Juan Gabriel of Teruel (also spelled Joan Gabriel; Latin name: Iohannes Gabriel Terrolensis; former Muslim name: Alí Alayzar) was a Spanish convert from Islam to Christianity known for translating the Quran into Latin during the early 16th century.

Life

Juan Gabriel was born sometime during the mid-15th century, likely in

Teruel Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel (province), Teruel Province. It had a population of 35,900 as of 2022, making it the least populated provincial capital in Spain. It is noted for its har ...

. He may have been the

Faqīh A ''faqīh'' (: ''fuqahāʾ'', ; : ‏‎) is an Islamic jurist, an expert in ''fiqh'', or Islamic jurisprudence and Islamic law. Definition Islamic jurisprudence or ''fiqh'' is the human understanding of Sharia, which is believed ...

() of

during the 15th century, but was likely forced to convert to Christianity in 1502 due to the

forced conversions of Muslims in Spain The forced conversions of Muslims in Spain were enacted through a series of edicts outlawing Islam in the lands of the Spanish Monarchy. This persecution was pursued by three Spanish kingdoms during the early 16th century: the Crown of Castile i ...

. He taught Arabic to Fray Joan Martí de Figuerola, a preacher who wrote that his knowledge of Arabic and the Quran was thanks to Juan Gabriel. Juan Gabriel died sometime during the early 16th century.

Quran translation

In 1518, Juan Gabriel prepared a Latin translation of the Quran for

Giles of Viterbo Giles Antonini commonly referred to as Giles of Viterbo (, ), was a 16th-century Italian Augustinian friar, bishop of Viterbo and cardinal, a reforming theologian, orator, humanist and poet. He was born in Viterbo and died in Rome. Life He was ...

(), who had commissioned the translation for the purpose of converting Muslims to Christianity.

Leo Africanus Johannes Leo Africanus (born al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Wazzān al-Zayyātī al-Fasī, ; – ) was an Andalusi diplomat and author who is best known for his 1526 book '' Cosmographia et geographia de Affrica'', later publish ...

, a Muslim convert who was a godson of Giles of Viterbo, revised the translation in 1525. The original manuscript has not survived, although other surviving manuscripts of the translation are Cambridge MS Mm. v. 26 (C) and Milan MS D 100 inf. (M). MS D 100 Inf was copied by Scottish scholar David Colville in 1621, from a manuscript at the library of

El Escorial El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (), or (), is a historical residence of the king of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up the valley ( road distance) from the town of El Escorial, Madrid, El ...

in Spain. Colville later brought his manuscript to

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. Today, it is archived at the

Biblioteca Ambrosiana The Biblioteca Ambrosiana is a historic library in Milan, Italy, also housing the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Ambrosian art gallery. Named after Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan, it was founded in 1609 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, whose age ...

. A critical edition of the Latin Quran translation was published by Katarzyna K. Starczewska in 2018, which was a revision of her 2012 dissertation. Below is Juan Gabriel's Latin translation of

Al-Ikhlas Al-Ikhlāṣ (, "Sincerity"), also known as the Declaration of God's Unity and al-Tawhid (, "Monotheism"), is the 112th chapter (''sūrah'') of the Quran. According to George Sale, this chapter is held in particular veneration by Muslims, and dec ...

, the 112th sura of the Quran.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Juan Gabriel Of Teruel Arabic–Latin translators Translators of the Quran into Latin 15th-century births 16th-century deaths Year of death uncertain 16th-century translators Converts to Roman Catholicism from Sunni Islam Spanish former Sunni Muslims People from Teruel

Life

Quran translation

See also

References