The religion Islam emerged among the Arabs almost fourteen hundred years ago but today the followers of Islam are found among the people of various races, cultures and languages all around the world. One of its significant factors is that the blessed companions رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنھم of the Holy Prophet صلی اللہ تعالٰی علیہ وسلم migrated from their hometowns and reached different parts of the world where they preached to people about Islam in their own language. Obviously, the blessed companions must have learnt the language of those people and conveyed invitation towards Islam to them in their native language. In other words, the blessed companions رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنھم must also have somehow adopted the method of translation for Islamic preaching. It is stated in a narration that Sayyiduna Salman Farsi رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہ , a companion of the Holy Prophet صلی اللہ تعالٰی علیہ وسلم translated Surah Fatihah for newly-reverted Iranian Muslims. Likewise, following in the footsteps of blessed companions رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہ , a huge number of Muslim scholars and saints also migrated to far-flung areas and preached to people about Islam in their native language. In accordance with a research, the Holy Quran has so far been translated into more than hundred languages of the world. This shows that the use of the technique of translation has been a long-standing practice of Muslim scholars and saints for the promotion of Islamic preaching.

Dawat-e-Islami is a global, peaceful and non-political religious movement of the Quran and Sunnah and is making endeavors for the promotion of Islamic teachings all over the world. So as to convey the message of Sunnah in an organized, systematic and effective way, Dawat-e-Islami has established more than eighty departments, and the Translation Majlis is one of them.

The formation of the Translation Majlis is aimed at rendering the Urdu books and booklets of Amir-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat, other scholars of Ahl-e-Sunnat and those of Al-Madina-tul-Ilmiyyah into different languages of the world so that true Islamic teachings could be conveyed to non-Urdu speaking Muslims along with an invitation and inspiration for the non-Muslims to embrace Islam.

Translation is quite an art. It is not clear sailing. A minor mistake in translation can change the entire meaning, leading to a complete misunderstanding. A translator must have an excellent command of both the languages with an ability of maintaining the standards of flow, usage and collocation; otherwise, the translation will fail to catch the attention of readers. Therefore, in order to produce quality translation, the Translation Majlis of Dawat-e-Islami has hired professionally skilled translators meeting the foregoing criteria. Along with employed translators, a number of volunteers are also rendering their services for this great cause. If you also wish to participate in the translation of Dawat-e-Islami’s writings in any language, please contact the official website of the Translation Majlis with good intentions. Here is the mailing address:
translation@dawateislami.net

It is an undeniable fact that there is a big difference between the translation of religious writings and that of literary/historical/sociological/scientific ones. The translation of non-religious writings usually requires linguistic expertise only but the translation of Islamic writings needs a thorough knowledge of Shari’ah in addition to language skills. Many Shar’i terms cannot be translated correctly unless the translator has grasped their full meaning. Moreover, the translation of Quranic verses and Ahadis sometimes entails having a close look at their exegesis. This crucial factor increases the risk of Shar’i mistakes in the translation, which can result in the distortion of Islamic teachings. Therefore, realizing the gravity of the situation, the Translation Majlis of Dawat-e-Islami has adopted the approach of a type of critical ‘Shar’i Scrutiny’ of its translation so that Shar’i mistakes could be avoided. After the initial translation has been completed, the translated material is reviewed from Shar’i point of view. Furthermore, translators are also provided with the facility of contacting Ulamas and even Muftis for seeking Shar’i guidance.

Since English has become the most widely used language of the world, the Translation Majlis of Dawat-e-Islami has given greater emphasis to the English translation so that more and more people could be benefitted. The major books of Dawat-e-Islami translated into English include:

Faizan-e-Sunnat (volume 1)
Laws of Salah (Namaz kay Ahkam)
Rafiq-ul-Haramayn
Rafiq-ul-Mu’tamireen
Backbiting – A Cancer in our Society (Gheebat ki Tabah Kariyan)
Twelve Discourses of Attar (Part 1 & 2) (Bayanat-e-Attariyyah)
Madani Treasure of Blessings (Madani Panj Surah)
Mother of Evils (Burayion ki Maa)
Questions & Answers about Donations (Chanday kay baray mayn Suwal Jawab)
Quranic Wonders (Part 1) (Ajaaib-ul-Quran)
In addition to these books, more than eighty booklets have also been translation into English. These books and booklets can be downloaded free of cost from the website: www.dawateislami.net

Besides the English language, the Translation Majlis is endeavoring to render books and booklets into various other languages that include: