Broken Mirrors (Part 4): A Look at an Ancient Translation of the Verse وَ أَرْسَلْنَا» الرِّیاحَ لَواقِح» (Al-Hijr: 22(

This article, while providing a general review of contemporary translations of the verse "And We sent the winds as fertilizing agents" (Al-Hijr: 22), focuses on an unknown and ancient translation (from the 5th–6th centuries AH) rendered as "And We sent the winds to the marriage of flowers and trees." This translation was a subject of debate among linguists and translation scholars between 1982 and 1998. Initially, the late Abolhassan Najafi defended this translation in an article, emphasizing adherence to style and describing it as a faithful translation. Later, Lotfipour Saeedi, by highlighting the addition of metaphorical patterns in the translation, deemed it completely unstable and unfaithful, accusing the translator of "betraying the translation" rather than preserving its "fidelity." According to him, Najafi contradicted himself in the course of his defense. Subsequently, Saleh Hosseini made considerable (if somewhat strained) efforts to defend Abolhassan Najafi. All these disputes have been independent of the exegetical discussions and the context of the entire verse. As a result, Biazar Shirazi, in his role as an exegete, attempted to find a middle ground in defending the translation. In this article, the context of the verse, the arguments of both supporters and critics, and an analysis of the meanings are presented, indicating the instability of this translation. Moreover, the discussions here are solely focused on translation studies related to this issue, and other matters, including the scientific miracles of the Quran (in connection with this verse), are not considered.