Translating Zikr: A Linguistic Analysis of Its English Equivalents in Qur’anic Translations
Abstract
Abstract This paper examines the lexical semantics of the foundational Qur’ānic theological term Dhikr (remembrance/divine awareness) as rendered in the prominent English translations of Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Muhammad Abdel Haleem, and Arthur John Arberry. Rooted in the inherent linguistic and theological complexities of Classical Arabic, this study utilizes semantic field theory and componential analysis to systematically identify and categorize semantic shifts, including narrowing, broadening, substitution, addition, and semantic loss. The analysis demonstrates that Yusuf Ali’s interpretive approach frequently results in semantic broadening and addition, expanding theological meanings into active moral guidelines. Conversely, Abdel Haleem offers a highly contextualized and textually direct rendering that balances clarity while narrowing polysemous ranges to suit target sentence environments. Arberry’s focus on formal fidelity and structural rhythm results in semantic compression and frequent lexical narrowing, which occasionally leads to partial semantic loss of the deep affective or behavioural dimensions of the source text. Ultimately, this paper illustrates how distinct translation philosophies actively construct divergent representations of a Muslim’s spiritual and moral obligations, emphasizing the need for comprehensive semantic consciousness in translation reception and cross-cultural religious pedagogy.
Keywords: Lexical semantics, semantic shifts, Qur’anic translation, Dhikr, translation studies, componential analysis, semantic field theory.
