What is the ruling on translating the names of the prophets mentioned in the Holy Quran into their names in the Torah, such as translating Sulayman to Salomons, Yahya to Yohanan, and Dawud to David, and what is the evidence for that?
The general rule for translating proper nouns is to keep them as they are, unless they are known by other terms in the target language. In such cases, they may be translated to convey the meaning, but it is preferable to mention them as they appeared in the revelation, then add the translated version in parentheses. This falls under the commanded clarification by Islamic law, similar to the permissibility of translating the meanings of the Quran with Islamic legal controls. However, translating and replacing names within the Quranic text is absolutely impermissible, as it constitutes an alteration of the Word of Allah. Scholars have explicitly stated that whoever intentionally changes a letter or word from the Book of Allah has committed an act of disbelief.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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