Filipino Muslims complained to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the guardian of Islam's holy scripture, about a "corrupted translation" of the Qur'an into the Maranao language.
The Saudi King serves as guardian of Islam's holy book, which can only be translated with his permission.
The questioned translation was made by Sheikh Abdul Aziz Guroalim Saromantang.
A spokesman for the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Makati City said its scholars, composed of local Muslims and Arabs, need to examine the book before they give their official comment on the translation.
A group of local imams also obtained a copy of the Maranao translation so that they could issue a collective "fatwa" (or religious edict) on it, said Ustadz Esmael Ebrahim of the Philippine Assembly of Muftis.
Ustadz Muhammad Sulaiman, a specialist on the classic Arab language of the Qur'an, said he discovered the "corrupted translation" when a relative brought him one of the copies that were distributed by Arab-looking men to Filipino pilgrims departing from Jeddah International Airport following the Hajj.
Sulaiman said he immediately noticed a wrong line in the second chapter on the story of Moses, which described Allah (SWT) as a "cow".
The error was "too serious" to ignore, he said.
Translated into English, the Maranao version of the Qur'anic verses 68-69 reads: "Do you know who God is? He says, He indeed is a cow", Sulaiman said.
Badjury Mustapha, an employee of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Mindanao, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer he received a similar copy.
He said he kept on reading the book, which he thought could help him better understand the Qur'an because it's written in Maranao; a language he is fluent in. But he, too, was shocked by the blasphemous verse.
According to Sulaiman, there are several erroneous translations of the holy Qur'an, particularly those posted on the Internet.
One translation includes annotations preceded by the phrase "which is," or i.e. to explain the verses. Some of which are totally misleading, he says.
For example, some books wrongfully translate the Arabic word "Kafirun", which literally means unbelievers, as "Jews and Christians," Sulaiman said.
The Arabic translation of "Christians" and "Jews" in the Qur'an are "Nasrani" and "Yahudi," respectively, he added.
Source: AJP and Agencies
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