Challenges in Finding an Appropriate Equivalent for the Term of ‘Majnun’ in Translations of Holy Quran Based on Meaning-Oriented Theory in Translation

Finding equivalents for the Quran words requires precise investigation of the etymology of words, studying their evolution and the verses context. In the Holy Quran, the term of ‘‘Majnun: crazy’’ is revealed 7 times in addressing to the Holy Prophet (PBUH), twice for Moses, once for Noah and once in general sense. According to meaning-oriented theory in translation, the meaning of each word in context is based on words that come before and after and also it determines the meaning of its neighboring words. In the Holy Quran, the term ‘‘Majnun’’ is accompanied by words such as ‘‘priest’’, ‘‘magician’’, ‘‘tutored’’ and ‘‘poet’’. With an overview of the words and their lofty position among the pre-Islamic Arabs, it is clear that the word ‘‘Majnun’’ had the same position. In this research, we are looking for explaining the neglected aspects from most translators of the Quran in Persian and by referring to desired verses, their translation and interpretation and analysis of elements that determines verses concepts, we result that all of them have translated all of mentioned words into ‘‘crazy’’ or ‘‘mad’’. As a result of these discussions it became clear that the term of ‘‘Majnun’’ in addressing to the Prophet (pbuh), does not mean ‘‘crazy’’ one due to his popularity in the community before his mission and the public beliefs about the poet. Also, the words of ‘‘Majnun’’ and ‘‘Jinni’’, of course with this explanation that both the word brings to mind a relationship with the puck, is the best equivalent for the word ‘‘Majnun’’ in these verses