22-05-2025
BOOK REVIEW: Breathing new life into Taqi's seminal work
The English translation of The Future of Civilization, originally penned in 1980 by distinguished scholar Syed Mohammad Taqi, is a remarkable literary achievement— masterfully rendered by his granddaughter, Sumera Naqvi. Over the course of three dedicated years, Sumera Naqvi has breathed new life into this profound work, making it accessible to a global audience while preserving the original script's intellectual rigor and poetic depth.
Syed Mohammad Taqi himself was a prolific translator, having brought numerous seminal works of philosophy, economics, and science into Urdu.
In addition to Das Kapital by Karl Marx, John Dewey's Democracy and Education, Alfred North Whitehead's The Aims of Education, and Sir James Jeans' The Mysterious Universe, he translated several other important works to enrich Urdu literature and academic discourse. His commitment to bridging cultural and linguistic divides is now beautifully reciprocated through Sumera Naqvi's meticulous translation of his own magnum opus.
What sets this translation apart is its seamless flow and natural cadence—so much so that readers unfamiliar with the book's history would scarcely realize it is a translation.
Sumera Naqvi's command over English, combined with her deep understanding of her grandfather's vision and philosophy, ensures that the text resonates as though originally composed in English. The clarity of expression, the elegance of prose, and the faithful conveyance of complex ideas all testify to her exceptional skill.
I am sure that cultural differences played a significant role in shaping the translation process for Sumera Naqvi, presenting both challenges and opportunities as she worked to translate The Future of Civilization from Urdu into English.
The original text is deeply embedded in South Asian cultural, religious, and historical contexts, which may be unfamiliar to many English-speaking readers.
Sumera Naqvi had to carefully interpret and convey these references in a way that preserved their meaning without alienating readers unfamiliar with the cultural background. This often required adding subtle explanations or choosing equivalent concepts that resonate across cultures.
Urdu, with its rich poetic tradition, contains idioms, metaphors, and expressions that do not have direct equivalents in English. She needed to find creative ways to translate these phrases so that the emotional and aesthetic impact remained intact, while ensuring clarity and natural flow in English.
The book discusses Islamic civilization, philosophy, and religious symbolism extensively. Translating these ideas demanded sensitivity to avoid misinterpretation or oversimplification, especially since certain concepts carry layered meanings within the original cultural and religious framework. She had to balance fidelity to the source with accessibility for a diverse, potentially secular readership. The tone and rhetorical style of Urdu academic and philosophical writing can differ significantly from English conventions.
Sumera Naqvi had to adapt the prose to meet the expectations of English-speaking readers while retaining the author's authoritative and reflective voice, ensuring the text felt both authentic and approachable. One of the key themes of the book is the universality of civilizational dialogue and shared human values. Her translation had to maintain the cultural specificity of the original work while highlighting its universal messages—striking a delicate balance between honouring the unique cultural identity of the source and making the ideas globally relevant.
The translation not only preserves the intellectual essence of the original but also captures its emotional and cultural nuances. This delicate balance allows readers to fully engage with Syed Mohammad Taqi's timeless reflections on civilization, culture, and dialogue without the barriers often posed by translated texts.
This translation is a testament to both the enduring relevance of Syed Mohammad Taqi's work and the remarkable talent of Sumera Naqvi as a translator. It stands as a bridge between generations, languages, and cultures—inviting a wider audience to partake in a vital conversation about the future of humanity.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
