Salam alaikum everyone
hope you’re rhamadhaan is going well.
What’s the reason you’re learning Arabic? A general answer that’s given is To understand the Quran.
Below are some practical reasons to learn Arabic which go beyond the obvious. Dua is a major part of my life always has been. If you’ve read Hisnul Muslim you know how vital dua is in performing the mundane aspects of our lives You’ll taste the sweetness of knowing Arabic in Rhamadhaan.
1.Teraweeh Long teraweeh salat can become very tiring if you’re relying on the Imam to have a beautiful voice. I’ve seen people swaying side to side hoping for the rakaah to end. Salat becomes robotic when you don’t understand the meaning of the words.
2.Qunoot I used to wonder what people are crying about in Qunoot until I learned Arabic I mean I had a rough idea but once you learn Arabic it’s hard not to cry when you know what the imam is saying. Cry force yourself to even if you don’t understand what’s being said. You’ll feel your heart softened.
3.Sajdah We’ve been told we are closest when we are in sajdah. Alhamdulilah in both my sunnah and fard I always make dua. Its the most amazing opportunity to ask for things in this life and the next. Why miss the opportunity. Imagine you’re praying salah in jamaat and making dua in each sajdah how amazing is that? As opposed to just saying the same thing again and again since you were a kid. The prophet made dua even for a shoe lace that needed repairing so what about us? You’re now communicating to Allah without any intermediaries (English etc)
4.Quran Watching a foreign movie without understanding the language and using translation is not gonna as powerful of an experience as understanding the language. Knowing Arabic will allow you to pick up the mushaf and start pondering it’s meaning rather than merely reading it with just a beautiful voice.
5.scholars In the west we have to rely on public speakers. They are great motivational and inspiring but it’s a totally different ball game when a scholar speaks. Though his lectures maybe shorter than a public speaker his words will keep you thinking. You now have direct access to the mountains of knowledge. Someone asked why don’t the scholars of Islam teach Arabic? I believe you have to go to the knowledge and a part of that is showing a commitment by learning the medium through which our knowledge is taught.
6.News You can understand what’s really going on in the Muslim Arab world if you understand Arabic. We all should show a concern about the ummah.
7.Build Unity Nelson Mandella once said, you say something to a man in a language other than his tongue you get to his brain. If you say it in his language you get to his heart. In an ideal world Muslims in different countries would speak Arabic. It’s obvious the fastest way to learn build a rapport and relationship with someone is to speak their language. The prophet ordered some people to learn the local dialect of tribes to build relations and help the dawah. In Jinan China I was at a masjid I felt like an alien around the Chinese Muslims until some of them spoke to me in Arabic. The alienation quickly vanished and we had a nice discussion. Part of the disunity of Muslims is the fact that each Arab state has their own dialect which the other does not understand. I see each coloquial dialect as totally different languages to Arabic. Along with nationism this has caused a barrier and feelings of alienation between Arabs, unless Fusha Arabic Is spoken. Our unity comes from the power of one. One book, one sunnah, one qibla, one language even one currency dinar and Dirham. We can see the disunity when we have more than one rhamadhaan time table, different days rhamadhaan starts and eid begins. Knowing to speak Arabic would encourage inter marriages between Arabs and non Arab Muslims. Non Arab Muslims can build a bond with Arabs through Arabic. This is a vital role in Deen that learning Arabic serves as opposed to the generalized answer I want to understand the deen. I believe Arabic plays a key role in uniting both Arabs and non Arabs and we need to learn to speak it in order connect with each other. This point is enough against some people who see no point in learning to speak Arabic. Remember, Arabic Fusha was removed from speech not from the Quran.
8.Culture When you learn a language, you are not just learning words but also it’s culture and ettiqutte said Ibn taymiyyah. For tarbiyyah of children it’s vital as it teaches them manners and ways to behave speak appropriately. One mistake I believe we make is teaching children to read Quran. The result:they grow up with a flimsy connection to the Quran. It’s better in my opinion to teach them to listen understand Arabic and speak it. Why? Because when they learn to read the Quran they’ll understand it. I discuss this in more detail in my book Get Fluent In Arabic.
I hope you’ve found this post useful
for more check out my book Get Fluent in Arabic . I hope this gives us plenty of practical reasons to learn and teach Arabic. Keep listening speaking reading and writing Arabic for repetition is the mother of learning
thank you for reading this post 🙂
Wasalam alaikum
Shajahan Author Of Get Fluent In Arabic
Get Fluent in Arabic UK Kindle
Get Fluent In Arabic UK Paperback
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Get Fluent In Arabic US Kindle
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