In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger ﷺ.
Continuing the chapter on the fifth kind of bayan (ijtihad and analogy), and clarifying that the Qur’an is in a clear Arabic tongue (completion):
Imam al-Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, continues his discussion in this chapter, focusing on the following points:
- The obligation on non-Arabs to learn Arabic: He stresses that non-Arabs are obliged to learn the Arabic language in order to understand the religion, and not to be content with translation except out of necessity at the beginning of conveying the message. He cites the view of Shaykh Muhammad Shakir warning against the spread of translation as the primary language of the religion, because of the fragmentation of the nation’s unity that it may lead to. He explains that a complete understanding of the religion can only be reached through the Arabic sciences.
- The importance of knowing the breadth of the tongue of the Arabs: He stresses that knowing the breadth of the tongue of the Arabs, the multitude of its modes of expression, and how its meanings converge and diverge is the foundation for understanding the Book of Allah. Whoever is ignorant of the tongue of the Arabs will not understand the clarification of the summary statements of the knowledge of the Book, and doubts will enter upon him.
- Sincere counsel to the Muslims: He explains that alerting the common people to the fact that the Qur’an was revealed in the tongue of the Arabs is sincere counsel (nasihah) to the Muslims and an undertaking to make the truth clear, and that this is part of obedience to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. He cites the hadith about the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ to give sincere counsel to every Muslim.
- Kinds of address in the Qur’an: Imam al-Shafi’i begins to explain the kinds of address in the Qur’an in terms of generality and specificity, which is one of the most important issues related to inference. He divides address into three kinds:
- General, intended as outwardly general: This is what addresses people at large and contains no specifying proof. Examples: “Allah is the Creator of all things” (al-Zumar 39:62), and “And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision” (Hud 11:6).
- Outwardly general, intended as general, but admitting the specific: This is what addresses people at large, but from which some individuals are excluded by specific proofs. Example: “It was not [proper] for the people of Madinah and those surrounding them of the bedouins that they remain behind after [the departure of] the Messenger of Allah” (al-Tawbah 9:120). This is outwardly general, but it was specified to men able to fight in jihad, and women, children, the sick, and those unable were excepted from it.
- Outwardly general, intended as specific: This is what has outwardly general wording but whose intended meaning is specific from the outset. Example: “Those to whom people said, ‘Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them’” (Al ‘Imran 3:173). The word “people” here is outwardly general, but what is meant is particular people (Quraysh).
- The outward and the non-outward (the literal and the figurative): Imam al-Shafi’i also divides speech into the outward (zahir) and the non-outward, which the later scholars know as the literal (haqiqah) and the figurative (majaz). The outward is what is understood directly from the wording, and the non-outward is where the context or indicators show that another meaning than the outward one is intended. Example: “And do not make your hand [as] chained to your neck or extend it completely” (al-Isra’ 17:29). The outward sense of the verse is a prohibition on tying the hand to the neck or stretching it out completely, but what is meant is a prohibition on miserliness and extravagance.
- The ways words indicate meanings: Imam al-Shafi’i points to the ways in which words indicate meanings in the Arabic language, such as synonymy (many names for one meaning) and polysemy (one name for many meanings).
- The importance of knowing Arabic for inference: He stresses the importance of knowing the Arabic language, the indications of words, and the kinds of address, in order to understand the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ and to argue from them correctly. Whoever speaks about the rulings of the Shariah without knowledge of the Arabic language falls into error.
Summary:
In this part Imam al-Shafi’i explains the importance of learning the Arabic language in order to understand the religion, and clarifies the kinds of address in the Qur’an in terms of generality and specificity, the outward and the non-outward, and the ways words indicate meanings. He stresses that knowledge of the Arabic language is necessary for sound inference.
All parts of Summary of the Explanation of al-Shafi'i's al-Risala by Dr. Yasir Burhami