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Why Study Arabic?
As Muslims we have a direct connection to the Arabic language. It is the language of the Qur’an; a fact referred to in the Qur’an itself in the following passages:
‘This (tongue) is Arabic, pure and clear’ (16:103)
‘We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an in order that ye may learn wisdom’ (12:2)
While the message of the Qur’an is available to many Muslims through translations, in order to achieve a full understanding of the meanings one must have knowledge of the Arabic language. However, it is important to make the point that those who know Arabic are not necessarily better guided by the Qur’an than those who do not know it. A common misconception is that those who speak Arabic are somehow “better” Muslims. The following passage shows us that guidance comes only from Allah:
‘This is the guidance of God: He giveth that guidance to whom He pleaseth of His worshippers’ (6:88)
Recitation of the Qur’an holds many merits for Muslims. This is how we listen to Allah for the Qur’an is the speech of Allah. We are told in the Qur’an that the best occasion for recitation of the Qur’an is at night while standing in prayer. All recitation must be done in Arabic. Reading a translation of the meaning in another language is not reading the actual Qur’an. The true power of the message can be felt only when read aloud in its original language. A great number of Arabs converted to Islam upon simply hearing the Qur’an.
Mastering enough of the Arabic language to be able to read the Qur’an can be done in a fairly short period of time with some effort.
Many Muslims end their study of the Arabic language once they are able to properly read the Qur’an. There is nothing wrong with this. However, we should take into consideration the other areas of Islamic studies that knowledge of the Arabic language makes available. To this day many of the greatest works of tafsir (interpretation of the Qur’an) do not have complete English translations; for example: tafsir Ibn-Kathir and tafsir al-Tabari as well as books on Islamic jurisprudence, Islamic Shahriah, Qur’an and Hadith sciences, Sirah, etc. Many books of the great Muslim thinkers and reformers can be found in Arabic only. These reasons compel many to continue learning.
Characteristics of the Language
People are frequently scared away from learning Arabic because the script looks so different. Most students will tell you that the script is much easier to learn than it appears. Some will say that it is the least of their problems and that the grammar is really tough.
Certain aspects of the language do exist that make it an easy one to learn. For example, Arabic is phonetic. That is, you pronounce every letter you read and you spell words exactly as you hear them. There are a couple of small exceptions to this but you certainly do not find all of the silent letters and peculiar spellings as in English.
The Arabic language is often celebrated for its incredible flexibility. Most of the vocabulary sprouts from three letter “roots”. From these roots many verb forms are derived in a systematic manner and from there come nouns and verbal nouns and adjectives. New words can be easily formed making the language incredibly vast, dynamic, and poetic. One can also guess at the meanings of words if he or she knows its root.
Some Advice
Always seek Allah’s help by supplicating Him to make the learning process easy for you. Many Muslims who attempt to memorize the Qur’an find that with each verse the work becomes easier.
‘We have indeed made the Qur’an easy to remember: but is there any that remembers it?’ (54:17)
At one time or another we all encounter challenges while learning. Is it not the struggle for which we are rewarded? Those who find the language of the Qur’an a constant struggle may take comfort in the following hadith:
Aisha (R.A.A.) says that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “A person who recites the Qur’an and reads it fluently will be in the company of the obedient and noble angels, and he who reads the Qur’an haltingly and with difficulty will have a double recompense.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
have quite some idea about what the words mean.