University of Isfahan Textual Criticism of Persian Literature 2476-3268 16 1 2024 03 20 The old Translation of the 15th part of the Holy Quran Manuscript containing 2574 words The old Translation of the 15th part of the Holy Quran Manuscript containing 2574 words 93 110 28037 10.22108/rpll.2023.138789.2277 FA Arezu Pooryazdanpanah Kermani Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Language and Literature, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran Journal Article 2023 08 20 The manuscript 2574 translation of the Holy Quran at the library of Astan Quds Razavi embodies the 15th part of the Holy Scripture (17:16 to 18:73). The translation is written between the Arabic lines of the Quran in Naskh style. The translator and writer of this manuscript are unknown, but due to the antiquity of the language and the script, it is assumed to be a product of the 5th century AH. In the 6th century (AH), the manuscript was awarded by Abi al-Qasim’s daughter, from Khorasan. This manuscript of 53 pages of 17 × 25 cm2, containing 5 lines of text, and 5 lines of dialect-free translation in smaller font. In terms of orthography, the text is free of mistakes, cross-outs, and left-outs. The verses in this ink-written script are black, red, green, and yellow. It is hard to attribute this work to a specific area. Considering the old script and its phonetic, grammatical, and lexical features, the translation seems to belong to the 5th century (AH). Introduction In this translation extreme care is taken, not to misrepresent the verses and to preserve the structure and features of the Arabic text. In some cases, the translator has even included some letters in his translation. Based on the structure of the Persian language, it was not necessary to include those letters in the translation. In this manuscript, no special signs or symbols are applied to distinguish the letter ب (B) from پ (P), ج (J) from چ (CH), and ک (K) from گ (G). The manner of writing Zal Mo’jameh the (ذ) (one of the four letters sounding Z) is one of the characteristics of the assessed manuscript, indicating the antiquity of the text and the language. Like in most of the texts belonging to the first period of Dari Persian, the scribe is written in superscript (‘) (backward apostrophe) sign on the final syllable of the words ending in (ه) (H), both in simple words and passive adjectives derived from verbs. In the prohibitive verbs, the prohibition prefix is written as "Ma" (i.e., don’t in Arabic), rarely written separately. In negating verbs, in most cases, the negative prefix is written as "نه" (No), and separate from the verb. One of the noteworthy points in the writing style of the translated text 2754 is the way of writing the connective "که" (that/which) and the pronoun "او" (he/she) in the form of "کو" (one that) in all the cases. Method and Material The method adopted in this study is of library survey, where, first, the translated text is corrected and revived comparatively, and next, the most important stylistic, linguistic, and literary features of the text are extracted. Findings This translation is important and can be assessed in terms of how is it influenced by the Arabic language; how the equivalent words and grammatical structures are selected, and how the text looks orthographically. One of the prominent features of this translation is its being influenced by Arabic lexical and syntactic features and the structural reflection of the Qur'an text, a phenomenon, somewhat common among ancient translations. In the subject-translated manuscript, considering the word-for-word rendering of the Quranic verses, the translated phrases do not match the Persian syntax, and the translator in most cases applied the construction of "infinitive + ی (Y)" to present equivalents for direct objects and emphasize the meanings of verbs. In Farsi, unlike Arabic, adverbs of manner do not correspond to the agent, but, in the literal translation of Arabic sentences, this correspondence is sometimes apparent. Such a case emerges from literal translation. The correspondence of adverbs of manner to their agents is one of the cases that appeared in the translation due to the Arabic language structure influence. Using singular verbs for plural subjects following the Arabic language structure is found in this translation. The translator has acted moderately in being influenced by the Arabic language, grammar rule and, unlike translations of the Holy Quran, before him, he has ignored some structures of the Arabic language. The correspondence between the adjective and the noun and between the number and the pluralized noun is something for which no example is found in this translation. The translator has used plural adjectives in singular forms and has translated plural nouns into singular nouns. Converting passive structures into active is another example of ignoring the Arabic language structure in the studied translated text. The translator has converted all the passive verbs into active ones, which is one of the distinctions of the manuscript. This phenomenon is not observed in any old translation of the Qur'an. In this work, the translator has sought to use a Persian singular word for each singular Arabic word or, in case of inability, an eloquent combination; he has avoided using Arabic words as much as possible. As in the translation of 2621 Arabic words, into Persian, only 26 Arabic words remained intact. This indicates his skill in translation and knowledge of the Persian language. Considering the equivalents chosen in this translation, one can understand the age of the subject manuscript. In the translated text, there are many cases of change of letters. Most of the changes relate to the conversion of the phoneme ب (B) to و (V). This conversion is one of the most common phonetic transformations in Dari Persian. Integration, reduction, and addition are the other language features of this version. Some of the most important grammatical features of the subject-translated work include the use of consecutive past tense verbs, conditional and wish sentences, pluralism, adverbials, lack of unmarked utterances, pronoun او (he/she) for the inanimate, use of certain words in other meanings, use of ب (B) at the beginning of verbs, and the use of separate pronouns instead of connected. Result, Discussion and Conclusion The subject translation is one of the oldest dating back to the 5th century AH, which is not influenced by any special dialect or accent. The translator has translated the verses literally and carefully to find equivalents and perform lexical matchings. There are cases of reduction and addition in the translation. The literal translation revealed the influence of Arabic language structure on direct objects, the correspondence of the mood to the agent, the mismatch of the verb and the subject, etc. However, the translator has not been so affected by the Arabic language structure concerning the style, contextual subtleties, numerals, plural forms, adjectives, adverbs, passive verbs, and prepositions. The mentioned manuscript is eminent in terms of the originality of the words and selection of equivalents, thus, a strong proof of the old age of the text. Borrowing words from Arabic in this translation is very rare. Phonological transformations, consecutive use of past verbs, expression of conditions and wishes, pluralism, use of certain words in other meanings, adding ب (B) to the beginning of verbs, use of the pronoun او (he/she) for the inanimate, use of adverb, writing the letters ب (B), پ (P), ج (J), چ (CH), ک (K) and گ (G) without any distinguishing marks, connecting the pronoun او (he/she) to the connective که (that/which), writing the negation letter ن (N) separately from the verb, writing the prohibition letter as م (M), and putting the superscript (‘) (backward apostrophe) sign on the final syllable of the words ending in (ه) (H) are all evidence that the text dates back to the first Dari Persian period, or the 5th century AH. The manuscript 2574 translation of the Holy Quran at the library of Astan Quds Razavi embodies the 15th part of the Holy Scripture (17:16 to 18:73). The translation is written between the Arabic lines of the Quran in Naskh style. The translator and writer of this manuscript are unknown, but due to the antiquity of the language and the script, it is assumed to be a product of the 5th century AH. In the 6th century (AH), the manuscript was awarded by Abi al-Qasim’s daughter, from Khorasan. This manuscript of 53 pages of 17 × 25 cm2, containing 5 lines of text, and 5 lines of dialect-free translation in smaller font. In terms of orthography, the text is free of mistakes, cross-outs, and left-outs. The verses in this ink-written script are black, red, green, and yellow. It is hard to attribute this work to a specific area. Considering the old script and its phonetic, grammatical, and lexical features, the translation seems to belong to the 5th century (AH). Introduction In this translation extreme care is taken, not to misrepresent the verses and to preserve the structure and features of the Arabic text. In some cases, the translator has even included some letters in his translation. Based on the structure of the Persian language, it was not necessary to include those letters in the translation. In this manuscript, no special signs or symbols are applied to distinguish the letter ب (B) from پ (P), ج (J) from چ (CH), and ک (K) from گ (G). The manner of writing Zal Mo’jameh the (ذ) (one of the four letters sounding Z) is one of the characteristics of the assessed manuscript, indicating the antiquity of the text and the language. Like in most of the texts belonging to the first period of Dari Persian, the scribe is written in superscript (‘) (backward apostrophe) sign on the final syllable of the words ending in (ه) (H), both in simple words and passive adjectives derived from verbs. In the prohibitive verbs, the prohibition prefix is written as "Ma" (i.e., don’t in Arabic), rarely written separately. In negating verbs, in most cases, the negative prefix is written as "نه" (No), and separate from the verb. One of the noteworthy points in the writing style of the translated text 2754 is the way of writing the connective "که" (that/which) and the pronoun "او" (he/she) in the form of "کو" (one that) in all the cases. Method and Material The method adopted in this study is of library survey, where, first, the translated text is corrected and revived comparatively, and next, the most important stylistic, linguistic, and literary features of the text are extracted. Findings This translation is important and can be assessed in terms of how is it influenced by the Arabic language; how the equivalent words and grammatical structures are selected, and how the text looks orthographically. One of the prominent features of this translation is its being influenced by Arabic lexical and syntactic features and the structural reflection of the Qur'an text, a phenomenon, somewhat common among ancient translations. In the subject-translated manuscript, considering the word-for-word rendering of the Quranic verses, the translated phrases do not match the Persian syntax, and the translator in most cases applied the construction of "infinitive + ی (Y)" to present equivalents for direct objects and emphasize the meanings of verbs. In Farsi, unlike Arabic, adverbs of manner do not correspond to the agent, but, in the literal translation of Arabic sentences, this correspondence is sometimes apparent. Such a case emerges from literal translation. The correspondence of adverbs of manner to their agents is one of the cases that appeared in the translation due to the Arabic language structure influence. Using singular verbs for plural subjects following the Arabic language structure is found in this translation. The translator has acted moderately in being influenced by the Arabic language, grammar rule and, unlike translations of the Holy Quran, before him, he has ignored some structures of the Arabic language. The correspondence between the adjective and the noun and between the number and the pluralized noun is something for which no example is found in this translation. The translator has used plural adjectives in singular forms and has translated plural nouns into singular nouns. Converting passive structures into active is another example of ignoring the Arabic language structure in the studied translated text. The translator has converted all the passive verbs into active ones, which is one of the distinctions of the manuscript. This phenomenon is not observed in any old translation of the Qur'an. In this work, the translator has sought to use a Persian singular word for each singular Arabic word or, in case of inability, an eloquent combination; he has avoided using Arabic words as much as possible. As in the translation of 2621 Arabic words, into Persian, only 26 Arabic words remained intact. This indicates his skill in translation and knowledge of the Persian language. Considering the equivalents chosen in this translation, one can understand the age of the subject manuscript. In the translated text, there are many cases of change of letters. Most of the changes relate to the conversion of the phoneme ب (B) to و (V). This conversion is one of the most common phonetic transformations in Dari Persian. Integration, reduction, and addition are the other language features of this version. Some of the most important grammatical features of the subject-translated work include the use of consecutive past tense verbs, conditional and wish sentences, pluralism, adverbials, lack of unmarked utterances, pronoun او (he/she) for the inanimate, use of certain words in other meanings, use of ب (B) at the beginning of verbs, and the use of separate pronouns instead of connected. Result, Discussion and Conclusion The subject translation is one of the oldest dating back to the 5th century AH, which is not influenced by any special dialect or accent. The translator has translated the verses literally and carefully to find equivalents and perform lexical matchings. There are cases of reduction and addition in the translation. The literal translation revealed the influence of Arabic language structure on direct objects, the correspondence of the mood to the agent, the mismatch of the verb and the subject, etc. However, the translator has not been so affected by the Arabic language structure concerning the style, contextual subtleties, numerals, plural forms, adjectives, adverbs, passive verbs, and prepositions. The mentioned manuscript is eminent in terms of the originality of the words and selection of equivalents, thus, a strong proof of the old age of the text. Borrowing words from Arabic in this translation is very rare. Phonological transformations, consecutive use of past verbs, expression of conditions and wishes, pluralism, use of certain words in other meanings, adding ب (B) to the beginning of verbs, use of the pronoun او (he/she) for the inanimate, use of adverb, writing the letters ب (B), پ (P), ج (J), چ (CH), ک (K) and گ (G) without any distinguishing marks, connecting the pronoun او (he/she) to the connective که (that/which), writing the negation letter ن (N) separately from the verb, writing the prohibition letter as م (M), and putting the superscript (‘) (backward apostrophe) sign on the final syllable of the words ending in (ه) (H) are all evidence that the text dates back to the first Dari Persian period, or the 5th century AH.

https://rpll.ui.ac.ir/article_28037_ded9022e9ce351869d4aea46d93d6e12.pdf