Do I
have to learn Arabic?
Of course
not! GOD is the Most Merciful, the Most Wise. He has Designed the perfect
religion (Submission, Islam in Arabic) for all of humanity, and Authored the
perfect book; the Holy Quran. Outside of reciting the daily prayers in Arabic,
no you do not need to learn a whole new language. Submission (Islam in Arabic)
is the religion for all of humanity, not just for the Arabic population. The
Quran is the final testament (the final scripture), delivered by Muhammad the
honorable and righteous final prophet.
GOD
absolutely knew ahead of time, in His infinite Omniscience, that people would
have questions about the relationship between the Quran and Arabic. The
following verse is GOD’s explanation from the Quran:
[41:44]
If we made it a non-Arabic Quran they would have said, "Why did it come
down in that language?" Whether it is Arabic or non-Arabic, say,
"For those who believe, it is a guide and healing. As for those who
disbelieve, they will be deaf and blind to it, as if they are being addressed
from faraway."
GOD is
telling us in no uncertain terms that translations of the Quran are
acceptable and the Quran can be a guide no matter what language it is in.
However, we must be very careful that we do not recite a mistranslation
of the Quran, such as the work of Yusuf Ali and Marmaduke Pickthal.
In 1968,
Dr. Rashad Khalifa realized that the existing English translations of the
Quran did not present the truthful message of GOD's Final Testament. For
example, the two most popular translators, Yusuf Ali and Marmaduke Pickthal,
could not overcome their corrupted religious traditions when it came to the
Quran's great criterion in 39:45.
[39:45]
"When GOD ALONE is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in
the Hereafter shrink with aversion. But when others are mentioned
beside Him, they rejoice."
Yusuf Ali
omitted the crucial word "ALONE" from his translation, and altered
the rest of the verse by inserting the word "(gods)." Thus, he
utterly destroyed this most important Quranic criterion. He translated 39:45
as follows:
"When
GOD, the One and Only, is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in
the Hereafter are filled with disgust and horror; but when (gods) other than
He are mentioned, behold, they are filled with joy." [39:45] (according
to A. Yusuf Ali)
The
expression "When GOD, the One and Only, is mentioned," is not the
same as saying, "When GOD alone is mentioned." One can mention
"GOD, the One and Only," and also mention Muhammad or Jesus, and no
one will be upset. But if "GOD ALONE is mentioned," you cannot
mention anyone else, and a lot of people – those who idolize Muhammad or
Jesus – will be upset. Thus, Yusuf Ali could not bring himself to present
the truth of the Quran, if it exposed his corrupted belief.
Marmaduke
Pickthall translated "ALONE" correctly, but destroyed the criterion
by inserting his personal belief in parentheses; he translated 39:45 as
follows:
"And
when Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the
Hereafter are repelled, and when those (whom they worship) beside Him are
mentioned, behold! they are glad." [39:45] (according to Marmaduke
Pickthal)
When Dr.
Khalifa saw the truth of GOD's word thus distorted, he decided to translate
the Quran, at least for the benefit of his own children. Since he was a
chemist by profession, and despite his extensive religious background – his
father was a renowned Sufi leader in Egypt – he vowed to GOD that he would
not move from one verse to the next unless he fully understood it.
The
Quran, like the Torah and the Gospel, is a book with a great message:
"WORSHIP GOD ALONE." Thousands of years ago GOD gave the Jews the
Torah in their own language. The Jews then considered Hebrew as the special
(Holy) language of GOD. Some of their Rabbis even taught the Jews that
studying the Torah in any other language is unacceptable to GOD and that the
angels of GOD do not understand the prayers if not read in Hebrew. This is a
ridiculous claim.
Then GOD
gave the followers of Jesus the Gospel in their own language and they felt the
same way that their language, mainly Aramaic, as the very special language of
GOD.
Then GOD
gave the entire world the Quran in the Arabic language. And again history
repeated itself and the Arabs thought that Arabic is the language of GOD. They
never appreciated that GOD gave His previous scriptures in other languages,
namely Hebrew and Aramaic. They never appreciated the fact that in all the
languages that the scriptures came down with, the most important single fact
is that the message has been always the same: "WORSHIP GOD ALONE."
They never appreciated the fact that to GOD belongs all the languages of the
world; He created them, just like He created us, See 49:13 and 11:118-119.
Those who
can read Arabic can appreciate the excellence of the literature structure of
the Quran. Those who do not can be guided by the message by reading the Quran
in any language.
GOD, the
Almighty, the Knower of all, the Cognizant knows that the majority of the
Muslims in the world will not be reading, speaking or understanding Arabic. About
80% of the Muslims in this world cannot read, understand or speak Arabic.
Why, then, was the Quran revealed in Arabic?
The
following is Appendix 4 of the Authorized English Version of the Quran
by Dr. Khalifa:
We learn
from 41:44 that the sincere believers have access to the Quran, regardless of
their mother tongue. The disbelievers, on the other hand, are not permitted
access to the Quran, even if they are professors of the Arabic language
(17:45, 18:57, 41:44, & 56:79).
Arabic is
the most efficient language in the world, especially when it comes to the
precise statement of laws. Since the Quran is a Statute Book, it was crucial
that such laws must be clearly stated. GOD chose Arabic for His Final
Testament because of the obvious reason that it is the most suitable language
for that purpose. Arabic is unique in its efficiency and accuracy. For
example, the word "they" in English does not tell you if
"they" are males or females. In Arabic there is a "they"
for the males, "HUM," and a "they" for the females,
"HUNNA." There is even a "they" for two males,
"HUMAA," and a "they" for two females,
"HAATAAN." This feature does not exist in any other language in the
world.
I came to
appreciate this efficiency of the Arabic language when I translated, for
example, 2:228. This verse enjoins the divorcee to give up her own wishes to
divorce her husband, if she discovers that she is pregnant, and the husband
wishes to reconcile the welfare of the child takes a priority.
The
efficiency of the Arabic language was extremely helpful in stating this law.
Any other language would have made it almost impossible to point out whose
wishes are to be superseded, at least not in such a few words as we see in
2:228.
The word
"Qaalataa" of 28:23, for example, translates into four English
words: "the two women said." Such is the efficiency of the Arabic
language.
Another
possible reason for choosing Arabic is the fact that "He" and
"She" do not necessarily imply natural gender. Thus, when GOD is
referred to as "He," this does not imply gender at all. GOD be
glorified; He is neither male, nor female. The usage of "He" to
refer to GOD in the English language, for example, has contributed to a false
image of GOD. This was not helped by such distorted expressions as
"Father" when referring to GOD. You never find such a reference to
GOD in the Quran.
Furthermore,
the Quran must be translated. GOD tells us that if the Quran was
revealed to people who do not know Arabic, they could not possibly believe in
it (26:198-199). They would not know what was in it, and what to do with it.
Therefore, the Quran must be translated to the language of people so that they
can understand GOD's message. The Quran must be translated:
[26:198]
If we revealed this to people who do not know Arabic.
[26:199]
And had him recite it (in Arabic), they could not possibly believe in it.
It is an
unarguable fact that Dr. Khalifa's translation is the clearest and most modern
English translation of all. Therefore, for an English speaker who does not
know Arabic, his translation is a blessing from GOD. Even some submitters
whose mother tongue is Arabic admit that they greatly benefit from the
translation. In fact, English is now becoming a universal language taught and
spoken on all continents of this world, the language used by people all over
the world to communicate across borders. Therefore, it becomes more obvious
why GOD blessed the world with a clear English translation of the Quran in
this era.
Finally,
we must remember that GOD is the Teacher of the Quran. GOD's own
words in the Quran are in Arabic. It is the truth from God. People who do not
understand Arabic rely on the translation of the Quran to understand its
meaning. But ultimately, it is GOD who teaches us the Quran (55:2). Whether we
are experts in Arabic language, or we have the clearest translation in front
us, we will not be able to get the true meaning of the verses unless we are
sincere (56:79). GOD controls our hearts and minds; He knows our innermost
thoughts and whether we are sincere or not. If we are sincere, He leads us to
find the truth regardless of our circumstances.
Therefore,
continue on the path you have been enjoined to follow, together with those who
repented with you, and do not transgress. He is Seer of everything you do.
[11:112]
Note: the
daily prayers are recited in Arabic to make contact with GOD using the
specific Arabic words that He gave us in chapter 1 of the Quran, entitled
"The Key". The Quran’s mathematical miracle is based on the number
19, and by GOD’s leave, our lips touch each other precisely 19 times during
the recitation of "The Key".