درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

The Qur’ān is not only rich in linguistic construction but also deeply embedded with cultural and religious meanings, making its translation a challenging task. Among the many intricate linguistic features of the Qur’ān, proverbs, especially hidden proverbs, present one of the most significant challenges for translators. These proverbs carry culture-specific meanings that are often difficult to render accurately in other languages and are hidden due to their indirect nature, which can be challenging for readers to understand (Esmaeili, 1986). This study aims to identify and analyze hidden proverbs in the Qur’ān through translations generated by artificial intelligence (GPT-3.5) and by a human translator, Qarai’s English translation. The research adopts a descriptive-qualitative method, analyzing twenty-one Qur’ānic verses containing hidden proverbs. These 21 hidden proverbs were extracted from a technical source on Qur’ānic proverbs (Esmaeili, 1986). The study evaluated the translation strategies used by both GPT-3.5 and Qarai, examining how effectively each approach conveys the figurative and cultural meanings of the proverbs. Through comparative analysis, this research investigated the strengths and limitations of AI-generated translations versus human translations in handling cultural-specific linguistic elements. The findings reveal that GPT-3.5 demonstrated strong performance in applying Beekman and Callow’s (1974) translation strategies, particularly in cases where the source language proverbs were untranslatable and required a non-figurative explanation. Compared to the human translator, GPT-3.5 provided more consistent and contextually appropriate solutions to the challenge of translating hidden proverbs. These results highlight the growing potential of AI-assisted translation tools in addressing complex linguistic and cultural challenges, suggesting promising advancements in the field of Qur’ānic translation.

Today, the world faces environmental crises that have led to the loss of biodiversity. Biodiversity, which is essential for the processes supporting all life on Earth, refers to the variety of life at all levels—ranging from genes to ecosystems—and is classified into three levels: genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity. This research, employing a descriptive-analytical approach and based on careful interpretations, examines the scientific concepts related to the three levels of biodiversity as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, to highlight the importance of biodiversity for the continuity of life, which is addressed in various forms within the Qur’anic verses. The results show that at the genetic diversity level, there are verses expressing genetic variation within the human species and other organisms. At the species diversity level, numerous verses reflect the diversity among plants and animals from different perspectives. At the ecosystem diversity level, some verses refer to the variety of ecosystems present on Earth, including forests, grasslands, gardens, agricultural lands, pastures, rivers, mountains, valleys, deserts, marine environments, and others. Overall, the research results indicate that many Qur’anic verses emphasize the diversity of life and its components.

The Holy Qur’an is a guide for humanity toward felicity in all eras, and at the same time, it contains precise scientific indications intended to guide scholars. This study, using a descriptive-analytical method and drawing upon library-based sources, examines one such scientific indication in verse 27 of Sura al-Mursalāt. This verse addresses the conditions and characteristics of water storage in elevated mountains for the benefit of human populations dwelling in foothills and plains. The data collected for this study were categorized into two groups: Qur’anic and scientific. The Qur’anic data were extracted from both classical and contemporary exegetical sources, while the scientific data were derived from academic articles in the fields of geography and geology. In the first step, five key terms— jaʿalnā , rawāsī , shāmikhāt , asqaynākum , and furāt —were subjected to etymological and semantic analysis. In the second step, scientific findings were compared with these exegetical insights. The results indicate that the Qur’an in this verse alludes to the hydrological cycle, specifically the movement of water from high elevations on the Earth’s surface toward foothills and plains. Scientific findings clarify the significance of God’s designation of “uplifted mountains” as the primary source of water for humanity. This significance lies in two main aspects: first, such mountains have a higher capacity than plains for receiving precipitation—especially in the form of snow—which is generally more voluminous and less polluted; second, these mountains are more capable of storing water, enhancing its quality, and conveying it through surface and subterranean channels to consumer ecosystems, including vegetation, wildlife, and human settlements. In the absence of towering mountains, the global water cycle would be deficient and limited primarily to coastal regions. The results also indicated that the phrase rawāsī shāmikhāt reflects the Qur’an’s explicit reference to a remarkable scientific fact: the gradual growth of mountains. This progressive uplift is today corroborated by findings from geology and geodesy in the major mountain ranges of the world.