Broken Mirrors (14): Musawwimīn (Q. 3:125) in Qurʾān Translations: An Etymological Approach versus Storytelling

In the Qurʾān, the angels who come to the aid of the believers are described by such terms as murdifīn, “arriving one after another” (al-Anfāl 8:9), and munzalīn, “sent down” (Āl ʿImrān 3:124). The description musawwimīn (Āl ʿImrān 3:125), however, has long been subject to debate and criticism for various reasons, including the existence of homophonous Arabic roots represented by the consonants s-w-m. One of these roots denotes marks or distinctive signs, and some of its derivatives also occur in the Qurʾān, as in al-khayl al-musawwamah, “marked horses” (Āl ʿImrān 3:14). Many interpreters have consequently favored this sense and, in accordance with the widely accepted reading musawwimīn as an active participle, have rendered it as “those who mark.” This interpretation, however, has provided fertile ground for legendary elaboration. Since the verse in question refers to the events of the Battle of Badr, later exegetical accounts of angelic assistance became embellished with such details as the color of the angels’ turbans—white or yellow—the distinctive markings of their mounts, and even the claim that the angels marked out the battle’s operational zones. By contrast, the late Shahram Hedayat, drawing on historical-comparative linguistics and considering the textual context of the verses, translates the term as “those sent forth.” The present study selects Kusha’s translation as representative of the traditional interpretation and Hedayat’s as representative of the historical-comparative linguistic approach. These two translations were chosen because both translators explain their interpretations in footnotes or endnotes, which constitute the principal basis of the present analysis. Through a further examination of the corresponding Hebrew root śūm/śīm and its uses in the Torah, the article argues in support of Hedayat’s analysis. The final section discusses the renderings adopted by several other translators whose choices approximate the preferred translation. The conclusion offers several proposals for the future of translation studies on the sacred texts of the Abrahamic religions.