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How can the Qur’an be for all times if it couldn’t have been understood by non-Arabs until it

Answered as per Shafi'i Fiqh by Qibla.com

Answered by Ustadha Zaynab Ansari, SunniPath Academy Teacher

I was listening to a lecture by a non-Muslim who raised a point about the Qur’an. He said, it is funny that the Qur’an claims to be for all times when it was only translated into other languages, other than Arabic, many years after the Nabi Hazrat Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him). Basically he’s saying that the message of Islam or the Qur’an could not have been read or comprehended by non Arabs, until the Qur’an was translated into other languages.

Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.

Praise be to Allah, and may the peace and blessings of Allah shower upon our Beloved Messenger.

Apparently, the non-Muslim lecturer you listened to may need to read some good books about the spread of Islam. The Qur’an’s “claim” to be for all times is more than just a claim. It is a statement that reflects the universality of the Qur’an’s message and its relevance to all people in all times and places.

That the Qur’an was revealed in Arabic was no barrier to its acceptance by non-Arabs. If understanding Arabic were a prerequisite for accepting and understanding the message of the Qur’an, then all pagan and Christian Arabs would have been automatic Muslims! However, some of the staunchest opponents of the Qur’an’s message were the Arabs of the Quraysh themselves, who were famed for their eloquent Arabic.

When Islam spread to neighboring lands, it entered peoples’ hearts. Language was not a barrier. Islam was not forced on non-Arabs. Lands like Persia and Byzantium and Syria took centuries before a majority of the population accepted Islam. Even now, there are significant non-Muslim populations in these lands. This is a testament to Islam’s tolerance and the beautiful nature of our deen.

How many people have embraced a religion, a concept, or a way of life without fully understanding the original language underpinning that religion? Multitudes.

When the Muslims carried the message of the Oneness of Allah, the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the Noble Qur’an into non-Arabic speaking lands, they won the people over through their fine conduct and gracious examples. It did not matter that they spoke Arabic and the other people didn’t.

As Islam took root in these lands, for example in places like Persia and Central Asia, Islam was appealing because it was relevant, it spoke to the people’s condition, and it was not exclusivist. Thus, anyone could understand the simple but profound message that: There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger. One doesn’t have to be an Arab to grasp this. The beauty of this message was that when people grasped it, they were inspired to learn about their religion, to master the Arabic language, and make their own contributions to Islamic civilization. Some of the greatest masters of the Arabic language and the Islamic sciences were non-Arabs. Imam Bukhari, a Shafi’i scholar and hadith master, was Uzbek. Sibawayh, a master grammarian of the Arabic language, was Persian.

The translation of the Qur’an into many different languages has certainly made it easier for non-Arabic speaking people to have some understanding of the text. But only one book can be said to be the Qur’an, and that is the Arabic text as revealed to the Prophet, peace be upon him. Muslims all over the world strive to understand and read the Arabic, as they also discuss the message of the Qur’an in their own tongues. This is a very positive multi-lingual phenomenon that contributes to the dynamism of Islam.

And Allah knows best.

Umm Salah (Zaynab Ansari)

This answer was indexed from Qibla.com, which used to have a repository of Islamic Q&A answered by various scholars. The website is no longer in existence. It has now been transformed into a learning portal with paid Islamic course offering under the brand of Kiflayn.

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