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Impact of the Arabic language on understanding Qur’an
- June 15, 2022
- Posted by: Tasneem Ragab
- Category: Arabic Language
The Arabic language is the receptacle of Islamic knowledge and knowledge. It is the language in which the authentic Islamic sciences were codified, and in which the first source of Islamic law was revealed, and the purified Sunnah of the Prophet, which is the second source of Islamic law, and the start of understanding Islamic studies, and in which Islamic books were written that are considered to be The mother and the primary sources approved in all Islamic arts:
from books of interpretation, explanations of hadith, jurisprudence and its origins, biography, readers of the principles of religion, and others. The correct understanding of Islamic sciences except with an understanding of the Arabic language, and it was even said that the Arabic language is part of the religion; Because her knowledge is closely related to Islamic sciences and holy rituals.
Importance of the Arabic Language in Understanding Islamic Sciences
Before the revelation of the Qur’an, the Arabs used to speak fluent Arabic, free from melody and confusion. It was said by those who lived among them and settled in their lands by virtue, inheritance, and continuous habit. The linguistic phenomena with which he reached the end of rhetoric, the Almighty said: (And we know that they say that only human beings teach him.
So he established his argument that his book is Arabic in every verse we mentioned and then confirmed that by denying him, most of his praise, every tongue other than the tongue of the Arabs.
And the Almighty said: (The Faithful Spirit descended with it on your heart so that you might be among the warners, in a clear Arabic tongue).
The Purity of the Arabic Language Before the Revelation of the Qur’an
Before the revelation of the Qur’an, the Arabs spoke fluent Arabic, free from melody and confusion. This fluency was inherited and maintained through continuous habit and virtue by those who lived among them. Their linguistic excellence allowed them to reach the pinnacle of eloquence. Allah Almighty said: “And We know that they say, ‘It is only a human being who teaches him.'”
The Qur’an’s Arabic Argument and Divine Affirmation
Allah established the argument that His book is Arabic in every verse mentioned, and further confirmed it by denying the validity of any language other than the tongue of the Arabs. The Almighty said: “The Faithful Spirit descended with it on your heart so that you might be among the warners, in a clear Arabic language.
This Qur’an, which We have revealed to you, We have shown it in your Arabic language, eloquent, complete, and comprehensive, to be an evident and apparent, definitive of the excuse, establishing the argument, and a guide to the idea.
And the Almighty says: (Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an that you may be wise), meaning: We have sent down this straightforward book, an Arabic Qur’an, to the Arabs, because their tongue and their words are Arabic, so we sent down this book, and they understand it in their tongues so that they understand it.
He also says: (A book whose verses are detailed, the Arabic Qur’an for a people who know); That is: a book whose poems are clarified, its meanings are defined, its rulings are clear, and we have revealed it in the language of the Arabs, to make it easy to understand. in their language.
The Companions were higher in understanding the Holy Qur’an and its realities than the followers, and the followers were more elevated in rank than those who came after them. So the farther from the purity of the language, the greater the distance was in comprehending the meanings of the Holy Qur’an and understanding its purposes, rulings, and secrets.
The importance of the Arabic language lies in understanding and interpreting the Qur’an through the following:
First-order:
Knowledge of the Arabic language is one of the essential tools for understanding and interpreting the Noble Qur’an, as the Qur’an was revealed in the Arabic tongue. Undoubtedly, it is not correct to understand and interpret it except through the same vocabulary with which the faithful spirit descended on the heart of the Prophet. May God’s prayers and peace be upon him. The scholars emphasized the importance of the Arabic language in understanding and interpreting the Qur’an and warned against interpreting the Book of Allah without knowledge of Arabic.
Mujahid bin Jabr said: It is not permissible for anyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day to speak in the Book of Allah if he does not know the languages of the Arabs.
The Sheikh of Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Allah Almighty, when He revealed His Book in the Arabic tongue and made His Messenger convey it to the Book and wisdom in his Arabic language, and made the predecessors to this religion speak it;
There was no way to control the faith and its knowledge except by holding the tongue, and its ability became from the religion, and the consideration of speaking with it became easier for the people of faith to know the religion of Allah, closer to establishing the rituals of religion, and closer to their resemblance to the first predecessors of the Emigrants and Ansar, in all their affairs, and the tongue compares it Other matters:
From sciences and morals, customs have a significant influence on what God loves and what he hates, and for this also the Sharia came to adhere to the habits of the first predecessors, in their words and actions, and it is disliked to depart from them to others without need.
Imam Al-Shatibi says: The Qur’an was revealed in the language of the Arabs in general, so the request to understand it is only from this particular way, because God Almighty says: (Indeed, We sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an), and the Almighty says: (In a clear Arabic tongue).
And the Almighty said: (The tongue of those who deviate from it is non-Arab, and this is a clear Arabic tongue). And the Almighty says: (And had We made it a non-Arabic Qur’an. They would have said: “Why not? Its verses have been explained in detail. Are it a non-Arab and an Arab?” Not this side.
Second-order:
The Arabic language is required to be learned to understand the Holy Qur’an and its interpretation: knowing the intentions of the Arabs from their speech and the literature of their language. The meanings and the statement. Behind that is the use of the Arabs followed by their methods in their sermons, poems, and structures in their language, and this includes what takes place in the course of representation and the use of interpretation from the understanding of the people of the tongue themselves to the meanings of verses that are not clear to those born.
And Imam Al-Shatibi says: By that, I do not mean grammar alone, nor conjugation alone, nor language, nor semantics, nor any other types of sciences related to the tongue. As poetry is like performances and rhyme, this is not lacking here.
Third command:
The interpreter must know other sources and aspects on which he depends in his interpretation other than the language alone, such as the Prophetic Sunnah, the reasons for revelation, verse stories, the Qur’anic context, the clues that surrounded the discourse during the disclosure, and other sources that cannot be taken by language. He neglected these sources and aspects and relied on mere language, as the linguistic meaning may not be intended in verse.
Al-Qurtubi said: Whoever did not judge the apparent meaning of the interpretation and hastened to elicit meanings by simply understanding Arabic has made many mistakes.
The scholar Ibn al-Qayyim, may God have mercy on him, said: He should be aware here of an inevitable matter, which is that it is not permissible to carry the words of God, the Mighty and Sublime. Reflect on this rule and let it be mindful of you because you will benefit from it in knowing the weakness and falsehood of many of the sayings of the commentators, and definitively that it is not what the Almighty spokes mean by his words… This is one of his foundations. Instead, it is the most important of his foundations. The novel is the original, and the rules of the Arabic language follow it, not the other way around.
Fourth command:
Among the causes of error in interpretation, among the factors of deviation in understanding the Qur’anic verses, and among the reasons for the emergence of aberrant understandings of legal texts is weakness in the Arabic tongue in reading, writing, knowledge, and application, and ignorance of its rules of inflection, syntax, derivation, syntax, meanings, and statement. And other language terms and their origins, then dealing with these texts through this Ajman.
This appeared to be linguistic weakness and linguistic ignorance; Because of the prevalence and spread of foreign language, the popularity of melody and its appearance, the entry of foreign nations into Islam, and the lack of knowledge of the origins of the language and its implications, and the scarcity of interest in preserving it.
Conclusion:
After this quiet tour, the researcher mentioned in conclusion the most important results that he reached through this brief study, as follows:
First: The Arabic language is in a case where the understanding of Qur’an and Sunnah is suspended, and then activating them into existence reaches the point of being a pivot and an essential pillar without which the establishment of religion cannot be imagined. This means that on our way to the light coming from God Almighty, we must be filled with what the Arabic language’s rules, rules, and secrets decide on all its levels.
Second: The Noble Qur’an affected the Arabs when they heard it because Arabic is one of their traits. The scholars, may God have mercy on them, considered that serving the Arabic language and writing in it is a service to the Holy Qur’an, and defending it is a defense of the Holy Qur’an’s fever.
Third: The discrepancy in understanding the Noble Qur’an is clear from the time of the revelation of the Qur’an in those who contemporaneously with its disclosure to the present time. Everyone who knew the Arabic language had more knowledge of the meanings of the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and his understanding of their terms was firmer and more perfect.
Fourth: During the era of the revelation of the Qur’an, the Arabs had a great deal of knowledge of their language, knowledge of its methods, and realization of its facts. Thus, they were the most capable people of understanding the Qur’an, its meanings, and its aims. Islam is the land, the Arabs mixed with the non-Arabs, and a generation was born from them, which gradually moved away, as time passed, from the mother tongue and its purity.
People Also Ask About the Arabic Language
Q1: Why is learning the Arabic language important for understanding Islamic sciences?
The Arabic language is the original language of the Qur’an and Hadith, making it essential for accurately interpreting and understanding Islamic teachings.
Q2: How does the Arabic language enhance one’s religious practices?
Mastery of Arabic allows Muslims to perform rituals, prayers, and recitations in their authentic form, closely following the traditions of the early generations.
Q3: Can non-Arabs achieve fluency in the Arabic language?
Yes, with dedication and proper guidance, non-Arabs can achieve fluency in Arabic, unlocking the beauty and depth of the language.
Q4: What resources are available to learn the Arabic language effectively?
Ijaazah Academy offers expert tutoring that helps students achieve fluency in reading, writing, and speaking Arabic.
Join different Arabic Courses on Ijaazah now.