In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may blessings and peace be upon the noblest of the prophets and messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and companions.
This is a summary of what was presented in this part of the explanation of Imam al-Shafi’i’s book al-Risala, focusing on the important points and clarifications.
The origin of language:
- The scholars disagree about the origin of language: was it originally instituted by Allah the Exalted, or is it a matter of agreement and convention among people?
- The first view: the origin of meanings and words is an original divine institution, citing the verse: “And He taught Adam the names - all of them” (Al-Baqarah 2:31).
- The difficulty with this view: it is hard to conceive of Adam knowing tens of thousands of languages, and of how they were passed on to his descendants.
- The second view: words are conventional, established by people’s agreement on their meanings.
- The difficulty with this view: it is hard to conceive of people agreeing on every word of the language, although this can be conceived for some modern words, such as the term thallajah (“refrigerator”).
- The middle view: language is inspired, meaning that Allah the Exalted inspired the speakers of a language to speak it, just as He inspires them to learn certain words to denote particular things.
- Reconciling the views: there may be ancient words that Adam was taught, while the rest of the words come either through learning or through inspiration and divine facilitation.
- An example of learning: a child asking about the meaning of the word mirwahah (“fan”).
- An example of inspiration: a child calling the brakes massakah (“the holder”).
- Conclusion: language contains a conventional part established by people’s agreement, and a part granted by Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.
The coinciding of non-Arab tongues with the tongue of the Arabs:
- There is nothing to prevent some Arabic words from coinciding with a non-Arabic tongue, to a small or large degree, whether through learning, cultural contact, or wars.
- Example: the word banan in the Latin language.
- The influence of the Arabic language on European languages, especially Spanish and Portuguese.
- The difference between yahtafiq and yattafiq in the dialect of the Hijaz and elsewhere.
- The transfer of some words between neighboring non-Arabic languages, such as Hindi and Urdu.
The proof that the Book of Allah is in the tongue of the Arabs:
- A response to those who said that since Muhammad ﷺ was sent to all people, he may have been sent in the tongue of his people specifically, or in all their tongues.
- If tongues differ, some must necessarily follow others, and the merit belongs to the tongue that is followed over the one that follows.
- The tongue most deserving of merit is the tongue of the Prophet ﷺ.
- He mentioned some verses that show the Qur’an is in a clear Arabic tongue, such as the verses: “And indeed, it [i.e., the Qur’an] is the revelation of the Lord of the worlds. The Trustworthy Spirit [i.e., Gabriel] has brought it down upon your heart, [O Muhammad] - that you may be of the warners - in a clear Arabic language” (Ash-Shu’ara 26:192-195); the verse: “And thus We have revealed it as an Arabic legislation” (Ar-Ra’d 13:37); the verse: “And thus We have revealed to you an Arabic Qur’an that you may warn the Mother of Cities [i.e., Makkah] and those around it” (Ash-Shura 42:7); the verses: “Ha, Meem. By the clear Book, indeed, We have made it an Arabic Qur’an that you might understand” (Az-Zukhruf 43:1-3); the verse: “[It is] an Arabic Qur’an, without any deviance that they might become righteous” (Az-Zumar 39:28); the verse: “And We certainly know that they say, ‘It is only a human being who teaches him [i.e., the Prophet ﷺ].’ The tongue of the one they refer to is foreign, and this [recitation, i.e., Qur’an] is [in] a clear Arabic language” (An-Nahl 16:103); and the verse: “And if We had made it a foreign [i.e., non-Arabic] Qur’an, they would have said, ‘Why are its verses not explained in detail [in our language]? Is it a foreign [recitation] and an Arab [messenger]?’” (Fussilat 41:44).
- A response to those who cited the word “hamim” (apparently the opening letters Ha Mim) as evidence that the Qur’an contains meaningless expressions, explaining that it has a meaning known to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.
- Explanation of some of the meanings of the verses.
The amount of the Arabic tongue that must be learned:
- Every Muslim must learn as much of the tongue of the Arabs as his effort allows, so that he can bear witness in it that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, recite the Book of Allah in it, and utter in it the remembrance made obligatory upon him.
- A warning against learning the language merely for boasting and distinction; rather, learning must be for a noble religious purpose.
This is a summary of what was presented in this part. We ask Allah the Exalted for success and guidance to what is right.
All parts of Summary of the Explanation of al-Risala by Shaykh Dr. Ahmad al-Naqeeb