Is it permissible to write the names of the surahs of the Holy Quran in a foreign language?
Scholars have differed on whether the names of the Quranic surahs (chapters) are divinely ordained (tawqifiyyah) or a result of scholarly endeavor (ijtihadiyyah), with the majority inclining towards them being divinely ordained. The translation of the Quran is a translation of its meanings and an interpretation of it into another language. It does not carry the same rulings as the Quran itself; rather, its ruling is that of books of (exegesis). As for a literal word-for-word translation of the Quran, it is impermissible, because the Quranic inimitability lies in its Arabic composition and style.
The names of the Quranic surahs are not the Quran itself, nor are they a part of it. Therefore, there is no impediment to translating their names into non-Arabic languages to help non-Arabs understand them or become acquainted with them, bearing in mind that the translation of the itself is a translation of its meanings, and the Quran does not change from its Arabic language in which it was revealed.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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