A Curious Find: Interlinear Translation and Marginal Quran Commentary in Gujrathi (in Arabic Script)
Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2022 9:40 pm
It seems from the present and previous Bohra leadership that reading the Quran in translation (and in general making an attempt to understand it by oneself) is forbidden. Part of the reason given is that the Quran is a complex book that requires deep immersion and is not for light reading. This is of course true, but still an individual believer must make an attempt to fathom the depths of this sublime text that was revealed to the Prophet. However, the real reason is likely more nefarious: the mullahs do not wish people to understand the key foundational text of Islam independent of their authority, lest the common people question the mullahs themselves.
Hence, I was pleasantly surprised to find a complete translation and near-complete commentary of the Quran written in Gujrathi (but in the Arabic script). I made this discovery while browsing some old collection of manuscripts in a special collections library. The book is arranged in the following way: the complete text of the Quran is written in large letters with the corresponding translation in small letters below each line in Gujrathi. The commentary (or Tafsir) is written as marginal notes, also in Gujrathi. This was an unexpected find and I was not looking for it. Interestingly, this book is not mentioned in the Biobibliography of Ismaili Literature by Ismail Poonawala, which may indicate he also does not know about it. (It is also not mentioned in the Hamdani collection bibliography or Ivanov's bibliography either) Clearly, this is an important text as it is probably one of the very few (only?) complete translations into Arabic-script Gujrathi with an Ismaili, specifically Bohra, commentary.
(I am aware of the translation and commentary by Ahmed Ali Raj. However, it seems that unlike Ahmed Ali Raj, the author of the earlier text was not in the group of those who denied the nass on S. Abdul Qadi Najmuddin, at least openly. At that time there was clearly doubts about the nass amongst some ulema, but the divisions were not open and perhaps this author merely accepted common practice and prayed for the long life of the present da'i, even if did not really believe if that da'i was properly appointed or not).
The text is certainly Bohra: the author mentions in the colophon that it was completed in 1295 AH, which corresponds to 1878, during the time of S. Abdul Qadir Najmuddin. (S. A-Q N died in 1302 AH). The author gives his name and also of his teachers, but again I was not able to find any information on them in the Biobibliography. The author also mentions the name of S. Abdul Qadir Najmuddin, ending with an invocation for his long life.
In any case, I am attempting to find the copyright of this text so the whole PDF can be made available. The translation is a little clumsy but good. However the commentary is pretty good and very informative. At the least it shows that the teaching of the Quran and tafsir was not so unheard of amongst the Bohras.
(The author of this translation and commentary is one Mullah Abdulqadir bin Shaikh Luqmanji).
Hence, I was pleasantly surprised to find a complete translation and near-complete commentary of the Quran written in Gujrathi (but in the Arabic script). I made this discovery while browsing some old collection of manuscripts in a special collections library. The book is arranged in the following way: the complete text of the Quran is written in large letters with the corresponding translation in small letters below each line in Gujrathi. The commentary (or Tafsir) is written as marginal notes, also in Gujrathi. This was an unexpected find and I was not looking for it. Interestingly, this book is not mentioned in the Biobibliography of Ismaili Literature by Ismail Poonawala, which may indicate he also does not know about it. (It is also not mentioned in the Hamdani collection bibliography or Ivanov's bibliography either) Clearly, this is an important text as it is probably one of the very few (only?) complete translations into Arabic-script Gujrathi with an Ismaili, specifically Bohra, commentary.
(I am aware of the translation and commentary by Ahmed Ali Raj. However, it seems that unlike Ahmed Ali Raj, the author of the earlier text was not in the group of those who denied the nass on S. Abdul Qadi Najmuddin, at least openly. At that time there was clearly doubts about the nass amongst some ulema, but the divisions were not open and perhaps this author merely accepted common practice and prayed for the long life of the present da'i, even if did not really believe if that da'i was properly appointed or not).
The text is certainly Bohra: the author mentions in the colophon that it was completed in 1295 AH, which corresponds to 1878, during the time of S. Abdul Qadir Najmuddin. (S. A-Q N died in 1302 AH). The author gives his name and also of his teachers, but again I was not able to find any information on them in the Biobibliography. The author also mentions the name of S. Abdul Qadir Najmuddin, ending with an invocation for his long life.
In any case, I am attempting to find the copyright of this text so the whole PDF can be made available. The translation is a little clumsy but good. However the commentary is pretty good and very informative. At the least it shows that the teaching of the Quran and tafsir was not so unheard of amongst the Bohras.
(The author of this translation and commentary is one Mullah Abdulqadir bin Shaikh Luqmanji).