University of Isfahan Textual Criticism of Persian Literature 2476-3268 18 3 2026 08 23 Correction of Some Errors in the Translation of the Holy Qur'an in the First Edition of Kashf al-Asrār wa 'Uddat al-Abrār (With an Examination of Evidence from Volume III) Correction of Some Errors in the Translation of the Holy Qur'an in the First Edition of Kashf al-Asrār wa 'Uddat al-Abrār (With an Examination of Evidence from Volume III) 25 52 30257 10.22108/rpll.2026.147142.2517 FA Parvin Golizadeh Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran 0000-0002-3628-6413 Sajjad Dehghan PhD Candidate in Persian Language and Literature, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran Aalireza Naserbafghi PhD Candidate in Persian Language and Literature, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran Journal Article 2025 10 25 Abstract The Persian translation of the Quran in the first edition of Kashf al-Asrār—which is essentially an edited version of an ancient translation and commentary attributed to Khwāja ʿAbdullāh Anṣārī—is one of the earliest Persian translation-commentaries. From a linguistic typological perspective, it belongs to the Heravi (Herat) variety. In his revision of this work, Maybudī largely preserved the archaic features of its original source. Consequently, the text examined in this study represents the fourth most important and complete source for the analysis of the Heravi variety—after Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya, the Rasāʾil, and the surviving manuscripts of the commentary by Khwāja ʿAbdullāh Anṣārī. ʿAlī Aṣghar Ḥikmat (and in the third volume, with the collaboration of Jaʿfar Shāʿar) undertook the first and only critical edition of this work from 1331 to 1339 AH (1952–1960 CE), resulting in a ten-volume publication. Despite the editor’s considerable efforts, due to the significant limitations of textual editing at that time, the vastness of the text, printing and typographical issues, as well as the dispersion of the extant manuscripts of Kashf al-Asrār, his edition contains many errors, both minor and substantial. In the present study, the authors aim to correct some of the editor’s verifiable mistakes in the Persian translation of the first edition, focusing specifically on Volume Three of the work. These errors—27 in total—share a common cause: the editor’s oversight of the base manuscript or inadvertent typographical mistakes that have subsequently spread to other secondary sources. Keywords: The Qur'an, Kashf al-Asrār; Maybudī; Khwāja ʿAbdullāh Anṣārī; Correction. Introduction Maybudī's Kashf al-Asrār wa 'Uddat al-Abrār is one of the most prominent exegetical and literary legacies of the sixth century AH. The first part of this work, dedicated to the translation of Quranic verses, is essentially the translation of Khwāja 'Abdullāh Anṣārī and holds particular linguistic significance for preserving the features of the "Heravi linguistic variety". Despite considerable effort, the edition by 'Alī Aṣghar Ḥikmat, due to limitations such as restricted access to original manuscripts at the time of editing and printing errors, in some places deviates from Maybudī's redacted version of Khwāja 'Abdullāh Anṣārī’s translation and the linguistic structure of that period. This study aims to re-examine certain errors in the printed text, focusing on the third volume, and correct them based on several early manuscripts, particularly the editor's base manuscript. Materials and Methods This research was carried out using a "critical editing" approach and a descriptive-analytical method. To correct some errors in the first part of the Quran translation, the authors collated the printed text (Ḥikmat's edition) with three early manuscripts (Nūr 'Uthmāniyah MSS 444 and 474, and Yeni Cāmi' 43). The selection criteria for the evidence were cases where the printed text either conflicted with the source text (Quranic verses) or contradicted the stylistic and grammatical characteristics of early prose and the Heravi dialect. Furthermore, in all these cases, the reading in the printed text differed from the base manuscript and the two other manuscripts, indicating that the editor either misread the text or the printed edition contained typographical errors. Research Findings Following the comparison and critique of the printed text of the third volume of Kashf al-Asrar with the base manuscripts (and two ancient manuscripts from the Nuruosmaniye Library), 27 errors were identified. These findings were categorized and corrected into the following three classes: Scribal errors and visual slips in manuscript reading: This category includes cases recorded incorrectly in the printed text due to orthographic similarities in the manuscripts. For example: "شک" (Doubt) in Verse 16 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) was changed to the correct recording of "تنگ" (Narrow/Tight), corrected based on the base manuscript for semantic consistency. "بدست مگیرید" (Do not take by hand) in Verse 57 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) was corrected to "بدوستی مگیرید" (Do not take in friendship) to restore the precise meaning of the word lā tattakhidhū. "بستدیم" (We took/seized) in Verse 14 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) was changed to the original manuscript recording, "ستدیم" (We took/seized), correcting the editor's misreading of the infinitive setadan. "دمی برون آرد" (Brings out a breath) in Verse 16 (Surah Al-Ma'idah), which was a typographical or scribal error, was recorded as "می برون آرد" (Brings out) to correct the verbal prefix. Lexical modernization and intervention in archaic equivalents: In this section, words replaced in the printed text with conventional equivalents instead of the original equivalents of the Heravi linguistic variant were restored. For example: "بهتر" (Better) in Verse 60 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) for the translation of sharr (evil), was corrected to the archaic recording "بتر" (Worse/Evil) to restore the original and stylistic Heravi form. "گران کاری" (Heavy work/excess) in Verse 68 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) was changed to "گزاف کاری" (Extravagance/Excess), replacing Meybodi’s specific word in the translation of tughyānan. "قوی" (Strong) in Verse 2 (Surah Al-Ma'idah), resulting from a recording error, was corrected to "قومی" (A people) to restore the correct word according to the verse. "زیر" (Under) in Verse 66 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) for the translation of fawq (above), was changed to the correct recording "زبر" (Above) to correct a gross semantic error. Deficiencies in grammatical markers and connective elements: This category includes cases where the deletion or alteration of syntactic markers distorted the characteristics of the Heravi linguistic variant and the accuracy of the translation. For example: "سفر" (Travel) in Verse 6 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) was corrected to "سفری" (A travel) to restore the "Indefinite Ya" to match the indefinite word in the Quranic text. "خدای" (God) in verses such as 73 of Al-Ma'idah and 58 of Al-A'raf was changed to the original recording "خدایی" (A god) to observe the indefinite marker in the translation of ilah. "باشید" (Be - plural) in the First Turn was corrected to "بید" (Be - archaic plural) to restore a distinguished feature of the Heravi variant in the verb structure. "خدا" (God) in Verse 70 (Surah Al-A'raf), which appeared as an indefinite form (a god), was rewritten as the definite form "خدای" (God) to match the name Allah in the verse. Discussion of Results and Conclusions The results of this research indicate that the existing edition of Kashf al-Asrar in the First Turn (Volume 3), despite its general validity, suffers from flaws in linguistic details and alignment with the Quranic text. These slips primarily result from a lack of strict adherence to the base manuscript or the stylistic interventions of scribes aimed at simplifying the text. The correction of the 27 aforementioned cases in this study is a necessity for restoring the authenticity of the Quranic translation in this work and providing an accurate source for linguistic research in the field of Eastern Iranian dialects. Abstract The Persian translation of the Quran in the first edition of Kashf al-Asrār—which is essentially an edited version of an ancient translation and commentary attributed to Khwāja ʿAbdullāh Anṣārī—is one of the earliest Persian translation-commentaries. From a linguistic typological perspective, it belongs to the Heravi (Herat) variety. In his revision of this work, Maybudī largely preserved the archaic features of its original source. Consequently, the text examined in this study represents the fourth most important and complete source for the analysis of the Heravi variety—after Ṭabaqāt al-Ṣūfiyya, the Rasāʾil, and the surviving manuscripts of the commentary by Khwāja ʿAbdullāh Anṣārī. ʿAlī Aṣghar Ḥikmat (and in the third volume, with the collaboration of Jaʿfar Shāʿar) undertook the first and only critical edition of this work from 1331 to 1339 AH (1952–1960 CE), resulting in a ten-volume publication. Despite the editor’s considerable efforts, due to the significant limitations of textual editing at that time, the vastness of the text, printing and typographical issues, as well as the dispersion of the extant manuscripts of Kashf al-Asrār, his edition contains many errors, both minor and substantial. In the present study, the authors aim to correct some of the editor’s verifiable mistakes in the Persian translation of the first edition, focusing specifically on Volume Three of the work. These errors—27 in total—share a common cause: the editor’s oversight of the base manuscript or inadvertent typographical mistakes that have subsequently spread to other secondary sources. Keywords: The Qur'an, Kashf al-Asrār; Maybudī; Khwāja ʿAbdullāh Anṣārī; Correction. Introduction Maybudī's Kashf al-Asrār wa 'Uddat al-Abrār is one of the most prominent exegetical and literary legacies of the sixth century AH. The first part of this work, dedicated to the translation of Quranic verses, is essentially the translation of Khwāja 'Abdullāh Anṣārī and holds particular linguistic significance for preserving the features of the "Heravi linguistic variety". Despite considerable effort, the edition by 'Alī Aṣghar Ḥikmat, due to limitations such as restricted access to original manuscripts at the time of editing and printing errors, in some places deviates from Maybudī's redacted version of Khwāja 'Abdullāh Anṣārī’s translation and the linguistic structure of that period. This study aims to re-examine certain errors in the printed text, focusing on the third volume, and correct them based on several early manuscripts, particularly the editor's base manuscript. Materials and Methods This research was carried out using a "critical editing" approach and a descriptive-analytical method. To correct some errors in the first part of the Quran translation, the authors collated the printed text (Ḥikmat's edition) with three early manuscripts (Nūr 'Uthmāniyah MSS 444 and 474, and Yeni Cāmi' 43). The selection criteria for the evidence were cases where the printed text either conflicted with the source text (Quranic verses) or contradicted the stylistic and grammatical characteristics of early prose and the Heravi dialect. Furthermore, in all these cases, the reading in the printed text differed from the base manuscript and the two other manuscripts, indicating that the editor either misread the text or the printed edition contained typographical errors. Research Findings Following the comparison and critique of the printed text of the third volume of Kashf al-Asrar with the base manuscripts (and two ancient manuscripts from the Nuruosmaniye Library), 27 errors were identified. These findings were categorized and corrected into the following three classes: Scribal errors and visual slips in manuscript reading: This category includes cases recorded incorrectly in the printed text due to orthographic similarities in the manuscripts. For example: "شک" (Doubt) in Verse 16 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) was changed to the correct recording of "تنگ" (Narrow/Tight), corrected based on the base manuscript for semantic consistency. "بدست مگیرید" (Do not take by hand) in Verse 57 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) was corrected to "بدوستی مگیرید" (Do not take in friendship) to restore the precise meaning of the word lā tattakhidhū. "بستدیم" (We took/seized) in Verse 14 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) was changed to the original manuscript recording, "ستدیم" (We took/seized), correcting the editor's misreading of the infinitive setadan. "دمی برون آرد" (Brings out a breath) in Verse 16 (Surah Al-Ma'idah), which was a typographical or scribal error, was recorded as "می برون آرد" (Brings out) to correct the verbal prefix. Lexical modernization and intervention in archaic equivalents: In this section, words replaced in the printed text with conventional equivalents instead of the original equivalents of the Heravi linguistic variant were restored. For example: "بهتر" (Better) in Verse 60 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) for the translation of sharr (evil), was corrected to the archaic recording "بتر" (Worse/Evil) to restore the original and stylistic Heravi form. "گران کاری" (Heavy work/excess) in Verse 68 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) was changed to "گزاف کاری" (Extravagance/Excess), replacing Meybodi’s specific word in the translation of tughyānan. "قوی" (Strong) in Verse 2 (Surah Al-Ma'idah), resulting from a recording error, was corrected to "قومی" (A people) to restore the correct word according to the verse. "زیر" (Under) in Verse 66 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) for the translation of fawq (above), was changed to the correct recording "زبر" (Above) to correct a gross semantic error. Deficiencies in grammatical markers and connective elements: This category includes cases where the deletion or alteration of syntactic markers distorted the characteristics of the Heravi linguistic variant and the accuracy of the translation. For example: "سفر" (Travel) in Verse 6 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) was corrected to "سفری" (A travel) to restore the "Indefinite Ya" to match the indefinite word in the Quranic text. "خدای" (God) in verses such as 73 of Al-Ma'idah and 58 of Al-A'raf was changed to the original recording "خدایی" (A god) to observe the indefinite marker in the translation of ilah. "باشید" (Be - plural) in the First Turn was corrected to "بید" (Be - archaic plural) to restore a distinguished feature of the Heravi variant in the verb structure. "خدا" (God) in Verse 70 (Surah Al-A'raf), which appeared as an indefinite form (a god), was rewritten as the definite form "خدای" (God) to match the name Allah in the verse. Discussion of Results and Conclusions The results of this research indicate that the existing edition of Kashf al-Asrar in the First Turn (Volume 3), despite its general validity, suffers from flaws in linguistic details and alignment with the Quranic text. These slips primarily result from a lack of strict adherence to the base manuscript or the stylistic interventions of scribes aimed at simplifying the text. The correction of the 27 aforementioned cases in this study is a necessity for restoring the authenticity of the Quranic translation in this work and providing an accurate source for linguistic research in the field of Eastern Iranian dialects.

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