Interpreting and Rendering of Qur’anic Verses in Conformity with Convention and Tradition

Abstract

In this article, the role of convention and tradition in the interpretation and rendering of Qur’anic verses are discussed. An overview is given of the reciprocal relationship between Muslim theology and that which is usually referred to as the “Sciences of the Qur’an”. Selected examples of the rendering of specific Qur’anic verses are  analysed, illustrating the influence (or presumed influence) of classical interpretative sources and convention on the translation of the meanings of the Qur’an.