A Contribution to the Translation of Certain Sacral Muslim Formulas into Russian
The article argues for the need to renounce the conventional translations of certain sacral Muslim formulas, including sallā allāhu 'alayhi wa-sallama, whose correct translation runs like this: 'May Allah's blessing and bliss be upon him' or 'May Allah bless and save him', and 'alayhi as-salam, whose translation is not 'peace be upon him' but 'May Allah's bliss be upon him' or 'May Allah save him'. Analysis of the works of medieval Arab grammarians and lexicologists demonstrates that the initial meaning of the Arabic root salima is 'to be or become unharmed, to save oneself, to be in safety' or 'to get rid of pain, trials and sins'. And one of the names of Almighty Allah - as-Salam -means ' all-free from every imperfection'. The article contains observations related to the name of the religion itself-al-Islam, as well as to the discussion which has developed among experts on Islam on how Allah should be translated - as 'Allah' or 'God'. The author of the article deems it necessary to start collective work for the correction of conventional translations, entrenched in Russian Islamic studies, of a number of concepts of crucial importance for the understanding of the essence of the Islamic doctrine.