THE manuscript of this book was originally prepared for translation into the vernaculars of India and Pakistan. When it was suggested that an English edition should be produced for a wider public, we were faced with the insoluble problem of finding a form of transliteration which would be convenient not only for translators but also for English readers. The difficulty was increased when we sought to indicate the pronunciation of Arabic words which have been imported into local Musalmani vernaculars. It was therefore decided to employ the simple form of transliteration which will be found in the text, and to give fuller information in the index, where the conventional transliterations will be found.
Where the pronunciation of a word in Arabic and Urdu is different, this will also be shown in the index. In such cases the transliteration of the Urdu form will give some indication (mutatis mutandis) of the form which the Arabic word assumes in the other regional languages. Habits of pronunciation make it difficult for certain regional languages to follow the Urdu pronunciation exactly, but it should be followed as closely as possible. When the Urdu pronunciation is not separately given, it may be assumed that it agrees with the Arabic.
The above statement does not apply to Muslim Tamil, and it is regretted that no information can be given in the present book about the method of transliterating Arabic words in the Tamil script.
Table of Contents
Answering Islam Home Page