The Doubt Arising from the Honorific Plural Used for Allah

Question

Question: A certain person brought a copy of the Holy Qur’an translated by Hazrat Thanawi ﵀. But when the one who had ordered the Holy Book saw that the translation was by Hazrat Thanawi ﵀, and that the Bismillah was translated as: “I begin in the name of Allah, Who are Most Gracious, Most Merciful” (with the predicate in the honorific plural form), he immediately declared that this translation was wrong. Please state now: is this translation wrong or correct?

Answer

This translation is correct. Out of reverence (adab) it is customary to say: “Allah, Exalted, is Most Gracious, Most Merciful” [in the honorific plural]. This does not imply plurality (jam‘iyya) or a number [of persons].

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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