A new rendition of the Quran, which has a gentler take on marital relations than usually seen in English translations, has hit a nerve among Muslims.The controversy is over both a single verse and the qualifications of the Muslim woman who translated the new version, "The Sublime Quran," which hit bookstores last week.
Most English renditions of Islam's sacred book instruct husbands, as a last resort in treating disobedient wives, to beat or strike them, after admonishing them and refusing to share a bed with them. But translator Laleh Bakhtiar of Chicago claims that in the context of Islamic teachings, the Arabic word daraba, usually translated as "beat" or "strike," actually has the nonviolent meaning of "to go away."
Bakhtiar, 68, isn't the first Muslim to say or write this. But "The Sublime Quran" is believed to be the first Quran to translate Chapter 4, Verse 34 that way. ...
