The Merits and the Demerits of Translated Scripture: A Study of Yoruba Translation of the Qur’an

Abstract

The advent of the translation of the Qur’ān into another language is not a new phenomenon, it started right from the time of the Messenger of God, Muhammad himself. The impact of the Qur’ān as a pivot of guidance to the Muslims and to those who care to study it cannot be it ignored. As a result of this the translation of the Qur’ān into another language is a rewarding effort. The translation of the Qur’ān is also an undoubtful avenue for mutual understanding between the Muslims and the speakers of the target language. The Yoruba Muslim had left no stone unturned to convey the message of the Qur’ān to the speakers of the language. Though the motive of the translators of the Qur’ān into Yoruba language are uneven and in the process of evolution so, there is room for improvement. As a matter of fact there are some achievement and shortcomings as the translation of the Qur’ān into Yoruba language is concern. These are some of the areas of discussion in this paper.Historical and analytical approaches are applied. Information are collected and scrutinized for logical conclusion. At the end, the merit of translation of the Qur’ān into other language like Yoruba would have an edge over the demerit of it.The area of discussion entrances the historical background of the translation of the Qur’ān, history of translation, Yoruba and their language, the translation of the Qur’ān to Yoruba, and the assessment of the translated Qur’ān into Yoruba.