The analysis of the contextual use of the qur`anic terminologies in the translation of the bible into Hausa language

Abstract

This research analyzed the usage of Qur’anic terminologies in the translation of Bible into the Hausa language. The new complete Hausa Bible was printed in 2010. But, the text in Hausa contains many Qur’anic terms and concepts such as; Allāh, ‘Arsh, Sujūd, Jahannam, etc., and phrases like Alhamdulillah and Salām Alaykum. All this is naturally presented from specific Biblical narratives, which constitute a religious context different from the Qur’ān in many respects. For this reason, this research suspects the use of Qur’anic terms in Hausa Bible- together with other Islamic forms mentioned in it - as the issue of ‘contextualization.’ Contextualization is a contemporary method or approach of Christian evangelism among Muslims that have the objective to affect Muslims’ religious thought and “Weltanschauung”. In this case, examining the correct interpretations of these terminologies to elucidate whether contextualization has taken place, is paramount. The Biblical concepts according to Islam have been corrupted such that their meanings cannot match the words of Allāh in the Qur’ān. However, on the contrary, it is finally realized that the Qur’anic terms used by Hausa Bible translators are the same as those commonly used by Hausa people. This is because of the tremendous influence of Islam and Arabic on the Hausa language. For this reason, the Bible translation in Hausa could not do other than to follow the long established language pattern in line with Islamic worldview, which leave a very little choice for alternative native words. This notwithstanding, the translators never favourably consider theological interpretations in which, for instance, the attributes of the Divine “Allāh” are misrepresented. Therefore, this research has explained these misinterpretations and pointed out the contextual differences in some Qur’anic and Biblical concepts used in the Hausa Bible, Littafi Mai-Tsarki.