Farid smiled, tapping the page. "That, my child, is the point. Beauty is a dress. Truth is the body. Most translators sew a new dress — they change the sleeves, add lace, make it comfortable for English ears. But we are not tailors. We are bonesetters."
"See here," he said. Most translations say: 'All praise is due to Allah.' "But the Arabic says: AlHamdu Lillahi. AlHamdu = The praise (all of it, every kind, exclusive). Lillahi = For/belongs to Allah (alone)." word to word translation of quran in english
One evening, his young apprentice, Layla, entered with a pot of tea. "Master," she said, watching him write "Alhamdulillah" as "The praise (belongs) to Allah." "Why does it look so strange? It is not beautiful English." Farid smiled, tapping the page
"Iyyaka na'budu" became "You (alone) we worship." (Not "You alone we worship" — but You (alone) we worship , preserving the Arabic emphasis on You coming first.) Truth is the body
On the final night, they completed the last verse: "Mina al-jinnati wan-naas" — "From the jinn and the people."
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