There are many translations of the meanings of the Holy Quran. The one I usually refer to first is Yusuf Ali's translation. Specifically the following old edition:
Ali, Abdullah Yusuf, "The Holy Quran, Text, Translation and Commentary", Hafner Publishing Company, New York, 1946. (PDF Download - Over 1800 pages - Size: About 90 MB. I hope it is ok to offer a download link. I have not seen this edition sold anywhere. Please note that the whole preface has been moved to the end of the pdf file, most likely to keep the page numbers in sync between the printed pages and the pdf file pages.)
This edition came in two large volumes. It was part of father's book collection, and was the first English translation that I started to explore.
Later on, I bought a newer edition, that came in one volume with better paper quality and better printing. However, I was surprised to find that there were changes (in the translation of verses and the associated comments) compared to the original edition. In many cases, such changes would give a meaning of a verse that is different from the original.
In this article, the altered edition will be called just that: 'the altered edition'.
The following comparison between the Hafner edition and the altered edition considers a specific example of the differences. I shall try to follow the expression "istwa 'ala Al-'Arsh" ( إستوى على العرش ) in both editions. (Details about this expression can be found in Imam Al-Ghazali's Aqeedah: The Establishing on the Throne).
There are seven places in the Holy Quran where the expression "istawa 'ala Al-'Arsh" appears:
Al-Araf 7:45
Yunus 10:3
Al-Ra'd 13:2
Taha 20:5
Al-Furqan 25:59
Al-Sajdah 32:4
Al-Hadid 57:4
In each instance, Yusuf Ali originally translated the Quran's expression as "Firmly established on the Throne (Of authority)". However, the altered edition replaces that phrase in each instance with "Established Himself on the Throne (of authority)".
As I understand, Yusuf Ali tried to select the closest expression in English that stood, in his opinion, for the original Quranic phrase. And his (orignial) comments explain the reasons behind his selection.
In note No. 1032 (p. 355) he said: "Throne ('arsh) is of course metaphorical, a symbol of authority, power, and vigilance". This phrase was removed from the same note in the altered edition.
In note No. 5279 (p. 1498) regarding Allah SWT : "No Space or Time is without Him: yet He is independent of Space or Time." In the altered edition, the whole paragraph is replaced with one totally different from the original.
In note No. 1386 (p. 484) he said about "Istawa 'ala": "With the preposition 'ala after it, as here and in vii. 54 and elsewhere, the meaning seems to be literally, "to mount or ascend," and figuratively to be firmly established, to sit firm and unshaken, beyond question." And he selected the figurative phrase "firmly established" to stand for "Istawa 'ala" in the seven instances. In the altered edition, the words "literally" and "figuratively" were removed and the result was: "With the preposition 'ala after it, as here and in 7:54, 23:28, and 25:59, the meaning seems to be "to mount or ascend," and to be firmly established, to sit firm and unshaken, beyond question".
Based on the original edition of Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation of the meanings of the Holy Quran, I believe it can be said that the expression he selected to stand for "Istawa 'ala Al-Arsh", is clearly linked to his understanding that the Creator SWT is independent of Space and Time and that the Quranic expression "Istawa 'ala Al-Arsh" is metaphoric.
Notes:
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As far as I can tell, Yusuf Ali's interpretation of the Quran's verses generally
follows the Ash'ari and Matureedi schools of theology, which are the predominant
schools of theology in Islamic history (as I understand, both adopt the same
view with few differences). For instance, this is evident in the
original text, regarding the above example. However, the altered edition's
modifications changes the meaning (specifically in the example above) into one
that is inconsistent with the Ash'ari and Matureedi schools.
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There is a book titled "Searching For Solace: A Biography Of Abdullah Yusuf
Ali", by Muhammad A. Sherif. The book mentions the Hafner edition
as authentic. It also talks about the altered edition.
- A review in Amazon (by Mr. Yahya) talks about the this subject:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meaning-Holy-Quran-Abdullah-Yusuf/dp/0915957116
