Friday, August 3, 2007

Why Arabic?

The Qur'an

  1. Translations or interpretations are not considered to be the Qur'an itself
  2. The Qur'an explicitly declares itself an Arabic recital 11 times
  3. The unanimously agreed upon aspect of the Qur'anic miracle is its language.
  4. Concentration in prayer is contingent upon the understanding of recitation.

Sahabah on the subject of Arabic

Abu Bakr:
"I'd rather forget a portion of Qur'an than make a grammatical mistake."

"Learn Arabic as it increases your dignity"

"Learn Arabic as it is from your way of life. Learn your religious obligations as they also are from your way of life"

"Develop a grammatically sound understanding of the Qur'an, for no doubt it is meant to be in Arabic"

"No one should be teaching the Qur'an except the one who knows the language well."

Ibn Abi Ka'b:
"Teach your children Arabic like you teach them to memorize Qur'an"

"Learn Arabic as it enhances intellectual capacity"

Ibn Abbas:
"The wishful thinking imposed on the Book in regards to the Sons of Israel mentioned in Al Baqarah actually refers to the fact they knew their Book only in terms of recitation and memorization, not knowing what truly lies therein"

Scholarly Points of Views

Al Suyooti:
"There is no possibility of a path leading to knowledge of the Qur'an and to a valid inquiry to its meanings except by one diving deep into this language first"

Ibn Taymiyyah:
"It is no secret that the Arabic language is the symbol of Islam and its people"

"On account of the fact that Allah sent His book in the Arabic language, chose its communicator to be an Arab who expounded on its teachings in Arabic, and chose from the Arab people the generation of role models, there remain no alternatives to a deep study of Arabic if a strong grasp, rather even a familiarity of this way of life is sought after."

"The Arabic language is a component of this way of life and its awareness is a binding obligation"

Al Shafi'i:

"It is absolutely mandatory on every Muslim to study the Arabic language to the utmost of his ability. Thereafter whatever he pursues of Islamic knowledge will actually be of significant benefit"

"I spent twenty years in the study of Arabic literature intending nothing from it but assistance in acquiring a truly grounded understanding of Islam"

Source: Why Arabic by The Bayyinah Arabic Studies Institute