Inheritance Rules in Surat Al-Nisa' (Women) as a Contemporary Reading of Two Translations; Y. Ali (1979) and M. Haleem (2004): An Appraisal Study

The comparative study in translation represents a dichotomy that distinguishes the different perspectives of the translators to trace weaknesses and strengths, and to minimize failings and to maximize the benefits obtained, as a result of the translation. The two translations, Yusuf Ali’s - the revised version in 1979 A. D. 1400 H., The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary, and Abdel Haleem’s (2004) The Qur'an: a New Translation, reveal two different perspectives of translating the major issues in chapter four, Surat /?annisā?/ (i.e. women), as far as Cultural Translation and Authentic Translation are concerned.
As the issue studied is tentative, the two perspectives are discussed within the framework of J. Martin’s ‘Appraisal Model’ (2007) and others, as it is interdisciplinary. The thesis is a comparative study between two translations about one of the most important issues of Surat /?annisā?/, that is highly debatable and controversial, which is The Inheritance Rules. The major differences between the two translations have been taken into consideration, with a view to differentiating between Cultural and Authentic translations. A considerable number of examples is presented and consolidated.
The paper uses the I. P. A. conventions for the Transcription of Arabic forms the Qur’anic verses