Every Muslim should understand the Holy Qur’an and Hadith, so
that he can follow the instructions laid down there. As we know, reading or
reciting the Holy Qur’an is very rewarding; but if we understand its meanings as
well, we would be wiser. But the question arises as to how many of us,
non-Arabic speaking Muslims, understand the Holy Qur’an.
There are about 57 Muslim countries in the world, a total population of over 1.5
billion, of which 33 countries are non-Arabic speaking with 70 percent of Muslim
population. In this backdrop the reading and understanding of the Holy Qur’an,
the word of Allah revealed in Arabic to Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W),
for the guidance of Muslims in particular and of mankind in general, assumes
special significance.
Every Muslim recites the Holy Qur’an in prayers. It is easy for the Arabic
speaking people to recite and understand it because it is their mother tongue.
In the non-Arabic speaking Muslim countries, however, the children aretaught to
read the Holy Qur’an either in the mosques or at home. No doubt, these efforts
of Muslim parents are
appreciable, but I would like to go one step further and make the following
suggestions:
Every Muslim should understand the Holy Qur’an and Hadith, so that they can
follow the instructions laid down there. As we know, reading or reciting the
Holy Qur’an is very rewarding but if we understand its meanings as well, we
would be more enlightened and wiser, and this will help shape our lives
according to the Islamic principles. Therefore, understanding the Holy
Qur’an is a must. But the question arises as to how many of us, non-Arabic
speaking Muslims understand The Holy Qur’an.
SURAH Al- FATIHA:
To remind ourselves of the benefits of understanding the Holy Qur’
an, I give below the translation of Surah Al- Fatiha:
1. In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
2. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
3. The Beneficent, the Merciful.
4. Owner of the Day of Judgement.
5. Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help.
6. Keep us the straight path.
7. The path of those whom Thou hast favored, Not the path of those
who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray.
In this Surah, we say we believe in One Allah and ask for His help only, and
that we believe in the hereafter. We ask Allah, the Almighty to keep us in the
right path. We recite this Surah in each rakat during five times of prayers
every day; i.e. Fajr (Dawn), Zuhr
(Noon), Asr (Afternoon),
Maghrib (Evening), and Isha
(Night), each prayer time coming with an interval of three or four hours
or a maximum of seven-eight hours (between Fajr and
Zuhrprayer). How rewarding will it be if we understand and concentrate on
what we are reciting in Surah Al-Fatiha and ask ourselves how far we are
practicing the same? In the same way, how gratifying it would be if we can
understand the Holy Qur’an and shape our life accordingly.
When I read or listen to the Holy Qur’an being recited, I wish I could
understand it directly, rather than reading the translation. Sometimes I wonder
why I have not been taught the Arabic language from childhood.
Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: “Verily. We have sent it
down as an Arabic Qur’an in order that you may understand”. (12:2). In
another Surah, Allah says: “O mankind! There has
come to you a good advice from your Lord (i.e. The Qur’an, ordering all that is
good and forbidding all that is evil) and a healing for that (disease of
ignorance, etc), in your hearts a guidance and mercy (explaining lawful and
unlawful things etc) for the believers” (10:57).
ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE:
The Holy Qur’an is the book which covers all aspects affecting mankind from
physical, material, economic, socio-cultural, political, legal, religious to
spiritual. Every Muslim should read the Holy Qur’ an with correct and proper
pronunciation during recitation. When one reads, recites and understands the
Holy Qur’an, he gets the
knowledge, wisdom, guidance, peace and tranquility of the mind. We should,
therefore, not stop ourselves at thepoint where we are satisfied with reading of
the Holy Qur’an only, but our aim should be
to use the best of our intellect to be in a position to study and understand the
Arabic text of the Qur’an and (Sunnah) and make our
lives according to the principles taught therein.
The Qur’an is a reminder, advice, a guide and a mercy for the people who believe
in One Allah. It leads mankind out of darkness (disbelief
and polytheism) into light of belief (Belief in
Oneness of Allah). I would, therefore, strongly argue that the Arabic
language and Holy Qur’an should be taught in every Muslim country right from the
school age as a compulsory subject; so that all Muslims could read and fully
understand the Holy book.
Many Muslim scholars have translated the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah, Hadith into
different languages i.e. Urdu, Bengali, Persian, English etc.; and a lot of
people are benefiting by these translations.
But I want to emphasize that every Muslim should know the Arabic language so
that he can understand the basic Islamic teachings of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah
himself.
While deciding important matters like this, we should think of our priorities,
and for a Muslim what could be more important than understanding the holy Qur’an
and Sunnah to benefit ourselves for this short-lived life in this world and to
prepare ourselves for the life hereafter.
Therefore, I suggest that this matter should be taken up by the heads of states
of all Muslim countries, and steps should be taken to introduce the teaching of
Arabic as a compulsory subject at school level, so that all Muslims could
understand the language of the Holy Qur’an i.e. Arabic. In addition, if we know
Arabic, it will help all the
individuals of different Muslim countries communicate in one common language,
which will help promote brotherhood and sense of oneness among the Muslims. I
think the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference)
can play a positive and important role in this regard.
It is imperative that the Arabic language and the Holy Qur’an be taught to every
Muslim from the school life, so as to equip our future generations with proper
knowledge of the Holy Book and Hadith. If
we agree to do this, ways and means of implementation of this project in
non-Arabic speaking Muslim countriescan be discussed and found.
By Dr. Zahoor A. Shaikh