Question
I couldn’t understand the below verse, as it seems that Qur’an is for the people of Arabic Language. While it is claimed that Qur’an is for all the Globe. Kindly explain. Moreover, if it is so then anybody who accepts Islam must learn Arabic Speaking, writing & translation to their own language immediately (not only reading without understanding). Please guide me with references as well.
“And thus: We have revealed to you a Qur’an in Arabic so that you may warn the Foremost of all towns and those who dwell around it, and may warn of the Day of Gathering, which is beyond all doubt. One group will be in the Garden, and one group will be in the Flames.” [42:7]
Kindly explain another verse beside below to make the concept more clear:
“Behold, We have made it a Qur’an in clear Arabic language that you may fully understand.” [43:3]
Answer
Qur’an is in deed a book of guidance for all human being as it is mentioned numerously in the book itself (6:90, 12:104, 21:107, 25:1, 38:87, 68:52, 27:81).
However it is obvious that a book has to be in a language and it cannot be revealed in all the languages of the world. Obviously the Qur’an needed to be revealed in the language of its immediate addressees who were Arabic speaking Bani Ishmael. The verses you are referring to are pointing out the fact that the Qur’an has been revealed in a language that is easily understandable for its immediate addressees who were Bani Ishmael. After delivering the clear message to Bani Ishmael through the revelation of the Qur’an, Bani Ishmael were then given the responsibility to disseminate the message to the other nations (2:143, 22:78).
This is why at our time the majority of Muslims are not even Arabs, yet they know their religion no less than many Arab Muslims and benefit from the Qur’an using appropriate translations and teachers. In order to know the requirements of Islam no Muslim needs to know Arabic. A good translation of the Qur’an can provide a non-Arab Muslim enough guidance for the essential matters related to his religion. You might be interested to know that even many Arabs do not fully understand the Qur’an since many only know conversational Arabic while the Qur’an is in classical (Fus’ha) Arabic and the language of Quraysh at the time.
Having said that, there is no doubt that if one wants to study Islam beyond the basic requirements and to get a higher level benefit from the Qur’an, then one needs to study the classics language of the Quraysh of the time of the Prophet (sws). This however is not a requirement for a common Muslim, it is only a requirement for the students of Islam who in their studies need to directly study the verses of the Qur’an.
Answered by: Farhad Shafti
Date: 2015-03-12
