Was the Qur’an Ever Meant to Be Translated?

What Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (ع) Meant by “Read and Understand It” — A Journey into Vibration, Abjad, and Embodied Revelation

✦ Was the Qur’an Ever Meant to Be Translated?

And What Did Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (ع) Mean When He Said “Read and Understand It”?

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❖ The Question

If the Qur’an is for all of humanity, then shouldn’t it have been translated by the Prophet ﷺ or the Imams (ع)?
Why didn’t they do this — and what are we to make of translations today?
More importantly, when Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (ع) said to “read and understand” the Qur’an, how are we supposed to understand if we do not know Arabic?

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❖ The Answer

The Qur’an was never translated by the Prophet ﷺ or any of the Imams (ع). They taught it, explained its meanings, and embodied it, but they never rendered its form into another tongue. This was not out of cultural exclusivity — it was a protection of the Divine structure and frequency.

✦ The Qur’an is not just a message. It is a vibration.

It is a living revelation, encoded in the structure of the Arabic language in a way that cannot be separated from its form.

“Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an so that you may understand.”
— Surah Yusuf (12:2)

Translations, no matter how eloquent, are not the Qur’an — they are approximations of its meaning, not its essence.

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❖ Why Didn’t the Imams Translate It?

Because they were the custodians of its unchanging form. Had the Qur’an been meant for translation, surely the Imam al-Mahdi (عج) — who is said to speak all languages — would have done so. Yet even he is described in narrations as reciting the original Qur’an, not a localized version.

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❖ Then How Did They Teach Non-Arabs?

They gave tafsir (outer explanation) and ta’wil (inner meanings). In some cases, such as in the circles of Imam al-Sadiq (ع) — which included Persians, Africans, and others — the Imam would allow meanings to be explained in another language. But the text of the Qur’an remained Arabic.

This was also the case in Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain), where Europeans learned Arabic to study Qur’anic sciences, rather than demanding the scripture be translated into Latin or Spanish.

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❖ But Didn’t Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq Say “Read and Understand It”?

Yes — and his words are layered.

“The Qur’an was revealed in four ways: in wording, in reference, in metaphor, and in hidden meaning. And each verse has an outer (ẓāhir), an inner (bāṭin), a boundary (ḥadd), and a source (maṭlaʿ).”
— Attributed to Imam al-Sadiq (ع), Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī

His command to “understand” the Qur’an was not limited to literal comprehension through translation. He was inviting the seeker into the multi-dimensional framework of the Qur’an:

• Through Abjad (the numerical values of the Arabic letters)

• Through symbolic keys and cosmological references

• Through the behavior of the Ahlulbayt, who lived the Qur’an fully

To Imam al-Sadiq (ع), understanding was not merely knowing what a word means — it was to unlock the reality of a verse through reflection, number, and conduct.

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❖ So Should We Read Translations Today?

Only as tools, not as substitutes. If reading a translation helps you get a general sense of context, it can be temporarily helpful. But:

❝ If you wish to truly receive the Qur’an, read it in Arabic. Let it vibrate through you. Recite it. Reflect. Then, walk in the footsteps of those who became it. ❞

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❖ Practical Suggestion

Practice	Purpose
Daily Arabic Recitation	Resonance, healing, entrainment with Divine rhythm
Contemplative Tafsir (from Ahlulbayt)	Understand layers through their lens
Abjad Reflection	Unlock numerical/spiritual connections in the verse
Behavioral Emulation	Let the Qur’an move from ink to action
Limited Use of Translation	For context only, not comprehension or rulings

❖ Closing Reflection

In a time where the sacred is often reduced to information, let us return to the original breath of the Qur’an. Let it speak to the heart, body, and consciousness — not only the intellect.

As Imam al-Sadiq (ع) taught, understanding the Qur’an is not something we do with the mind alone. It’s something the soul remembers — when we begin to live what we recite.