Translating the untranslatable

Apart from the issue of the translatability of the Qur’an, the practice of translating the Qur’an into Indonesian has captured the attention of scholars. Some studies argue that there was a pause in activity after the composition of Tarjumān al-Mustafīd, a translation from Arabic to Malay in the 17th century. This viewpoint is primarily influenced by the expectation of finding a complete translation work similar to Tarjumān. However, this article contends that translating the Qur’an has always been an ongoing practice before and after Tarjumān. The aim of these translation practices, however, is not necessarily to create a work translated from one language to another, but rather to serve as a pedagogical activity that produces knowledge about the meaning of the Qur’an. This idea stems from the concept within translation studies that the term ‘translation’ encompasses not only the conventional act of translating between languages but can also involve intralingual translation and inter-semiotic translation. This proposition finds reinforcement in the presence of numerous Jalālayn manuscripts dating back to the late 19th century, which were employed within educational institutions known as pesantren and surau in East Java and West Sumatra.