No one can deny the solid bond between Arab and The sacred book of millions of Muslims. Quran is revealed in Arab as God said” And thus We have revealed to you an Arabic Qur’ān that you may warn the Mother of Cities [i.e., Makkah] and those around it (7) Al-Shura.
Thus, understanding the Arabic language is a must for learning Quran and its related sciences, including Aqidah, fiqh, and Tafseer. In other ways, the road to learning Quran starts with learning the language in which it has been revealed and preserved.
Here, we’ll dig a little into this deep-rooted relationship between both: Arabic and Quran.
1. Quran has given the Arabic language an international presence:
Arab is the language of the Quran. All nations who’ve converted to Islam learned the Arabic language to understand it. Like other beliefs, Islam is a universal religion, and people with different languages have to learn Arabic to learn it. From this point, Arabic has gained a significant status.
Theodor Nöldeke, a German orientalist and scholar has written. Arabic hasn’t been an international language without Quran . Under the banner of Islam, Quraysh, a grouping of Arabic clans in Mecca, has conquered half of the world and forged a sprawling empire. As a result, Arabic has arisen as one of the enduring languages in the world for its relation with the sacred manuscript.
Quran made the Arabic language more dynamic, unified Arabic accents, and became the official language for most Muslim countries.
2. Arabic language is essential to comprehend Islamic teachings:
Without understanding the Arabic language, we’ll never learn the commands and prohibitions revealed by God in his revered book. Other versions of the Quran in other languages might mistake its meanings.
Shaykh –Al- Islam, Ibn Taimiyyah has been reported to say: “how the interpretations of the Quran in other languages can be actualized? Religion is made up of sayings and deeds. Any misguidance in understanding them will divert people from the Islamic, true meanings.
Also, Al-Zarkashi, a preeminent Islamic scholar said that: ” Those who lack a full understanding of Arabic language have no right to translate any verse in the glorious Quran. The Arabic words may have two meanings or even more- and their knowledge might be restricted to only one. For example, a woman‟s dowry has three names in Quran “ajr, sadaq, and mahr”.if the interpreter isn’t aware of the shadows between those three, he’ll come up with the erroneous meaning.
Al-Zamakhshari in his book, Al-Mufassal, and Abu Obaid in “Fada‟ el Al-Quran” quoted Abu Bakr Al-Seddiq‟s saying “to determine the i‟rab (syntax) of an ayah is favorable to me over memorizing an ayah” because understanding the syntax helps in understanding the meaning, and the Quran was revealed for reflection and implementation.
3. Arabic language is a medium to understand Quranic sciences, such as Aqida and Fiqah:
For centuries, the Arabic language has laid the foundation for everyone to understand Islamic sciences. Quran and sunna, the two primary sources for legislation were revealed in Arabic. Therefore, a certain degree of competency in understanding Arabic terminology and Grammar is essential for grasping Islamic studies.
A survey conducted on 64 respondents applying for the Diploma of Islamic Studies in Malaysia showed that Arabic language comprehension is important for students to complete this course.
Also, Arabic is necessary to understand the Quranic verses, Hadith, and classical literature related to the subjects they study in this program.
4. Arabic language enables people to taste the poetic, eloquent images in Quran:
The Quran is full of beautiful imageries that address the senses of the recipient and tickle his imagination. The Quranic eloquence has a distinct feature. It can bring life into the image and make it in lasting motion.
Also, it’s used to compare two contradicted conditions like the depiction of the green lush and infinite blessings in paradise with the eternal torment Paganists will face in hell. We will never understand or feel those images without understanding the Arabic language.
In the same vein, Qur’anic eloquent images have impacted the Arabic language. From the early ages of Islam till now, poets still regurgitate the words Of the Quran in their poems. Like قاب قوسين أو أدنى, this qur’anic eloquent image is used to connote the nearness of achieving something.
5. Quran has an impact on the development of Arabic Grammar:
The orientalist Renan (1823-1892) postulated that Quran constituted the cornerstone for the rules of correct Arabic Grammar and syntax. As he described, Quran verses don’t show the slightest foreign influence.
Islam spread out, and nations with various languages have converted into it. Those new Muslim people were in dire need to establish a grammatical system for Arabic rules so they could enter Qur’anic terms in different aspects of life, including politics, economy, jurisprudence, and others .
Also, they need to learn Arabic rules, so their speech is void of intonation or Lahan. Arabic follows strict grammatical rules that any minor mistake in its movement can produce very different meanings.
SO, This need for new-converting Muslims has aroused grammarians to set the grammatical system for the Arabic language and make up prolific books about it. That is why we find a lot of syntacticians, lexicologists, poets among the non-Arab community, especially Iranians.
Now, as we come to the end of this article, we invite you to the Quranic Arabic course that will help you understand the Quran and feel the beauty of its language. You’ll also understand the most common words in Quran without any need to read other interpretations in your language.
References:
Solehah Yaacob, Written evidence of the inimitability of the Quran on comprehending the concept of Arabic linguistic history and theology.
Marzieh Gholitabar, Atiyeh Damavandi Kamali The Quran and the Development of Arabic Linguistics.