An early anonymous Greek translation of the Qur’ān The fragments from Niketas Byzantios’ Refutatio and the anonymous Abjuratio

Abstract

In this article the fragments of the first known complete translation of the Qur’ān are presented with introduction and notes. This translation into Greek, produced sometime before 870 CE, has not previously been recognized in Qur’ānic or Byzantine studies, and its main traits have not been noted. In the article it is argued that the translation attempts to render the Qur’ānic text closely and in a benevolent spirit, and that a possible place of origin would be Umayyad Syria.