First Quran Translation in Albanian
In this book, titled "Arabic Language in the Albanian Language from 1921 to 2021", translated into Arabic by Ibrahim Fadlallah, Mahdiyu discusses the Arabic literature that has been translated into Albanian over the past 100 years.
The author believes that the growing number of translations from Arabic to Albanian in recent years is testimony to the rise in the interest in Arabic literature and efforts by scholars in the field of Arabic language especially graduates of the oriental studies department which was established in Pristina University in 1973.
The book emphasizes that the translation of Arabic literature into Albanian began in 1921 with the publication of first translation of the Holy Quran in 1921.
In other words, the Quran is known as the top symbol of the Arabic language and the most beautiful text in the language because of its miracle and eloquence and the word literature here refers to every beautiful text.
It seems that Fathi Mahdiyu in this book has followed in the footsteps of his teacher Hassan Kalshi (1922-1976) who conducted an analytical study and wrote an article titled “The Quran, Greatest Work in Arabic Literature” which was published in the Serbian language as the preface to the book “Excerpts from the Quran” in 1967.
Mahdiyu translated the Quran into Albanian in former communist Yugoslavia at a time when finding a copy of the Quran in a house would land the owner of the house in jail.
He published it, which was the first full translation of the Quran in Albanian, in 1985.
Before him, other translators, including Muslim and non-Muslim, had produced renderings of Islam’s Holy Book in other languages of the Balkans such as Serbian, Bosnian and Bulgarians.
Following the lifting of the ban on translation of the Quran, there had been growing demand for translating it into Albanian which led to a competition for producing the best translation.
