THE MOST IMPORTANT TRANSLATIONS OF THE QUR'AN INTO BOSNIAN IN THE MID-20th CENTURY (1937–1977)

After the translation of the Qur'an by Mićo Ljubibratić Hercegovac (1839–1889), which was published in Belgrade in 1895, several new translations of the Qur'an into Bosnian appeared between 1937 and 1977. All these translations confirm a strong interest in the Qur'an both in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and in socialist Yugoslavia.

Translation of the Qur'an by Mehmed Džemaludin Čaušević (1870–1938), a former raisu-l-ulama, and by hafiz Muhamed Pandža (1897–1962) as the coauthor, was published in Sarajevo in 1937 under the title Kurʼān Časni, prevod i tumač (Holy Qur'an, translation and explanation). Translators Čaušević and Pandža published Kurʼān Časni in Latin alphabet. Besides the original text, Kurʼān Časni includes translation of the Qur'an and many footnotes that served as commentaries on the Qur'an. Besides, Kurʼān Časni includes an extensive foreword by Mehmed Džemaludin Čaušević which is modernistically intoned. Translation of the Qur'an by Čaušević and Pandža had three main characteristics:

First, their translation Kurʼān Časni supports the scientific interpretation of the Qur'an, as well as European scientism and academic progress of their time. They believed that the Qur'an can be read as a precursor of the age of science, which was the road that Europe took in the 19th and the 20th century.

 Secondly, Čaušević and Pandža used the text of the Bible and selectively presented it as many footnotes of the Qur'anic text. In this way, the co-translators wanted to show that the Qur'an itself was at the highest level of Semitic monotheism, that Islam was the youngest relative of Judaism and Christianity, and that it offered monotheism which can be justified by reason.

Thirdly, by publishing Kurʼān Časni in Latin alphabet, Čaušević and Pandža wanted to make educated layers of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Yugoslavia inclined to studies of the Qur'an and accepting the book as a beacon of progress, knowledge, education and scientific advancement. After 1937, Čaušević and Pandža's translation was published in many editions, and in the period of Yugoslav socialism (particularly in the 1960s and 1970s) it was the best sold book in the field of Islam in our country.

Prevod Kurʼāna (Translation of the Qur'an) by Ali Riza Karabeg (1872–1944) was published in Mostar in 1937. It was published in Latin alphabet and had a short foreword by the translator, which mostly dealt with difficulties in translating the Qur'an. Karabeg did not include the original in Arabic in his Prevod Kurʼāna. As several analyses of this translation pointed out, this work by Karabeg was greatly dependent on Ljubibratić's translation of the Qur'an.

Kurʼān s prevodom (Qur'an with translation) by Besim Korkut (1904–1975), a renowned Arabist and theologian of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was published posthumously, in 1977, by Oriental Studies Institute in Sarajevo. The translation is considered to be the main work of this prominent alim. After 1977 Kurʼān s prevodom by Besim Korkut experienced many editions by different publishers. The highest-quality editions of the work were prepared and published by the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, often accompanying the translation with the original Arabic text. Out of all the translations of the Qur'an in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1980 to 2022, Korkut's translation is the best known, the widest spread and the most published translation in the regions of former Yugoslavia. Although unofficially, Korkut's translation of the Qur'an has the status of the main translation of the Islamic holy book in the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Korkut's translation of the Qur'an is extremely readable, understandable, written in likeable style and skillfully translated into a language register which is easily comprehensible in Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighboring countries. One of particular values of this translation is the fact that it is based on Islamic commentary tradition which was studied in Bosnian and Herzegovinian madrasas of the Ottoman age on the one hand, while its “rationalism” promoted progressive and enlightening understandings of Islam which existed in the time of socialism in Yugoslavia on the other.

Prijevod Kurʼāna s komentarom (Translation of the Qur'an with commentary) by Husein Đozo (1912–1982) is considered to be one of the best known uncompleted or partial translations of the Qur'an in the mid-20th century. This work was produced in cooperation with Abdurahman Hukić (1921–1990) and Sulejman Kemur (1908–1975), raisu-l-ulama. Out of a total of thirty juzes of the Qur'an, Đozo's Prijevod Kurʼāna s komentarom appeared in the first three juzes (from 1966/1967), while the fourth juz was published in Glasnik VIS-a.

Đozo's Prijevod Kurʼāna s komentarom was written under the strong influence by Islamic modernism and reformism of Muhammed ʻAbduhū (1849–1905). From Prijevod Kurʼāna s komentarom we understand that the Qur'an is a book which we should always interpret anew and derive, from it, new solutions acceptable for the spirit of the time. Interpretation and understanding of the Qur'an should be free of taklīd, or blind following of old Islamic schools of religious law or madhhabs. Freedom from taklīd is achieved by ijtihad, or a fresh and creative thinking which should be used for interpreting the Qur'an and Islam. Đozo's Prijevod Kurʼāna s komentarom is the best example of the modernist approach to translating and interpreting the Qur'an in Bosnia and Herzegovina and socialist Yugoslavia.

References:

• Hadžijahić, Muhamed, Bibliografske bilješke o prijevodima Kurʼāna kod nas, Bibliotekarstvo, XIII, no. 3, Sarajevo, 1967.

• Karić, Enes (2004), Prilozi za povijest islamskog mišljenja u Bosni i Hercegovini u XX. stoljeću, Sarajevo: El-Kalem.

• Ramić, Jusuf (2010), Naši prijevodi Kurʼāna i stil kurʼānskog izraza, Sarajevo: Connectum.