Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an that you might understand. [TMQ 12:02]

We begin with the verse above from the holy Quran where Allah (SWT) declares that the Quran will be revealed in the Arabic Language.  Certainly, if Allah (SWT) wished he could have chosen any language or even every language but he favored Arabic amongst all others. Allah (SWT) mentions above in the verse “That you might understand” this in itself is an indication that the Arabic language has special features and unique style which makes it superior to others and also allows Allah (SWT) to communicate with us in profound manner.

Fourteen hundred years ago the Quran was revealed to Muhammad (SAW) who was chosen as a messenger amongst many men and entrusted to deliver and convey the message of Islam. Today, Alhamdulillah the population of Muslims has reached more than 1.5 Billion. Even though the Quran is in Arabic majority of Muslims are in fact non Arabs who do not speak the language nor understand it. In this piece of article I want engage with the Muslims who are not familiar with the Arabic language and do not understand it, for them I want to give 6 reasons why they should learn Arabic and not ignore it.

(1) To understand Quran and Sunnah

Many of us read the Quran everyday either in Salah or actually reading it. Unfortunately, for a lot of we read it without even understand a single thing.   As Muslims it is very crucial we study the Arabic language, because you cannot get close to Allah (SWT) without understanding him. Many of us have sadly relied upon translation of the Quran and made it the main source of reading what Allah has revealed. As a student of Arabic I can say for sure that no matter what language you read the Quran you will not be able to taste the fruit of it as Arabic cannot be translated fully due the style and method it’s written in. Therefore, it is vital we study Arabic so that we can understand what we read at first hand not translated and appreciate the meaning. Apart from the Quran, the Sunnah (Saying of the Prophet) is also in the Arabic language and as mentioned even the translation of Arabic cannot do justice to the actual meaning. Most of the understanding of Quran is referred and extracted from Sunnah so learning the Arabic language will also help you understand the Sunnah more.

(2) To understand the Khutba / Islamic talks in Arabic

It is an Obligation for all Muslims (Male) to attend the Friday sermon (Khutba) as Allah SWT says “O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu’ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew”. One of the main functions of the Friday Khutba is that it must be delivered in Arabic and unfortunately many Muslims who attend every Friday do not understand and they miss out on a reminder. The main point of a Khutba is to remind the Muslim and help them in Islamic matters. So that in its self should enough to urge Muslims to learn Arabic. Apart from Khutba’s in Arabic there are also dozens of Islamic talks available in the Arabic language. Many great scholars in the Middle East can only speak Arabic and they have amazing gems in their talks for us to benefit if we can understand Arabic.

(3) Access the works of classical scholars

Many of us heard of Nouman Ali Khan, Yasir Qadhi and Mufti Menk. You may be surprised to know that a lot of the things which they present in their talks are from classical scholar meaning scholars from early generation.  The early scholars such as Imam Taymiyyah, Imam Gazali, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi, Imam Malik and Ahmed Ibn Hambal are the main people in our religion because we inherit their amazing knowledge. All of the scholars mentioned above and hundreds more have dedicated their life for Islam and they’ve produced many good things. Unfortunately, they were all Arabic speakers and all their books are in Arabic. If we as Muslim want to access their books first hand then we must learn the Arabic language.

(4) To appreciate the Miracle of the Quran

As Muslims, we know the Quran was revealed by Allah SWT and we know it’s a book that cannot be compared to any other books due to its miracles. We know there are many miracles within the Quran and one of them is the Linguistic miracle.  Allah SWT says “And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad], then produce a surah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah , if you should be truthful.” [TMQ 02: 23] The linguistic miracle is the way the Quran is written i.e. the structure, the words, the sentences and the style its written in. Do you not wish you could understand the miracle yourself? If you want to appreciate the miracle yourself and taste the sweetness then we must study the Arabic language, only then we can understand and comprehend the linguistic meaning.

To conclude I think as Muslims we should do our best to try and learn the Arabic language. It is understandable that some of us are busy maybe with work or family but we must try and sacrifice some time and try our best and grasp as much as possible. Verily, learning the Arabic language will help in many ways and it will definitely bring you closer to Allah SWT. I pray that Allah (SWT) makes it easy for us to learn and grasp the Arabic language and allow us to teach it to others.