or exegetical comments. ‘Ali and Nuri  are only two Lahori Ahmadis who have published complete rendering of the Holy Qur’an in English language.Some incomplete works were published by Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din and Ch.Mohammad Manzoor Ilahi.Dr. Basharat Ahmad’s Urdu translation of and cmmentary on Part (juz) 27 and 30 of the holy Qur’an was retranslated into English.This paper presents a critical study of renderings of some verses which Lahori Ahmadis misinterpret to prove their particular beliefs.