On the Merits of the Arabic Language
On the merits of the Arabic language
First sermon
All praise is due to Allah. He has endowed us with the Arabic as a language, and chosen it as a medium for transmitting the holy Quran. We equally extol our Creator for honouring us with His Book, being a guidance to us, and blessing us with eloquence. I bear witness there is no deity except Him, having no associates, and I also testify that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. He preferred him over others.
Amongst of all people, Muhammad pbuh was the most eloquent, sensible and generous, so may Allah’s peace and blessings be on him, his pure family, his pious Companions and all those who will follow them perfectly until the Last Day.
As to what follows, I exhort you and myself to be ever conscious of Allah and do construct our lives in accordance to what He has ordered us as He says, "And fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be treated unjustly." (Al Baqara: 281).
Dear Believers,
The Arabic language is a clear carrier of the message of Islam, a tool to convey the divine revelation and perform prayers and other rituals. It is as equally preserved as the holy Quran, just as Allah the Most Exalted says, “Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.” (Al Hijr: 9).
In this sense, the Arabic language is a guardian of the Arabic civilisation, communicating it to other nations and peoples. It is also its treasure memory throughout ages, a language recounting the divine miracles and a resource for literary creativity.
So if nations compete for excellence through their languages, our honour as a nation was Allah’s favour for choosing the Arabic language to reveal His best Book: the holy Quran. He the Almighty says, “And indeed, the Qur'an is the revelation of the Lord of the worlds. The Trustworthy Spirit has brought it down upon your heart, [O Muhammad] - that you may be of the warners - in a clear Arabic language.” (As-Shuaraa: 192-195).
The holy Quran came to make of the Arabic language an effective global language, by relating it with acts of intellect. Allah the Almighty says, “Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an that you might understand.” (Yusuf: 2).
As a result Muslims have positively interacted with the holy Quran, employed their intellect and worshipped Allah alone. They have populated life to such an extent that the Islamic civilsation has emerged to be a reality that cannot be denied.
Dear Servants of Allah,
Allah the most Exalted has associated the Arabic language with the call for acquiring knowledge, for He says, “A Book whose verses have been detailed, an Arabic Quran for a people who know.” (Fussilat: 3). So when the interest in knowledge increased, the Arabic language had topped their counterparts worldwide. Its speakers, -Muslims or non-Muslims- increased too thanks to its contribution to the progress of sciences that have benefitted the entire humanity.
Necessary as it was thanks to the knowledge resources it offered, great scholars called for learning the Arabic language and translating sciences into it. They also engaged in preparing dictionaries to make it easier for people to use Arabic correctly.
Allah the Almighty has also linked the Arabic language with piety, considering it a means to achieve it. He says, “[It is] an Arabic Qur'an, without any deviance that they might become righteous.” (Azzumar: 28).
Interconnected, the intellect, knowledge and piety are some factors bringing the Arabic language to flourish.
Indeed it is through language one can soundly understand the holy Quran and Islam without any exaggeration. Allah the Almighty says, “And We did not send any messenger except [speaking] in the language of his people to state clearly for them.” (Ibrahim: 4). On the same matter, one scholar said, “Only when people abandoned the Arabic language, had they grown ignorant and diverged.”
Dear Believers,
It is warned against making mistakes in Arabic because this leads to reciting Quran incorrectly. And this, in turn, leads to a loss in meaning and causes misunderstanding. For this reason, the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, were very keen to use the language correctly and watched over their sons and daughters to do the same.
It is therefore our responsibility to preserve the Arabic language by, for example, using it as a medium of communication in our meetings, work, various daily activities and in public speeches as per the decisions of our wise leadership. These are some steps that will ensure Arabic remains working and active in our life.
Other measures include encouraging our children to love their language by providing them with the means to immerse in its use, like through reading and memorisation of the holy Quran. The latter is the origin and source of our language. According to a scholar, getting accustomed to the language [Arabic] affects strongly the mind, manners and religion as well as the way we emulate the Companions and Followers. Thus by following the path of our [pious] predecessors we strengthen our mind, increase our religion and refine our morals.
Reading Arabic books and Arab’s history, reading and listening to poetry, and attending literary and cultural events are extra examples of beneficial activities that will help our children feel and understand that they belong to the realm of this language.
Dear Servants of Allah,
Everyone of us needs to shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding the Arabic language and seek wider use of it. At the same time, we need to use it properly by observing correct pronunciation, choosing the right expressions and avoid using foreign words and phrases while speaking in Arabic. To preserve it, we should either speak entirely in Arabic or, if need be, in a foreign language but without mixing them.
Yet, protecting the Arabic language does not mean ignoring learning foreign languages. Rather it is highly recommended to learn other languages so we can communicate with other people from other cultures and benefit from their knowledge. While doing this, we should not ignore the importance of putting our language first.
With this in mind, we seek Your grace to help us succeed in preserving the language of the holy Quran. May Allah help us also to obey Him, His Prophet Muhammad pbuh, and those He has ordained upon us to obey pursuant to His injunctions: "O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you."(Annisaa: 59).
May Allah direct us all to the blessings of the Glorious Quran and benefit us all in whatever is in it of the Ayat and the Wise Dhikr. I say this and ask Allah the Great, the Most Honoured for forgiveness for me, you and all the Muslims for every sin, so invoke Him for forgiveness, for He is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Second sermon
Praise be to Allah. I bear witness that there is no deity but Him, having no associates. I also bear witness that our Master Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger, may the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions and all those who will follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment.
As to what follows, please obey Allah and be aware that the Arabic language is a landmark of our Arabic and Islamic identity. Using it is one way to get closer to Allah the most Exalted. Neglecting it will lead to weakening our identity, being the basis of our progress and development. Umar Ibn Al Khattab said, “increase your knowledge in religion and learn Arabic.”
In the same regard, a scholar said, “whoever loves Allah the most Exalted loves His Prophet Muhammad pbuh. Whoever loves the Arab Prophet loves Arabs. Whoever loves Arabs loves Arabic with which the best of books was sent to Arabs and non-Arabs, and whoever loves Arabic shall dedicate himself to it.”
Dear Muslims,
Allah has asked you to abide by an order He has been the first to undertake, then His angels, for He says, "Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace." (Al Ahzab: 56).
The Prophet pbuh said, "for everyone who invokes a blessing on me will receive ten blessings from Allah." May the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon our Master Muhammad pbuh, his family and all his Companions.
O Allah, we seek Your favour to bless us with beneficial knowledge, let our hearts be full of Your gratitude and keep our tongue moist with Your remembrance. May Allah bless us with good provision, accepted work, well-being in mind and body and blessed living life and progeny.
May Allah be pleased with the Rightly Guided Caliphs and all those who will follow them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment.
O Allah guide us to know what is good, make us benefit from what we have learnt, and increase our knowledge.
O Allah, Give us piety and purify our souls. You are the Master and the Lord of souls. O Sustainer, amend our intentions, grant that our spouses and our offspring be a joy to our eyes and make success be an ally to us.
O Allah, we implore You at this instant not to let a sin unforgiven, a distress unrelieved, an illness unhealed or a handicapped without relief, a dead without mercy or a debt unsettled. Our Lord, give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire.
May Allah grant our leader HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Deputy, HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, success and provide strength and assistance to his brothers, Their Highness The Rulers of the Emirates, and his trustworthy Crown Prince HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
O Allah, forgive all of the Muslims, men and women, living and dead, and make blessings follow us and them. May Allah have mercy on Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Maktoum and all their brothers, the Late UAE Sheikhs. O Lord, forgive and show mercy, You are the Ever Merciful and there is no strength or power save with Allah, the High, the Great.
We pray to Allah, the Most Gracious, to continue blessing the UAE and all Muslim countries with safety and security.
O servants of Allah, remember Allah and He will remember you. Be grateful for His benevolence He will increase His blessings to you. Allah, the Most High, says, "And establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do." (Al Ankaboot: 45).
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