This study explores the pragmatic challenges in translating Qur'anic argumentative discourse, through an analytical examination of Uri Rubin’s Hebrew translation of selected verses from Surah Al-Isra. The research aims to assess the extent to which the translation preserves argumentative functions and speech acts, and whether it maintains the pragmatic structure of the original Qur'anic discourse. The study adopts a pragmatic-argumentative framework to reveal the influence of cultural and religious contexts on the formation and reception of translated religious texts. Using this framework as a theoretical lens, the study identifies instances of semantic shifts and loss of argumentative function within the Hebrew translation. It reveals that the translator’s religious background and stylistic choices significantly influenced the rendered discourse, leading to reduced fidelity in conveying the original’s pragmatic intentions. The research contributes to the development of a critical pragmatic approach in the translation of religious texts and calls for a re-evaluation of translation methodologies applied to the Qur'an in contemporary academic and linguistic contexts.
Aftan M. Sharqi Sharqi (Tue,) studied this question.