Translating Arabic prose literature into Malay is not an easy task, especially when dealing with rhetoric. Translators frequently face difficulties in understanding figurative meaning when translating rhetoric in a literary text. Therefore, this research examines discourse on the translation of Arabic prose literature into Malay in past research. The research focuses on two aspects: i) Arabic-Malay translations of literature which are often used as research material to observe the tendency of aspects of research by scholars, and ii) translation method and strategy for figurative language in Arabic-Malay translations of literary works. This research is designed in a qualitative form through the method of content analysis of books, journal articles, proceedings, and theses. Data is analysed in a descriptive manner in order to observe the perspective of translation of Arabic prose literature into Malay in past researches. Kalīlah wa Dimnah, Riḥlah Ibn Baṭṭūṭah, Ḥikāyat Alf Laylah wa Laylah and Masrūr wa Maqrūr are Arabic-Malay literature translation that are often used as research material. Results of the research show that past research tend to analyse the translation of Arabic-Malay prose from the aspects of theory, method, and strategy used by translators in translation works. Choosing a theory, method, and strategy has a potential impact on producing good translations in the targeted language and even preserving literary values as intended precisely by the source text.