Learning Arabic Part 1

By Amal S.

Bismillah

"Whosoever relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter. Whosoever alleviates the difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allah will alleviate his difficulties in both this world and the Hereafter. Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter. Allah will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant aids his brother. Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah makes mention of them amongst those who are in His presence. Whosoever is slowed down by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage." [Muslim]

It was around this time last year that I was in tears over Arabic. I found it overwhelming and felt like I could not keep up with my Arabic course. Alhamdulillah, nearly a year later I sat in class feeling overwhelmed again, but this time not with stress or confusion, but with awe and love of this amazing language – the language in which Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) chose for His kalaam (speech, words, etc) to be revealed to us. Alhamdulillah!

“Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, chose the Arabic language to be the vessel which would carry this light and guidance to mankind. This is mentioned in approximately ten places in the Qur’aan, such as the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation): 

And We have certainly presented for the people in this Qur'an from every [kind of] example - that they might remember. [It is] an Arabic Qur'an, without any deviance that they might become righteous.” [39:27-28] (excerpt from Islamqa.com)

Why learn Arabic?

You are learning the language in which the Rabb of all the worlds, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), revealed His kalaam – Al-Qur’an!

Do we not already spend our lives learning different things for our dunya – math at school, different subjects at university, computer operation, so on and so forth? If someone told us that treasures would be made available to us if we learned X language, would we not do so? If we could earn an extra $1,000,000 promotion simply by learning an X skill, would we not do so? Learning Arabic exceeds this because the fruits of learning this language affect our eman and our Hereafter. What could be grander? We have probably heard about the beauty of the Arabic language from shuyook and books, and we should make the intention and effort to at least try and learn the basics of the language. We should try to get a glimpse of the beauty, sweetness, and magnificence of understanding the speech of the King, our Creator, Protector, Sustainer…the words of our Rabb as they were revealed.

More information on the importance of learning Arabic in understanding the Qur’an and studying Islam: 

http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?id=503&category=2

http://en.islamtoday.net/node/1649

Some of the Fruits

There are so many fruits of learning Arabic, many of which we expect in the Hereafter insha’Allah, but just to name a few that we can expect in the dunya, bi’ithn Allah:

Ø Memorizing the Qur’an can become easier

Ø Learning du’as become easier

Ø You could feel greater khushoo’ when you understand what you (or the imam) are reciting

Ø You can understand the recitation of the Imam in taraweeh

Ø You can feel more connected to the Qur’an, more in awe

Ø You can feel a greater closeness to the narrations of the Prophet (salAllahu ‘alayhiwasallam)

Ø You are exerting your mind, body, and soul in learning part of your deen for the sake of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala). Your time and money will be rewarded insha’Allah.

Ø Seeking ‘ilm is an act of worship.

Ø And more…

We all have different opportunities and capabilities, so we should try our personal best to learn as much as we can – whether that is gaining a basic understanding of grammar and vocabulary, or becoming an advanced student. When we are not 100% dependent on a human attempt at conveying the meaning of the Qur’an, insha’Allah we will feel closer to the speech of Allah Ta’ala, and experience the Qur’an on an entirely different level.

I hope we are now yearning to taste the sweetness of reading an ayah, in Arabic, exactly as it was revealed by Allah Ta’ala.

Stick around for Part 2, where we get rid of excuses and get ready to launch into action insha’Allah!

Posted in: Amal S,arabic,Education,ilm,Quran