This is one of the commonly used arguments to discredit your point. As long as you don’t speak Arabic, your argument is invalid.
There is a really funny thing that happens and I’m not sure if you noticed. Go onto any blog, youtube channel, forum, etc. where people publicly announce that they have accepted Islam and read the reactions. There is no end to mashallahs and alhamdulillahs. Also, no one asks whether the convert speaks fluent Arabic and can understand the Qur’an in its original language. Sanity of the person in question is not disputed either.
But turn the tables and dare to say sth critical of Islam or express doubt(s). Then the first question you get asked is whether you speak fluent Arabic. Whilst leaving Islam pretty much equals insanity. Double-standard much?
First of all, according to my knowledge most Arab Muslims don’t understand the Qur’an well. According to my understanding you need to know Classical Arabic, which even most Arabs don’t know, to be able to understand all the nuances in the Qur’an. Speaking colloquial Arabic doesn’t mean that you are being literate or proficient in Classical Arabic. It is also valuable to study pre-Islamic poetry for better understanding.
So we can have two arguments now.
Only about 20% of all Muslims are Arabs who speak Arabic. However, as demonstrated above not all of them will be fluent in Classical Arabic. For argument’s sake let’s say that 10% of world population knows Classical Arabic and hence is able to understand it. It would mean that 90% of people are not able to understand the Qur’an. That makes the Qur’an obsolete to 90% of the world’s population! Universal? I think not.
Consider another scenario. You might need to know Classical Arabic to appreciate the poetry and structure of the Qur’an, and minor nuances but the overall message is clear. Personally I don’t think that one needs to understand Arabic to grasp the abhorrent concept of Hell or rules of inheritance as laid out in the Qur’an. I was told by Arabic speakers that some parts of the Qur’an are beautifully constructed and pleasant to read. I believe them. I also think that things do get lost in translation when it comes to the structure, flow, melody, etc. But to claim that the actual content is lost when translating?
The main point stands. If I need to know Arabic to actually understand the Qur’an, then by all means it is not universal, it is not perfect and thus cannot be the product of a perfect being.
11 comments:
Nice post :)
That would also imply that the verses translated into English are faulty and incomplete, yet they are often used in fatwa's and Islamic texts. Strange.
I love Arabic calligraphy too .. do watch out Turkish one too =)
Qur'an was revealed on earth in Arabic because Janna'h's language is Arabic. God knows the best because He made us so.
P.S I am a non Arab too. =)
what? in paradise everyone speaks Arabic? sources for that please :)
Almost a Muslimah...
I have made that argument before. When entering Islam no one is worried how much the new convert can read arabic...yet leave and they say the convert does it because they don't understand. So many say the quran is simple...for all times and places...so how come when someone questions it is because they don't understand and have taken things out of context? I have always found that statement..Quran is simple...to be applied very subjectively. If it is so simple and meant for all people then Allah should have had the foresight to understand that and make it translatable to all languages. Maybe not every word is translatable but the idea should transcend all barriers. That means if someone questions something or has an issue with something it should NOT be due to understanding and that argument should not be valid. AND if you have to understand Arabic to understand the quran then it IS a religion for Arabs, no?
Arabic the language of heaven? Hmmm...in my faith language is transcendent. Doesn't matter what you speak when you get there God will understand you. So if Arabic is the language of heaven and you don't speak it does that mean you will all of a sudden know it when you get there? Or are you doomed to a life of being mute and not understanding?
dear Oby,
thanks for stopping by and commenting. I've asked similar questions many many times and well, haven't received a satisfactory answers.
maybe upon entering heaven we will get a crash course in Arabic, who knows? ;-)
take care!
Hello Again, I am loving your posts (and going in reverse order replying on your latest blog and now reading older ones).
hmmm. Arabic, one of the world's most deep and complex languages. You are right, only a small fraction of the population could even hope to be able to recite from the Quran, let alone understand it. But does that make it less Godly less acceptable?
What if... What if, one feels so comfortable in the basic tenants of the religion that the context of the book is merely frosting on the cake?
What if... What if the translation is enough to make up one's mind? And they no longer have to seek for answers?
And what if... What if there are parts of the book that one doesn't agree with? God made us to question and implores us to seek knowledge, understanding and acceptance. That doesn't mean we can't believe in God.
Through your own seeking, you may find your own answers to the questions you have. Here are some I have found for myself (without having to know Arabic):
Why does God give men more inheritance than their sisters? I don't know, but I also don't care. I have decided that I have decided that I have no right to my parents' money, thus I make my own.
Why does God tell me to cover and not men? I don't mind covering, so I don't care if men don't have to. And it is sad that the men do not have the same way to show their devotion.
Why does God say I get in a break in my prayers but men don't? I appreciate not having to pray for a week or so. It makes praying in the long term much easier.
Why does God say that women should not be judges? Again, I don't know, and I don't care. I don't want to be a judge and nor do I favor a male judge over a female judge.
Why does God say that certain things/actions will lead to hell, or hell's population is made of certain groups and not others? Well, fair or not, in the end I pray constantly to not understand hell, but to bypass it all together and enjoy peace. I am not afraid of hell (is that good or bad?)
It can go on and on this way... I found my own answers that make me feel comfortable with my belief. I did this after not understanding others' answers: Arabic, English or the other.
In the end, you view the word of God how you want to. You can simply accept the view for what it is, or you can disagree with it. Maybe you will disagree so much to the point that you can't believe. Well, that again is between you and God. But we can't change it. It is what it is.
Respectfully,
Steph
hi again Steph :-)
well, you might not care about inheritance but when your husband dies you will get 1/8 of his wealth (I think I got that right), you will get less than your daughters.
all the things that you don't care about, I care :-) I'm glad you found your answers and you are comfortable with them. If I chose Islam, it would be religion that I chose as an adult, sb who made a conscious and informed decision and subscribes to the views of the Qur'an and hadiths.
My search led me to disagreement with a lot of things and I also feel comfortable with it.
I think you need to make a difference between believing in God and believing in Islam as the word of God. Even if you don't believe in Islam, you can still believe in God. And if you can view the word of God how you want to, why bother with particular religion if you can just make up your own?
Hello Almost,
I totally agree, there is a difference in believing in God and following a religion. My love of God has never lessened, but my challenges with religion are many. : )
In the post you spoke about how three groups of people could practice the religion differently based on one subject alone. It isn't about "making up your own" religion... it is about finding a path that makes you a better person (or what you think is a better person).
I strongly believe (as you can tell) that a person can view the word of God how they want to. That is what we (as humans) do with EVERYTHING around us. That is quite different from making a new religion.
Believe me, I wish we could all agree on one way to do everything. Alas, God gave us so many options, endless! We were all made as individuals and given endless choices. It can be frustrating, but it can also be liberating.
oh, I do agree with you about choosing Islam in adulthood. That is exactly my journey. I do not think that I would have found my peace in this religion when I was young (or in any religion for that matter). My experiences led me to this choice : ).
Lastly, on the inheritance subject: I am given a great opportunity to be a professional and make my own money... maybe that is why I don't need to rely on my father or husband's money? I also have faith that when I am old, my family will care for me and money will no longer matter to me. I totally understand that is not the same for other women. Which would lead them to have issues with this ruling.
Thanks for your reply! I enjoy the interaction.
Steph
Hi Steph,
sorry for late reply, have been busy.
I really fail to see how is finding a path that makes you a better person not making up your own religion. First of all, how can there be so many interpretations if the Qur'an is clear?
So there is a word of God in the form of the Qur'an and you say that a person can view it the way they want it? What's the use of it then? And most importantly, which interpretation/view is right? Are you saying they are all correct?
I really have hard time grasping it, sorry.
As for the last paragraph. You keep relating to your personal experiences and that's fine by me. I try to look at certain concepts from a theoretical perspective. The fact that inheritance part doesn't concern me doesn't matter, because there are millions of women that it DOES affect every day. Same goes for polygamy. If I were a Muslim, I would stipulate in my marriage contract that I'm against my husband taking another wife and I would be safe. However, polygamy is unacceptable to me as laid down in the Qur'an. So the fact that it won't concern me means nothing to me cause I disagree with the concept as a whole (it's a very simplified view of mine on polygamy but don't want to write about it here). Do you see where I'm going with this? I still would need to accept polygamy on the intellectual level simply because if I believe the Qur'an is the word of God, I have to do it. And I can't.
Hello again! (I think it is my turn to say sorry for the late reply),
In the beginning of my religious journey (that sounds corny, sorry) I was looking for the right answer for everyone's need. By the end, I realized what I really needed was the right answer for my needs. Selfish, but far less complex. I no longer tried to argue with others about what was fair, just, equal or right. Why do I need to? I fear only God, and have faith that my intentions are understood; that my study and understanding are with good heart and mind.
God has given me only so much capacity to understand and I struggle to work within that capacity. In the beginning I relied on others to assist me until I realized they had no more understanding nor authority than I to reach conclusions. However, I still believe in the word and try to avoid making it something that it is not just simply because I don't like it. I choose to agree to disagree on many concepts: including polygamy, inheritance, justice and slavery. I am acknowledging that the Quran addresses these issues, but I am openly saying that I disagree with some of them. That does not mean that I do not believe in the word of God. I believe it is the word of God, I just don't believe I can agree with it. That will ultimately be between me and God (won't that be interesting?)
Lastly, a question for you: do you believe that religion can be completely internalized? Meaning, you do not have to justify the way you practice or reason with someone about the cause/effect? It is ultimately between you and God?
Just to make clear, I am not intending to argue any concept of Islam with you, but rather the way you might look to a religion. Hope you don't feel offended, not my intent.
Steph
Hi again Steph :)
I needed to reread our previous posts to reply, sorry for delay!
Obviously Steph, I cannot tell you that the approach you took is wrong because it worked for you. Whatever I say will not change your mind but it is still nice to engage in a conversation with sb as it shows how different approaches people can have :-)
before I proceed to answer your question I will retype questions from my previous post to you which I don't think you answered.
how can there be so many interpretations if the Qur'an is clear?
So there is a word of God in the form of the Qur'an and you say that a person can view it the way they want it? What's the use of it then? And most importantly, which interpretation/view is right? Are you saying they are all correct?
as far as your question goes… hmm, I guess I could agree to certain extent with you that religion can be completely internalized. I agree because I think that you don't have to justify it to anyone the way you practice your religion. For example if you chose not to fast, I would say that this is clearly against islam but it's between you and your God, absolutely. However, if you told me that fasting is not obligatory in Islam (apart from certain exceptions) then I would say that this is not islam and you are inventing your own brand ;-)
However, this is not the approach that I would personally take. I'd analyze the scripture trying to get to the core and if I were convinced that the religion is the truth then whether I liked it or not (the commands), I would try to follow them as closely as possible. Does that make any sense cause not sure if I understood your question in a right way.
and don't worry, I don't take the offense :-) it's always valuable to see others' points of view even if I disagree with them :-) take care Steph!
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