Why is Arabic so important to Muslims?

Answer 1

Arabic isn't the native language of the majority of Muslims, but the Qur'an, or Koran - there are many accepted versions of the name, in many languages - was originally written in Arabic and while translations are readily available, Muslims around the world study Arabic in order to read the Qur'an in its original form.

Those Muslims who do read translations frequently also own or have access to an Arabic copy of the Qur'an, and are able to compare passages with the original.

In the same way, non-Hebrew-speaking Jewish people learn Hebrew in order to read the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, of which the Torah is the first part.

This is quite different from the situation with the Christian Bible, the New Testament of which was written originally in Koine Greek, a Greek dialect which became extinct around 300 BC and which was commonly - 'Koine' means 'common (language)' - used by both Greek and non-Greek speakers around the Mediterranean area and nearby parts of the Roman Empire. The Old Testament was written in several languages, mainly Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew, and, like the New Testament, has no single version in a modern language which could be considered the original, as has the Qur'an. All modern versions of the Christian Bible are the result of centuries of dedicated theological, political and linguistic study.

While theologians and scholars of ancient languages can read the Bible in its original form, as well as in early translations to languages such as Aramaic and Hebrew, modern Christians lack the good fortune of both Muslims and Jews in having the opportunity to read their holy book in what is considered its original form.

Answer 2

Learning Arabic for this target is very important because the Arabic language is the language of the Holy Quran & many Islamic studies such as those related to the Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad PBUH are originally written in Arabic, so learning Arabic will be both beautiful & helpful to learn these studies. But you have to keep in mind that the Islamic religion is for all people , the Non-Arab Muslims are about 80% of the Muslims of the world & alot of these studies are translated into many languages as well as the Holy Quran. So, knowing Arabic is very good but not a must to learn Islam. However, this is a favour from the God as you see.

Answer 3

If one understands the words of the Qur'an as intended by Allah then one is likely to feel closer to the Creator as a result thereof. Language is the key to the heart and thus the more the knowledge you have the more one sees through the light and better differentiates right through wrong independently without the help of translators. In today's world even some translations have slight mistakes as Arabic language is very varied and versatile and most of the words can contain up to ten meanings or so. Thus it depends on the interpreter so as to how he perceives it based upon his knowledge of the deen.

Imagine: you are praying behind one of the famous imams in Masjid al Haram and you are able to understand everything being recited. Imagine the feeling of Allah (glorified and exalted be He) speaking directly to your heart.

There is a powerful feeling in being able to understand what one says and does in salah then this is sure to make your reading of Qur'an and salah more meaningful and productive ultimately helping you to improve your life, overall.

Of course there are two forms of Arabic: Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Classical Arabic, that of the Qur'an.

While we can grasp the meaning of the Qur'an through translation it will never be the exact meaning as that of the Arabic words. Arabic is an extremely rich language and often there are no equivalent words in other languages such as English. Therefore, without learning Arabic it is unlikely we can ever fully appreciate the meaning and linguistic beauty of the Holy Qur'an.

Allah has made Islam easy for us. In the Qur'an it is written: 'And indeed, We have eased the Qur'an in your tongue that they might be reminded' [Qur'an: Chapter 44, Verse 58].

Let us not forget Allah asks in the Holy Qur'an: '"Are those who know equal to those who do not know?"' [Qur'an: Chapter 39, Verse 9].

The Messenger of Allah PBUH said, "Allah makes the way to Jannah easy for him who treads the path in search of knowledge. [Muslim]

Answer 4

The Muslim Caliphate is a vicious, Arab theocracy. Thus Arabic and Islam are key to their Propaganda.

Thank goodness most Muslims and Arabs are decent, nice people and the Caliphate is collapsing.