Q44 :Should Arabic be considered a divine language,
being the language of the Qur’an and the Sunnah? Should it be made
netpulsory for all Muslims throughout the world? Is it true that
Islamic scriptures cannot be understood properly except in
Arabic?
A44 : No. Arabic is a human language. It is true
that Allah has chosen it for His final message of mankind. Moreover,
the Prophet expressed his Sunnah in Arabic, his mother tongue. But this
is as far as it goes. Arabic is a language of human beings. That Allah
has chosen a human language for His message is perfectly logical,
because His message is meant for human beings. As for making it
netpulsory for all Muslims, this is a rather netplex question. It is
Allah who has made us speak different languages. He says in the Qur’an
that this is one of His signs which manifest the greatness of His
creation. He puts it on the same level as other signs such as the
creation of the heavens and the earth. He says: “And of His signs are
the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your
tongues and your netplexions. In all that there are signs for those who
are endowed with knowledge.” (30;22). What is required of every Muslim
is to be able to read the surah entitled “Al-Fatihah” and some other
passages of the Qur’an in Arabic to enable him to offer his prayers.
However, it is to the advantage of every Muslim to understand Arabic,
because that would enable him to have a better insight into his faith.
There is no doubt that you will understand the Qur’an and the Sunnah
better, if you know Arabic. This applies to any work which you may be
able to read in its original language or in translation. No translation
could give an exact meaning of the original text because of the
different associations and connotations of the words used in each
language.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )