Ƙoƙarin kama kyawun Alƙur'ani a cikin fassarori marasa tsari ko na 'yanci ma yana da girman kai, yana kuma ɓatarwa, kuma babu shakka zai gaza. "Waƙar da babu wanda zai iya kwaikwayonta, sautunanta kaɗai suna sa mutane su yi kuka da farin ciki mai zurfi" 26 tana wanzuwa ne kawai cikin harshen Larabci.
Attempts to catch the charm of the Qur’aan in loose or free translations are also presumptuous, misleading, and doomed to failure. “The inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy” 26 exists only in the Arabic.
Kowace irin nasara za ta yaudari masu karatu ne kawai su yi tunanin cewa suna jin Al-Qur'ani, alhali a zahiri, suna jin abin da mai fassara yake ji da basirarsa ta adabi. Har da'awar fassarar ma'anonin Al-Qur'ani karya ce, domin mai irin waɗannan fassarori yana zaɓar ma'anonin da yake ganin sun dace da kalmomin Larabci waɗanda suke da ma'anoni fiye da ɗaya, da kalmomin da ba su da daidai a harshen waje. Haka kuma yana zaɓar tsakanin ma'ana ta zahiri da ta alama, sannan ya fassara wacce yake ganin ta dace. Dukkan fassarori a zahiri tafsiri ne, wasu sun fi wasu daidaito.
Any degree of success will only dupe readers into thinking that they are experiencing the Qur’aan, whereas in reality, they are experiencing the feelings of the translator and his literary skills. Even claims to translations of the Qur’aan’s meanings are false because the author of such translations chooses meanings which he feels are appropriate in the case of Arabic words which have more than one meaning and words which have no non-Arabic equivalent. He also chooses between literal and figurative meanings and translates the one which he considers appropriate. All translations are in fact tafseers, some more accurate than others.
Yawancin fassarorin Alƙur'ani suna lissafa a cikin gabatarwarsu sunayen tafsirai da kamusan gargajiya da suka dogara da su. Wannan na iya zama kamar abu ne ƙarami sosai, amma idan aka faɗi shi ta wata hanya dabam, watakila bambancin zai bayyana sosai. Mufassiri yana magana ne cikin bayani, kamar yana cewa: "Wannan ne abin da nake fahimta daga ayar." Mai fassara kuma yana magana kamar ya fahimci ma'anar ayar gaba ɗaya, ya fassara ta kamar yana cewa: "Wannan ne ma'anar ayar." Bambancin da ke tsakanin hanyoyin biyu yana da girma sosai. Saboda haka, ya kamata mai fassara ya jaddada a cikin gabatarwarsa da kanun littafinsa cewa wannan fahimtarsa ta kansa ce game da Alƙur'ani. Watakila hanya mafi kyau ga mai fassara ita ce kawai ya fassara ainihin rubutun tafsirai na gargajiya, yana amfani da bayanan ƙasa don bayyana sauran ma'anoni da mahallin ayoyin inda ya zama dole.
Most translations list in their forewords the names of the classical tafseers and lexicons on which they relied. This may seem to be a very fine point, but if it were put in another way perhaps the difference would be more obvious. The mufassir speaks in an explanatory way as if to say: “This is what I understand from the verse.” The translator speaks as if he has completely understood the verse’s meaning and translated it as if to say: “This is what the verse means.” The difference between the two approaches is quite vast. Hence, translators should emphasize in their prefaces and titles the fact that this is their personal understanding of the Qur’aan. Perhaps the best approach for a translator would be to simply translate the basic text of the classical tafseers using footnotes to explain other possible meanings and the context of the passages where necessary.
Wannan ba yana nufin cewa fassarorin da ake da su ba su da wata daraja ko kaɗan, kuma waɗanda ba su fahimci Larabci ba su daina karanta su ba. Fassarorin da ake da su suna isar da saƙon Alƙur'ani na asali ga waɗanda ba za su iya samunsa daga Alƙur'ani kansa ba. Duk da haka, mai karatu ya kamata ya tuna cewa abin da yake karantawa ba fassarar Alƙur'ani ba ce ko cikakken ma'anarsa, sai dai bayani cikin wani harshe. Koyon Larabci gwargwadon iyawa ya kamata ya kasance cikin manufofin dukkan Musulmi, domin su ji kalmomin Allah daidai yadda aka saukar da su.
This is not to say that existing “translations” are of no value whatsoever and that those who do not understand the Arabic should stop reading them. Existing “translations” serve to convey the basic message of the Qur’aan to those who cannot get it from the Qur’aan themselves. However, the reader should bear in mind that what he or she is reading is not a translation of the Qur’aan or all of its meaning, but only an explanation in another language. Learning Arabic to whatever degree possible should be among the goals of all Muslims in order that they may hear Allaah’s words exactly as they were revealed.