In this study of the discourse on translation in the classical age of Islam, it is argued that theoretical reflection on translation by linguists, philosophers, belletrists, and theologians was marked by a tension between two perspectives on language and culture: relativism and universalism. In examining positions on translation in the work of major authors thought throughout this period, with special emphasis on the translation of Greek philosophy, the aim of this chapter is to reveal not only the philosophical and linguistic underpinnings of the discourse on translation (some of which still resonates with modern concerns), but also to situate ancients debates within their contemporary contexts. In particular, this chapter argues that the intellectual background of translation in classical Islam drew on a combination of interrelated linguistic, cultural, epistemological, political, and religious elements that obtained in close symbiosis during the translation movement, and in attitudes toward translation in later periods.