Ramadan: The Month of the Qur'an
EsinIslam
Ramadan
Ramadan Explorer
Abbas Dhami
I inquired as to why children in madrasah's were not required to learn the
Arabic language as well as the Qur'an...
The Qur'an begins the description of this blessed month with, {Ramadan is the
month in which was revealed the Qur'an - a guidance for mankind, and clear
proofs of the guidance, and the criterion (between right and wrong)} [Al-Baqarah
2:185]
{شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ
وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ} البقرة: 185
Transliteration: Shahru ramadana allathee onzila feehi alquranu hudan
lilnnasi wabayyinatin mina alhuda waalfurqani
Ever since divine revelation was inspired to Muhammad (peace be upon him),
people (Muslims as well as non-Muslims) have marvelled at the Qur'an's
inimitability, both in reference to its content and language. Great scholars
such as Imam al-Shafi'i have stated that if no other chapter were to be
revealed except al-'Asr, it would be sufficient for mankind. This is due to
the concise text and meaning which provides a wealth of information and
direction although the chapter only consists of three verses. The Qur'an
carries such conciseness throughout being a light of guidance[1]and wisdom[2],
admonition[3] and a clear message[4] in the Arabic language[5].
In this article I would like to discuss two main points: the importance of the
Qur'an as a source of guidance and its relationship with the Arabic language.
As is evident to all Muslims, the Qur'an is Allah's supreme word to mankind
revealed in the Arabic language, and thus, both the Qur'an and the Arabic
language have become synonymous with one another.
The Qur'an was revealed over a period of twenty three years to the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) and is the first source of Islam and the speech
of God. It is referred to as the book, guide, glad tidings and criterion
amongst others, although most titles tend to point to the same semantic
meaning. It delivers guidance to mankind by providing them with a criterion
between truth and falsehood and thereafter gives glad tidings to those who
successfully adhere to it.
Inevitably, being a source of guidance, The Qur'an is a manual for our lives,
encouraging and ordering the believers towards righteousness and warning the
evil doers and disbelievers. Its commandments are full of divine wisdom and
those who adhere to them will attain felicity. However, how can a person
adhere to something that he or she does not understand?
As a result of a lack of understanding, many people neither study the Qur'an
nor ponder over its verses. Many argue that a study of the Qur'an is time
consuming and that such study is not viable due to other commitments such as
work, study etc. However, throughout life we read many things in an attempt to
gain a better degree of understanding such as newspapers, books and magazines.
Throughout our schooling we study various languages and books on various
disciplines seeking to learn not only their contents but to also enhance
skills of reading, writing, speaking etc. Thus we must also equally dedicate
time to study Arabic and the Qur'an which will not only save us in the
hereafter but also enhance our intellectual abilities and life skills.
Studying increases the individual in reading and comprehension ability, and
seeking a deeper insight into specific verses enhances one's analytical
ability. Additionally, the Qur'an provides life skills which if adhered to,
would create an exceptional society whereby citizens would be prime examples
of good manners, etiquette, patience and humility, as well as other traits.
For example, with regard to interaction between one another we are commanded
{when you are greeted with a greeting (of peace), answer with an even better
greeting, (or at least) with the like thereof.} [An-Nisa 4:86]
{وَإِذَا حُيِّيتُم بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيُّوا بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا أَوْ رُدُّوهَا}
النساء:86
Transliteration: Waitha huyyeetum bitahiyyatin fahayyoo biahsana minha aw
ruddooha
Thereafter you should {abstain from lewd speech, from all wicked conduct, and
from quarrelling.} [AlBaqarah 2:197]
{فَلَا رَفَثَ وَلَا فُسُوقَ وَلَا جِدَالَ فِي الْحَجِّ} البقرة: 197
Transliteration: fala rafatha walafusooqa wala jidala fee alhajji
If the Muslims 'hear vain talk, they turn away from it and say {To us our
deeds, and to you yours; peace be to you - we seek not the ignorant.} [Al-Qasas
28:55]
{لَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ لَا نَبْتَغِي
الْجَاهِلِينَ} القصص: 55
Transliteration: lana aAAmalunawalakum aAAmalukum salamun AAalaykum la
nabtaghee aljahileena
If anybody engages in moral and conceptual bankrupt speech about Islam, we are
commanded {leave them to indulge in idle talk and play [with words] until they
face that [Judgment] Day of theirs which they have been promised.} [AlMa'arij
70:42]
{فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي
يُوعَدُونَ} المعارج: 42
Transliteration: Fatharhum yakhoodoo wayalAAaboohatta yulaqoo yawmahumu
allathee yooAAadoona
When we do speak we {enjoin in virtue and forbid vice} [Al-i-Imran 3:110]
{تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ} آل عمران: 110
Transliteration: tamuroona bialmaAAroofi watanhawna AAani almunkari
{extol His (Allah) limitless glory and praise} [Al-Furqan 25:58]
{وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِهِ} الفرقان: 58
Transliteration:wasabbih bihamdihi
and {invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching.}
[Al-Nahl 16:125]
{ادْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ} النحل:
125
Transliteration: OdAAu ila sabeeli rabbika bialhikmati waalmawAAithati
alhasanati
Additionally, you should be humble and {be moderate in thy pace, and lower thy
voice; for the harshest of sounds without doubt is the braying of the
ass.}[Luqman 31:19]
{وَاقْصِدْ فِي مَشْيِكَ وَاغْضُضْ مِن صَوْتِكَ إِنَّ أَنكَرَ الْأَصْوَاتِ
لَصَوْتُ الْحَمِيرِ} لقمان: 19
Transliteration: Waiqsid fee mashyika waoghdud minsawtika inna ankara
alaswati lasawtu alhameeri
This is just a snippet of the beautiful conduct encouraged in the Qur'an.
However, due to the lack of knowledge of the Arabic language in the West, we
are seemingly oblivious to the wisdoms found in it.
In addition, there tends to be a culture of ignorance particularly among South
Asian communities where the emphasis is on the recitation of the Qur'an while
neglecting its translation and meanings. Thus, there has been an air of
ignorance among such communities, although surprisingly, such ignorance is
either encouraged or overlooked by scholars respected by these communities. It
would be true to say that many of these scholars do not know Arabic themselves
and are ignorant in terms of Islamic laws and rules of conduct. Recently, in a
discussion about the importance of Arabic language with a colleague (a teacher
in the UK madrasah system), I enquired as to why children in madrasah's were
not required to learn the Arabic language as well as the Qur'an. I was
informed that the majority of teachers (as well as parents) among the South
Asian community believe that learning the entire language is not important,
learning to read the Qur'an by deciphering the alphabet is sufficient to
accrue blessing and fulfill the obligations of prayers. They have completely
disregarded the importance of understanding the words they recite, and are
content in blindly following the 'Maulana's' in the community.
Such beliefs are unislamic and it is certainly time that we as Muslims procure
adequate facilities to learn Arabic alongside the Qur'an for both ourselves
and our children as they will be the flag bearers of Islam in the West
tomorrow.
It is most certainly a blessing to be able to read the Qur'an in Arabic, but
understanding it holds equal weight as both are considered by the vast
majority of scholars as fard al-ayn (incumbent upon all individuals). Ibn
Taymiyyah wrote, 'Arabic language is from the religion and knowledge of it is
an obligation. Understanding the Qur'an and the sunnah is an obligation, and
they cannot be understood except by understanding the Arabic language.
Whatever it takes to complete an obligation is in itself an obligation.'[6]
Allah states: {We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran, in order that you may
learn wisdom.} [Yusuf 12:2]
{إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ} يوسف: 2
Transliteration: Inna anzalnahu quranan AAarabiyyan laAAallakum taAAqiloona
How can we learn the divine wisdom if the wisdom revealed is not even
understood? Additionally, Allah states: {And certainly We have set forth to
men in this Quran similitudes of every sort that they may reflect. (27) An
Arabic Qur'an without any crookedness that they may guard (against evil).} [Az-Zumar
39:27-28]
{وَلَقَدْ ضَرَبْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِي هَـٰذَا الْقُرْآنِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍ
لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ (27) قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا غَيْرَ ذِي عِوَجٍ
لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ} الزمر: 27-28
Transliteration: Walaqad darabna lilnnasi fee hathaalqurani min kulli
mathalin laAAallahum yatathakkaroona (27) Quranan AAarabiyyan ghayra thee
AAiwajin laAAallahum yattaqoona
Allah specifically mentions that the Qur'an is an Arabic one, which we must
use to guard ourselves, although this task is unfeasible for those who have no
command over the language. It is evident from the above verses that the
purpose of Qur'an was not only to be recited, but also to be understood.
In the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), people submitted to the
religion of Muhammad by merely overhearing a few verses (as opposed to now
where people recite it repetitively although their hearts are empty). Famous
is the story of Umar bin Khattab who heard the opening of chapter TaHa which
brought him to tears and consequently led to his conversion. For over a
millennium people have been memorising the Qur'an, and the best practice is
that of the early generations [salaf] whereby the sahabah (companions of the
prophet) would commit ten verses to memory, study their meanings and
explanations, and then act upon them before memorising another ten. Memorising
the divine scripture is a great act which Allah encourages {Saad. Consider
this Qur'an, endowed with all that one ought to remember!} [Sad 38:1]
{ص وَالْقُرْآنِ ذِي الذِّكْرِ} ص: 1
Transliteration: Sad waalqurani thee alththikri
The noble companions of the prophet memorized the book of Allah in its
entirety and fashioned their lives, actions and beliefs around the divine
revelation. The fact that it was the main source from which they understood
and acquired their deen was a major factor in making them not only some of the
most distinctive individuals in history, but also the most honored and pleased
with by Allah.
It is incumbent upon us (may Allah have mercy upon us) to understand the
Qur'an, its warnings, stories, laws and glad tidings so that we may be
successful. If we believe it to be a manual, how do we expect to benefit from
it? Knowledge of the Qur'an and its language is essential for protection
against misguided innovated ideas and beliefs such as shirk, forbidden types
of tawassul etc. which become rampant due to ignorance of the correct beliefs.
Allah states, 'And [on that Day] the Apostle will say {O my Sustainer! (some
of) my people have come to regard this Qur'an as something (that ought to be)
discarded!} [Al-Furqan 25:30]
{وَقَالَ الرَّسُولُ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِي اتَّخَذُوا هَـٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ
مَهْجُورًا} الفرقان: 30
Transliteration: Waqala alrrasoolu ya rabbi inna qawmee ittakhathoo hatha
alqurana mahjooran
This will not only be the disbelievers, but also those individuals who pay no
heed to it, ignoring its heightened importance and disregarding its
significance as a communication from Allah the Most High. As was discussed in
the previous paragraph, the sahabah's relationship with the Qur'an was one of
the fundamental reasons as to why Allah gave them status and honor, to the
extent that people 1400 years later still read their stories and aspire to
imitate their heroic actions.
We must also recognize that the Arabic language has a much larger part to play
then we as a community in the West have previously assumed. Ibn Taymiyyah
wrote 'As for becoming accustomed to talking to one another in a language
other than Arabic...undoubtedly this is makrooh (disliked)...Such was also the
case in Khurasaan in the past (that they spoke Arabic), then they became lax
with regard to the language and got used to speaking Farsee (Persian) until it
became prevalent and Arabic was forgotten by most of them. Undoubtedly this is
disliked. The best way is to become accustomed to speaking Arabic so that the
young people will learn it in their homes and schools, so that the symbol of
Islam and its people will prevail. This will make it easier for the people of
Islam to understand the Qur'aan and Sunnah, and the words of the salaf...Know
that being used to using a language has a clear and strong effect on one's
thinking, behavior and religious commitment. It also has an effect on making
one resemble the early generations of this Ummah, the Companions and the
Taabi'een. Being like them improves one's thinking, religious commitment and
behaviour.'[7]Research undertaken by Coffman (in Algeria) reiterates this
whereby he states 'My research shows that the language of study is the most
significant variable in determining a student's attachment to Islamic or
Islamist principles.'[8] During the occupation of Algeria by the French,
officials noted that they would never be able to fully colonialize Algeria
unless they were able to remove the Arabic language from Algerian society.[9]
Learning from the mistakes of those before us, we come to realize that many
follow scriptures recorded in dead languages. For example, the Christians
first spoke Aramaic and some spoke Hebrew. Both languages died out (among
Christians) and in their stead Greek was adopted as the language of
Christianity. Later on, Latin (the language of the Romans) was adopted and now
English has become the main language of Christendom. As a result of the loss
of the first languages, Christianity and the Bible have found themselves in a
dilemma. The bible has changed through so many languages that the semantics of
many words were either corrupted and altered or lost. The original manuscripts
of the bible no longer exist and with regards to the oldest copies of the
Gospels, no two are identical. This led to the division of Christianity into
many different sects where each sect claims to hold the 'truth'. However, as
Allah stated in the Qur'an {and from them are illiterate (people) who do not
know the scriptures, but they rely upon false desires and they follow nothing
but conjecture.} [Al-Baqarah 2:78]
{وَمِنْهُمْ أُمِّيُّونَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا أَمَانِيَّ وَإِنْ
هُمْ إِلَّا يَظُنُّونَ} البقرة: 78
Transliteration: Waminhum ommiyyoona layaAAlamoona alkitaba illa amaniyya
wain hum illa yathunnoona
From this verse we may deduce that the people were illiterate and could not
read, and that they were also considered 'illiterate' due to their lack of
knowledge about the scriptures. As a result, they had to speculate parts of
their faith and in their attempt they resulted in following their desires
(what they wanted to believe in, and what seemed correct to them) as their
conjecture was baseless.
As is evident, the impact of the Qur'an and Arabic as its language is
multifaceted; enhancing an individual's behavior and providing them a deeper
understanding about the world around them, as well as benefiting Muslims as a
community by improving their religious commitment and sense of Islamic
culture. Fundamentally, studying both Arabic and the Qur'an is important for
our success in this life and in the hereafter. What better language than the
one with which Allah spoke to mankind, and what better speech is there than
the speech of Allah?
Source: www.islam21c.com
________________________________________________
1. Al-Quran [42:52]
2. Al-Quran [10:1]
3. Al-Quran [38:1]
4. Al-Quran [43:2]
5. Al-Quran [20:113]
6. Ibn Taymiyyah. Iqitidaa Siratul Mustaqeem. 1/470
7. Ibn Taymiyyah. Iqitidaa Siratul Mustaqeem.
8. James Coffman. Does the Arabic Language Encourage Radical Islam? http://www.meforum.org/article/276
9. The role of Arabic language in Muslim societies may be discussed in another
article as it is beyond the scope of this one.
EsinIslam
Ramadan
Team
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EsinIslam.Com
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