Translation Is the Language of Dialogue Among Civilizations: Dr Hassan Qadri

The Holy Prophet ﷺ instructed his Companions to learn the languages of other nations
MQI Supreme Council Chairman issues statement on International Translation Day

Chairman Supreme Council Minhaj-ul-Quran International Prof. Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri has said that translation plays a fundamental role in interfaith dialogue, communication among civilizations and understanding history. Translation conveys knowledge preserved in one language to speakers of another and enables different societies to learn from one another.

In his special statement on the occasion of International Translation Day, he said that the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ instructed his Companions to learn the languages of different civilizations and nations of that time. In particular, he said, correspondence with Hebrew-speaking people was conducted in Hebrew, with the Prophet ﷺ having the replies written himself.

He said that centuries of history, culture and intellectual heritage have reached civilizations across the world through translations. Many languages of the past are no longer in common use, but the religious and cultural teachings and historical records preserved in those languages have been made accessible to new generations through translation.

Prof. Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri said the Holy Quran was revealed in Arabic and the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ conveyed his teachings in Arabic, but not all Muslims around the world speak Arabic. Through translations, the light of Islam has reached every region and continent.

He said Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has consistently emphasized the important role of language and translation in promoting authentic knowledge and historical understanding. That is why Minhaj-ul-Quran has translated and published the Holy Quran and important books in languages spoken by different nations and regions, which has greatly helped dispel misconceptions about Islam. One of the most significant misconceptions, he said, was the stigma associating Islam with extremism. “By the grace of Allah, these translations have helped remove that stigma,” he added.

Dr Hassan Qadri said Minhaj-ul-Quran has disseminated the moral and spiritual teachings of Islam through translations into Arabic, Indonesian, Bengali, Chinese, Danish, Finnish, French, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Japanese, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Malay, Norwegian, Persian, Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Spanish. He said these efforts are producing far-reaching and positive results.

He welcomed the observance of International Translation Day every year under the auspices of the United Nations. On the occasion, he proposed that the United Nations should encourage credible research institutions working across different civilizations to help make the world a place of peace and overcome religious prejudices. Their research, he said, could help bring international communities closer to one another. He added that this important initiative could also be undertaken through UNESCO.

Prof. Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri said strengthening dialogue between religions and civilizations on the basis of knowledge is an urgent need of the present time. He noted that the translation of scholarly works and research originally produced in Arabic played an important role in Europe's intellectual and industrial development.