In accepting the task of translating the book, I was faced with a
challenging hurdle. Namely, I should do my utmost to convey the
meaning to the English reader in standard English from a language
that is highly technical, i.e. juridical one. I hope I have
succeeded in that. However, I decided to use the same Arabic
terminology - in italic letters - that is common in the main, such
as halal and haraam (licit and illicit) with their
equivalent in English, as a first reference. I have done this to
ensure consistency, for the majority of these terms denote specific
meanings on which the mukallaf (the person obligated to
observe the precepts of religion) rely in acting upon the fatwa
(religious edict). Thereafter, I have confined the use to the Arabic
term. For the benefit of those who wish to know the English
definitions of the Arabic terms, I have listed them alphabetically
in a Glossary.
It is noteworthy that the glossary is solely my contribution and
does not constitute a section of the book, Current Legal Issues. At
occasions, I found it necessary to put the Arabic words between
brackets after the English, such as "The right of disposal (haqut
tasarruf) over..". This has been done to reinforce the
translated word or phrase and remove any ambiguity; you may not find
these in the Glossary.
Where I thought the meaning of the text would be enhanced or
rendered more understandable, I put the additional words, which do
not constitute part of the original text, between these [ ]
brackets.
The use of masculine pronouns, such as he, his, him, and himself,
refers to both the sexes.
For the translation of Qur'anic verses, I used "Holy Qur'an",
translated by M.H. Shakir, published by Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an Inc.
P.O. Box 1115, Elmhurst, New York 11373, U.S.A, though I have made
some modifications as I deemed fit. I have, also, made use of the
translation of Al-Masaa'il Al-Muntakhabah (Articles of
Islamic Acts) of Imam Abul Qassim al-Khoei, published by al-Khoei
Foundation, Chevening Road, London NW 6, UK
In the end, whatever effort and knowledge one could muster and
put in such work, it remains far from perfect, for perfection is
Allah's. I, therefore, invite the readers to write in should they
find it necessary to raise any point, ask for clarification of
certain matters, or provide any remarks insofar as the translation
goes.
I beseech Allah, The Exalted, to forgive me any inadvertent
mistake or error of judgement I made during this translation. Amen.
Najim al-Khafaji, B.A.
London - December 1996 / Rajab 1417 AH