Language plays a pivotal role in any given society.  Not only is it a means by which individuals communicate with each other, but it is the medium through which a society’s core beliefs and values are expressed.  It is these beliefs and values which subsequently lead to the establishment of its whole structure and from which solutions are derived for problems that arise in life’s affairs. Among a number of other languages, Arabic is a principal world language.  By virtue of being intrinsically linked to the Qur’an and Sunnah, it has had a huge impact on the lives of billions over the centuries.

Arabic Language

Although known as the language of Islam, the Arabic language predates the advent of Islam: it is an ancient Semitic language with roots in the sixth century B.C. with the Nabataeans, an Arab tribe that spoke Aramaic.

The language was thus coined by the Arabs and is not in any way a ‘revealed’ language.

The Arabic alphabet (derived from the Aramaic script) has 28 letters.

The normal word order of a sentence in Arabic is verb/subject/object.

As for tenses, it only has two (perfect tense, imperfect tense or the present tense).

The words in Arabic are constructed from normally three letter “roots” which convey a basic idea.

A variety of new words can be formed from a single root such as the words book, office and library which can be formed by adding other letters to the root k-t-b (which conveys the idea of writing).

The verbs are marked for person (first, second, third), gender and number. These alterations in the basic meaning of a verb are made by adding to the root. Hence, the root k-t-b can produce forms such as kataba, “he broke”, kutiba, “it was written” and yaktubu “he writes”. 

The Arabic language is largely a rule-governed language with a less number of exceptions to the rules as compared to some other languages such as English.

Before the coming of Islam, the Arabs took great pride in their linguistic skills. The huge amount of literature that exists from the pre-Islamic era is a testament to the significant role the Arabic language played at that time.  As Ibn Rashiq (quoted in Islam, the Qur’an and the Arabic Literature by Omran, 1988) writes:

“Whenever a poet emerged in an Arab tribe, other tribes would come to congratulate, feasts would be prepared, the women would join together on lutes as they do at weddings and old and young men would all rejoice at the good news. The Arabs used to congratulate each other only on the birth of a child and when a poet rose among them.” 

Miracle

Indeed the miracle given to Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is fundamentally linked to this period in history. As with other prophets, Allah سبحانه وتعالى sent Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم a miracle (i.e. a phenomena that broke a universal law) that was most relevant to its time. That miracle was the Qur’an. The Qur’an, being an embodiment of linguistic and literary beauty, exceeds anything of human origin for the reason that it cannot be matched grammatically, linguistically, aesthetically or in composition.  Its’ style is universally recognized as being unique as it falls in none of the eighteen styles of writing that exist in the Arabic language (sixteen styles of poetry (al -Bihar), prose (sajj) and rhymed prose (mursal). The Qur’an is therefore, indisputably recognized as a unique genre – a genre that cannot be improved upon or even matched by any living being. As Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the Qur’an:

قُل لَّئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الإِنسُ وَالْجِنُّ عَلَى أَن يَأْتُواْ بِمِثْلِ هَـذَا الْقُرْآنِ لاَ يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِ وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ ظَهِيرًا

“If the whole of mankind and the jinn were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed each other up.” [Al-Israa, 17:88]

The disbelievers are also openly challenged in the Qur’an:

وَإِن كُنتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَى عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُواْ بِسُورَةٍ مِّن مِّثْلِهِ

“And if you are in doubt as to what we have revealed, then produce a sura like unto it.” [Al-Baqara, 2:23]

أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ قُلْ فَأْتُواْ بِسُورَةٍ مِّثْلِهِ وَادْعُواْ مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن دُونِ اللّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

“Or do they say: ‘He forged it’? Say: ‘Bring then a sura like unto it and call [to your aid] anyone you can.‘” [Yunus, 10:38]

This challenge of the Qur’an came at a time in which literary eloquence was at its peak.  The Arabs who took great pride in their language and in precise and articulate speech had been truly humiliated, for despite having the same set of letters and grammatical rules at their disposal, they were unable to come anywhere near meeting the challenge. Since then, there have been many who have tried and failed miserably in this endeavor.  Thus Allah سبحانه وتعالى used the Arabic language to convey His final message to mankind and to present to those in doubt of the Message and the prophet hood of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم an open challenge till the Day of Judgment.

Arabic and Legislation

The role of Arabic in Islam does not come to a halt with the revelation. Naturally a sound understanding of the Arabic language is required to understand its Message. The knowledge of Arabic language is also required to extract laws from the Qur’an and Sunnah – that is, to perform ijtihad. Ijtihad is defined as exerting one’s utmost effort to extract rules from the legislative sources. The Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم are considered to be the primary legislative sources that have the ability to express new rulings from a single Ayah or Hadith. The other legislative sources that are derived from these primary sources are Ijma (consensus) and Qiyas (analogical deduction). When applied, the legislative sources enable a Mujtahid (a person qualified to perform ijtihad) to find a rule for any new situation faced at any period in time. In addition to having an in depth knowledge of the legislative sources, a Mujtahid would also need to acquire knowledge of the Arabic language since without understanding the rules of the Arabic language and their application, it would be impossible to comprehend the sources accurately. As an example, without being aware of the rules of Arabic grammar for interpreting the text of Quran and Sunnah, it would not be possible to find out if the command in the Ayah or Hadith for a certain action is Haram (forbidden) or Makruh (undesirable). As it is the Arabic language in its linguistic capacity that enables the Qur’an and the Sunnah to be applicable for all times, we find that Muslims in the past would acquire knowledge of the Arabic language in the same way as they would acquire knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah. Most of the Tabi’een (followers and companions of a specific Sahabi) for instance, were non-Arabs who learned the Arabic language and made great contributions to the field of Islamic law.  

Understanding the inextricable link between the Arabic language and the Qur’an and Sunnah, the Muslims of the Arabian Peninsula took with them the Arabic language, in the same way as they took the Qur’an and Sunnah, to far-off lands. It is reported that ‘Umar ibn Yazeed wrote to Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari and said: “Learn the Sunnah and learn Arabic; learn the Qur’an in Arabic for it is Arabic.”

It is therefore hardly surprising that, within a few centuries after the revelation of the Qur’an, Arabic became the common language of government, correspondence, business, and literary expression.  Regions of Northern Africa and the Middle East were transformed into Arabic-speaking areas within a century of the coming of Islam. In later centuries, Arabic was spoken in parts of Europe and Asia as more lands came under the domain of Islam. The Arabic language was the tool with which Muslims implemented Islam over vast areas of land bringing peace, justice and tranquility to Muslims and Non-Muslims alike.

As lands were conquered, words had to be given to items that Arabs came across. This was only made possible due to the unique quality of the Arabic language which only a few other languages possess. The Arabic language comprises of certain styles that enable it to express any new meaning. For one, its metaphorical nature enables it to create words according to meaning in a metaphorical sense. The qualities of derivation lead to coining of Arabic equivalents on the basis of the Arabic roots. In addition, arabisation makes possible the carving of foreign words and shaping them based on fixed rules that ensure consistency with the principles of arabisation that have already been set in the Arabic language.  An example of this would be the word dirham – used to denote a silver coin- which was arabised from the Greek drachmē or drachma by following the standard Arabic noun structure fi’lal. In fact, by proceeding according to the principles of derivation, arabisation and metaphoric usage as well as the details and forms (awzaan) of the Arabic language that had been firmly established in the Arabic language, the Muslims were able to enrich the language and were able to express any new meaning that they came across. The nature of the Arabic language is as such that due to its ability to encompass new words, it is a language that is applicable and relevant for all times in all aspects of human affairs. This quality makes it extremely suitable for the carrying of the Islamic call.

The role of the Arabic language is therefore crucial in Islam for it is the language Allah سبحانه وتعالى has used to convey His final Message and to openly challenge those who disbelieve in its authenticity. Moreover, it is the Arabic language that enables Islam to be relevant and applicable for all times since it is a tool without which ijtihad cannot be performed.  The closing of the doors of ijtihad from the seventh century Hijri had a devastating effect on the Muslim Ummah as it stunted its ability to solve emerging problems. Islam therefore became a set of rituals lacking in capacity to deal with new issues that arose. The closing of the doors of ijtihad also lead to the birth of erroneous philosophies as to how to deal with problems of the Ummah. Some began to use their own minds to solve newly occurring problems without any evidence from the Islamic sources, while others were quick to come up with answers without acquiring the necessary tools to perform ijtihad. This road to decline still exists as the Muslim Ummah continues to live in a state of decline in every sphere of life. The only way to come out of this darkness is to once again mix the capacity of the Arabic language with the capacity of Islam without which proper understanding and implementation of Islam cannot be achieved.