Mehmet Akif Ersoy’s Qur’an Translation

Mehmet Akif Ersoy (1873–1936), renowned Turkish poet and national anthem author, was pivotal in the War of Independence and early Republic. In his contract with the Directory of Religious Affairs (Turkey) for 6,000 lira to render the Qur’an’s meanings into modern Turkish, it was stipulated that the work use the term “a rendering of meanings” (meâl) rather than “translation” (tercüme) to emphasise its interpretive and scholarly nature and be published alongside Elmalılı’s exegesis. In 1932, amid reforms, he resigned and returned the payment. This article examines the linguistic, theological, and political challenges that Mehmet Akif encountered, analysing his initial acceptance of and eventual withdrawal from the Qur’an translation commission. It also highlights the significance of his partially completed translation, undertaken in Turkey and Egypt, portions of which were rediscovered in 1988 and later in 2016. The study argues that Mehmet Akif’s withdrawal stemmed from linguistic, theological, and political sensitivities, illustrating how the Qur’an translation project exposed tensions between religious tradition and secular nation-building, even as Mehmet Akif endorsed the Turkish national project but feared the erosion of Islamic identity

Islam · Politics · Secularism · Stalemate · Turkish · Historical and Linguistic Studies · Islamic Studies and History · Turkey's Politics and Society

• The First Translations of the Qurʾan in Modern Turkey (1924–38)

  Open Access•M Brett Wilson, MC Wilson•International Journal Middle East…•2009

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