Study of al-mushakalah (homonyms) in the qur’an translated into yoruba

Abstract

The Qur’an had played a great role on the languages of the world, and the Yoruba language (Southwestern Nigeria) is not an exemption. The paper looked into the Qur’an with its characteristic features, its influence on the Arabic language and the view of scholars on its translation. lt studied the rhetorical application of al-Mushakalah (Homonyms) in the Qur'an translated in o Yoruba Language. Al-Mushakalah as a topic under the branch of Arabic Rhetoric, known as al-Badi. Views of rhetoricians on Homonyms and Paronomasia and how they are interrelated, in spite of their differences got an attention. It carefully selected verses that relate to al- Mushakalah and their Yoruba translation with an analysis and evaluation of those verses in order to establish their nearness to the intended message of the Qur'an. The semantic link of Homonyms with metaphor were briefly examined.