Arabic, Our First Language
Arabic, as the liturgical tongue of Muslims, should be our very first language. Although many of us learn some Arabic to read the Quran, the question remains - why aren't we learning Arabic fluently when it comes to foreign languages either during formal education or in supplemental activities?
We take up Spanish, we feel the need to question one another about French skills, we glorify Korean and Chinese and we even ponder over Latin. Classical Arabic, the language of the Quran (also known as Fusha) is largely unknown in most circles both within the Arab nations and throughout the Muslim world.
Perhaps our ancestors could have set a precedent. Could we have possibly had fusha fluency and multilingual nations in areas such as the subcontinent and the far east?
Many far-flung nations, tucked away from the traditional Arab speaking lands, graduate scores of Huffaz, a glorification that exceeds all others. However, Arabic language as a skill set in those regions still remains very low. We should task ourselves as the ones who will play a role in bringing back Arabic and make a great change.
The Enduring Nature of Arabic
Arabic has never vanished, it is the great Semitic language and still maintained in its original form due to the Holy Quran. Arabic never had to be reconstructed, unlike languages which have disappeared and made a comeback.
A trend in Arabic which dates back historically is that many speakers of classical Arabic today are non-native Arabic speakers. Many reasons are behind this such as the spread of Islam and also because Orientalism successfully managed to diminish the status of Arabic as a language within the Arab lands.
Historical Challenges
Arabic was seen as a unifying language among Muslims but Orientalism seeks to divide. The wide use and spread of various Arabic dialects and colloquialism was also highly encouraged to stop unification by a common language.
Nationalism and tribalism; discouraged practices in Islam were encouraged and this led to unrest. Culture, arts and languages only develop during times of peace and prosperity. Other nations were busy studying Islam sciences & Arabic while the Arabs were in the midst of war.
Non-Arab Scholars Leading Arabic Learning
Thus, Islam and Arabic flourished in other lands and were often taught to Arabs by non-Arabs who were grand scholars. Examples include:
- Imam Bukhari & Imam Ibn Sina (Uzbekistan)
- Imam Ghazali (Seljuk Empire)
- Imam Al-Battani (Sabean descent)
The majority of Muhadditheen (scholars of Hadith) are non-Arabs. Even the founder of Arabic grammar was not an Arab (Sibawayh).
Our Responsibility
Those of us who are fortunate enough to have been given time and capacity should immerse ourselves in studying Quranic Arabic. As Muslims, it is one of the most worthwhile pursuits and it is important to note that Arabic was chosen by Allah as the language for the Quran because it is the only language sophisticated enough to convey the meaning of the Quran.