2. KNOWLEDGE OF
ARABIC AND ITS IMPORTANCE
As the Qur'an was revealed in Arabic, the importance
of the knowledge of Arabic cannot be over emphasised. Even if one does not know or understand Arabic it is useful
to know a few facts about the Arabic language.
Arabic is a very scientific language, in which the
meaning of a word is based on its roots, which usually consist of three
letters. ‘Variations in shades of meaning are obtained, first by vowelling the
simple root, and secondly by the addition of prefixes, suffixes and in-fixes.
Thus, from the root salima, to be safe (literally, ‘he was safe’) we derive sallama,
‘to deliver’; aslama, ‘to
submit’ (also, to become a Muslim); istalama,
‘to receive’; istaslama, ‘to
surrender’; salamun, ‘peace’; salamatun, ‘safety, well-being’;
muslimun, ‘a Muslim’.1 It is an unfortunate fact that - only
when one has a grasp of the structure of the language, and, in particular, when
one knows the various derived forms of the verbs, both strong and weak - is one
able to use an Arabic dictionary with ease, as all Arabic dictionaries enter
words under their roots and only the roots are in alphabetical order. So those
who have some grounding in Arabic can easily find the meaning of an Arabic word
from its roots by consulting an Arabic-English dictionary or lexicon. For those
who are interested in a deeper understanding of the Qur'an, it would be useful
to have a concordance of the Qur'an, which lists all the verses in which a
particular word appears, together with its root.
There is no doubt that for a deeper understanding of
the Qur'an a knowledge of the Arabic language is absolutely essential.
Such knowledge can be achieved easily if the language is taught in the
early stages of schooling, particularly in countries in which the substantial
majority is Muslim. As Europe has demonstrated, children are able to learn three
or four languages without difficulty. There is no reason why this cannot be done
in Muslim countries.
What the Muslim countries do is to teach the script
in order to read the Qur'an parrot fashion - without really understanding it. In
this connection I cannot help mentioning an incident in a big gathering where,
at the opening ceremony, a Hafez (one
who has memorised the whole Qur'an) was asked to recite some verses from the
Qur'an, which he duely did. However,
when he was asked to give the
meaning he was not able to do so. As a matter of fact the Muslim countries
have created an entire class of people who can read and recite the Qur'an in
Arabic but who are totally illiterate as far as the actual guidance given in the
Qur'an. Although Islam does not officially recognise priesthood, the result
is the creation of a priesthood which is indoctrinated in the Hadiths in order
to carry out the rituals and associated ceremonial functions. The Qur'an is only
recited parrot fashion to invoke the blessings of Allah.
Thus, a great revelation is now used mainly as a part of rituals!
For
people without any knowledge of Arabic it is extremely vital to understand the
concepts behind important Arabic words which cannot be translated into a single
English word. A very good example is the word deen which is usually translated as ‘religion’ or mazhab-a
conceptwhich in no way conveys the significance of Deen. Often Arabic words have many different meanings, and to
get a sensible meaning, one needs to look at the context in which the
word appears in the verse. A list of useful words to check would be as
follows: Allah, anfiqu, deen, hamd, Islam, Kafir, Mumin, Muslim,
Mushrik, Rabb, Rah'man, Raheem, riba, salat, sadaqat, taqwa. The list can be
increased as one acquires the confidence in their use and connotation. As
examples, I am discussing the concepts behind ‘Allah’ and ‘deen’ in some detail. Some of the other words above will be
discussed briefly as part of the text.
Allah:
This is the proper name of the Sustainer of the Universe. All other names denote
His various attributes. The Qur'an gives some idea of Allah in sura 112 named Al-Tauhid, (The
Unity), and is as follows:
Say
Allah is One, ‘Ahad’. Allah the
independent, ‘Samad’. He does not
give birth and nothing gave birth to him and there is nothing like Him at all.
We get a further idea of Allah from the root
concepts. The root of the word ‘Allah’ is ‘alif-lam-ha’ which has the following meaning and qualities:
One from Whom someone seeks refuge, protection in a state of anxiety or
bewilderment. One from Whose grandeur one becomes dazed and perplexed. One Whose
overall sovereignty must be accepted and to Whom all subservience is due. One
Who remains out of sight and One Who possesses exalted status.
Keeping
in view the above meanings/attributes, the name Allah, as it appears in the
Qur'an, would mean a Being Who is supreme but remains hidden from human eyes;
before Whose dignity and grandeur human perceptions/wisdom become dazed; Whose
sovereignty extends over the entire universe; obedience to Whom is obligatory.
By accepting Him, one must accept His sovereignty and obey His laws as given in
the Qur'an.2
Deen: Deen
(Islam) is usually wrongly translated as religion or mazhab. According to the Qur'an Islam is deen,
which means a code of life, a social system. The word mazhab
has not been used anywhere in the Qur'an. It is, therefore, incorrect to
define Islam as a religion or mazhab.
Mazhab, in the literal sense, means a
passage or path made by man, whereas deen is
that code, law or system which comes from Allah alone. This is why there are so
many different sects in mazhab, but
none in deen. Deen revealed by Allah is universal in nature and there is no room
for any sectarianism in it. Sects are made by man, not by Allah.
As G. A. Parwez remarks, the root meaning behind deen
carries various concepts, such as: ‘power, supremacy, ascendancy, sovereignty,
lordship, dominion, law, constitution, mastery, government, realm, decision,
definite outcome, reward and punishment. The word is also used in the sense of
obedience, submission, allegiance. In the Qur'an this word is used in almost all
the above meanings in as many as 79 verses.’3
So, why do we need deen? Allah says:
(2:213) Mankind was one community, and Allah sent (unto them) prophets as
bearers of good tidings and as warners, and revealed therewith the Scripture
with the truth that it might judge between mankind concerning that wherein they
differed. And only those unto whom (the Scripture) was given differed concerning
it, after clear proofs had come to them, through hatred of one another. And
Allah by His will guided those who believed unto the truth of that concerning
which they differed. Allah guideth whom He will unto a straight path.
The above verse makes the purpose of deen
very clear: it is to unite human beings into one united nation. And this is only
possible under a true Islamic state, based on the fundamental guidance of the
Qur’an. Sadly, at present there is no such state in existence. What today
purport to be Islamic states are merely nation states with national interests
and ideologies.
References:
1. A New Arabic Grammar, by J.A. Haywood and H.M. Nahmud. Publisher
Lund Humphries, London, p.1.
2. Exposition of the Qur'an, by Gulam Ahmed Parwez.
Tolu-E-Islam Trust (Regd) 25B Gulberg, Lahore11, Pakistan, p.6.
3. Ibid., p.12.
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