Translation as Rewriting: A Study of the Translation of Verses Concerning Worship in the Translation of Tafsir-e-Tabari

Dorostkar, Hanieh; Asghari, Javad

doi:10.22054/rctall.2026.90273.1827

Translation as Rewriting: A Study of the Translation of Verses Concerning Worship in the Translation of Tafsir-e-Tabari

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

hanieh dorostkar ¹

javad asghari ²

¹ Ph.D. student of Translation Studies/ Department of Arabic Language and Literature, University of Tehran

² Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

10.22054/rctall.2026.90273.1827

Abstract

The translation of sacred texts, particularly the Qur’an, is not merely a linguistic operation but a culturally and ideologically situated act. Drawing on André Lefevere’s theory of “Translation as Rewriting,” which posits that translations are shaped by controlling factors such as ideology, dominant poetics, and institutional power, this study examines the translation of worship-related verses in the Persian translation of Tafsir al-Tabari. Adopting a descriptive-analytical approach, the research moves beyond the surface level of linguistic shifts to interpret additions, omissions, and reformulations within their historical and cultural context in the fourth century Hijri. The findings indicate that addition is the most prominent rewriting strategy and, in many cases, reflects the religious-political ideology of the Samanid era as well as the prevailing exegetical and stylistic norms of the time. Furthermore, certain translational interventions can be understood as attempts to domesticate Islamic concepts for a Persian-speaking audience. The study thus argues that the Persian translation of Tafsir al-Tabari should be viewed not as a neutral transfer of meaning, but as a discursive act embedded in networks of power and cultural authority, thereby supporting Lefevere’s claim that translation functions as ideological rewriting.

Keywords

Rewriting

Translation of Tafsir-e-Tabari

Power

Verses Concerning Worship

Translation

Subjects