Language Barrier....

[Isra]

I will soon become a revert to Islam and I have become curious about something. I dont know if I should even question these things but for some reason it came to my mind so I thought I might as well ask.

Ok let me first say that I totally understand why the Quran must be kept in its original language and why when we are quoting from it we should do so in Arabic but my native language is English. I was raised speaking ONLY English so of course anything in English is understandable to me. I consider it the language of my heart because its the language of the country that Allah had me born into. If this is the case why doesnt Allah allow us to pray or speak to him in the language closest to our heart considering we would understand everything we are saying???

I am worried about learning Arabic even to offer prayer because now as I am studying I have practiced some of the prayers which I downloaded onto my computer so I could hear them being said. I am having so much trouble pronouncing some of the words even when I am hearing them pronounced and I feel by my concentrating so hard on saying the words right Im not feeling the prayer in my heart. What I have done is to say the prayer first in Arabic to the best of my ability then repeating the same prayer in English when I can feel in my heart what I am saying. Is this wrong to do??? Im so confused at this point!

 

[muslimah-2k8]

Here's a similar question-
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Hi.



I'm Christian and have been researching Islam for quite some time. I have learned a lot and still feel unsure about a few things. I have wondered because Islam is possibly the true religion of God (Allah); why is it that the Arabic language is associated with Islam and that the English language is associated with Christianity?



It's like as if we are born into our religions because of what color our skin is and the language we speak. I just don't understand how when Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was being send the message, it ended up being an Arabic religion.



Why was the Qur'an specifically revealed in Arabic when the previous books were in English? Why wasn't it revealed originally in English? It makes me think it is specifically an Arabic religion.
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Salam, dear Jason.

Thanks for your question. First of all, it is important to correct a very common misunderstanding that some people have about Islam and Muslims. Not every Muslim is an Arab, and not every Arab is a Muslim.

It is true that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was an Arab by birth. At the time of his prophethood, many of his people worshiped idols. Some other Arabs were Christians and some were Jews. Others were monotheists who followed what remained of the religion of the prophet Abraham (peace be upon him). Yet all of them were native Arabic speakers.

It is common today to find many Arabs living in the Muslim world and in the West who are Christians and Jews. Although the majority of the world's Arabs are Muslims, not every Muslim is a native Arab. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims are not Arabs. The largest Muslim country in the world by population is Indonesia with approximately 200 million Muslim citizens, most of whom do not speak Arabic. There are also over 100 million Muslims in China that make up the one of the largest Muslim minorities of any country in the world. Millions of Muslims live in many non-Arab countries such as India, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan and Iran, to name but a few.

It is true, as you mentioned, that Arabic is a distinguishing feature of Islam, but this is only because it is the language that the Qur'an was revealed in, and obviously because it is the language of Prophet Muhammad and his people. There are many important reasons why Allah chose Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Arabic language for his final message. However, Muslims of all cultural backgrounds strive to learn Arabic so that the depth of the message of Allah is best understood and implemented in our daily lives.

So as you can see, Islam is a way of life that all people can follow, regardless of the language they speak or the traditions they follow, so long as those traditions do not go against the teachings of Islam as revealed in the Qur'an and as taught to us by our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him).
Regarding your point about the English language being the language of Christians, most Christians around the world are not native English speakers. There are millions of Spanish, French, German, Russian and even Arab Christians, to name a few, around the world. Also, the earliest books of the Bible and other scriptures were not written in English, but were written in Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek. The Bible was then translated into Latin over 400 years after the time of Jesus (peace be upon him) for use by the Roman Catholic Church, which remains the official language of the church until this day. Jesus (peace be upon him) even spoke Aramaic, not English as some might think.

A Latin Bible was later used to produce an English translation in the 1380s by John Wycliffe. The original Hebrew and Greek translated versions of the Bible are not commonly used today by the vast majority of the world's Christians, except perhaps in research by Christian scholars of religion.

In Islam, there are no translations that are considered to be authentic versions of the Qur'an. The Noble Qur'an remains unchanged as it was at the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Qur'anic translated versions we see in different languages are more properly called interpretations, since it is impossible to translate the Qur'an into other languages without losing some of its meaning. This is because the Arabic language is a much broader language than most other languages. Also, there are no equivalents in other languages for many words and ideas that we find in Arabic. These specific linguistic features — among others — are behind the choice of the Arabic language to be the vehicle of the last Divine message to mankind.

I hope this makes things clearer for you. Keep up your study of Islam. You seem to be a sincere person and I am sure that Allah will guide you to the truth, in sha' Allah.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to send us again. Thank you and please keep in touch.

Salam.

 

[muslimah-2k8]

I will soon become a revert to Islam and I have become curious about something. I dont know if I should even question these things but for some reason it came to my mind so I thought I might as well ask.

Ok let me first say that I totally understand why the Quran must be kept in its original language and why when we are quoting from it we should do so in Arabic but my native language is English. I was raised speaking ONLY English so of course anything in English is understandable to me. I consider it the language of my heart because its the language of the country that Allah had me born into. If this is the case why doesnt Allah allow us to pray or speak to him in the language closest to our heart considering we would understand everything we are saying???

I am worried about learning Arabic even to offer prayer because now as I am studying I have practiced some of the prayers which I downloaded onto my computer so I could hear them being said. I am having so much trouble pronouncing some of the words even when I am hearing them pronounced and I feel by my concentrating so hard on saying the words right Im not feeling the prayer in my heart. What I have done is to say the prayer first in Arabic to the best of my ability then repeating the same prayer in English when I can feel in my heart what I am saying. Is this wrong to do??? Im so confused at this point!

You can learn the arabic salaah slowly... you needn't overwhelm yourself with everything... keep learning...

The reason for Arabic being used is that the translations aren't 100% accurate...If everybody says the salaah in their own language, there would be divisions among them... to avoid this we use only one language-arabic... hope that clarifies...

 

[Isra]

Thank you for the reply sister but unlike the person who asked the question in your post I do understand why the Quran was revealed in the Arabic language and I know why it cannot be altered from that language. Also the person in your post who asked the question said all the other "Christian" books were revealed in English (which we all know is not the case).

However my question was not as to why the Quran was revealed in Arabic but my concern is that I may never understand what I am saying while praying!!!! I am very concerned about this because even in the short time I have been studying I learned that Shaitan whispers to those who completely understand the language as they pray. What is to become of someone like me who is praying and doesnt even know what Im saying??? I am very concerned that I am to become Shaitan's plaything as I attempt to pray. I am just saying it would be so much easier for me to concentrate on what I am saying if it was ok to use my own language.

 

[muslimah-2k8]

Since you are new to Islam, you needn't pray the whole prayer in Arabic... if you cannot understand, it is better to translate... Allah is MOST MERCIFUL.... but do try to quickly learn the prayer in arabic...it won't take much time to learn the basic prayer in arabic...

learn islam through flashes
http://english.islamway.com/bindex.php?section=flashmain
[flash]http://english.islamway.com/prayer/BegSound.swf[/flash]

hope that clarifies...

 

[Isra]

Thank you again Sister and yes I have seen that video previously. I also have a book given to me by a Muslima I met in the store I work. She was kind enough to give me a couple books and one has the instruction on how to perform wudu and salat but still my concern is not that I cannot do it but the way I am pronouncing the words. Some of the sounds in the words (not all words but a few) I am not able to master yet.

I will take your advice though and not beat myself up because I have time yet and I am really just practicing for when I take my Shahada. Then Inshallah I will be able to pronounce the words that have been difficult for me now. If I really stop and think about how far Ive come in the past few months that I have been learning I wont be so hard on myself. I have only been studying for maybe 2 months now. If someone had said to me 2 months ago that someday I would know certain words in Arabic I would have thought they were crazy!!!

Thank you for caring enough to help me so much!!! I appreciate your help so much!

 

[shichemlydia]

help inchae allah

salam alikoum,
may allah make it easier for you, ameen,
by the way there is quran in english and other languages, you can read from it to understand the meanings. you can find the pdf version on www.islamtomorrow.com.
for the prayer, they should be delivered in arabic, the core of the prayer i the reading of some verses of the quran, you can read the easiest ones for you, and be sure that allah swt will not punish you for your bad pronounciation of the words, because you are not an arab, so allah do not punish you for something he did not gave it to you.....
believe me, it is a matter of time, you will manage to read in arabic, you are not the first one, there are thousands before you.
wa salam alikoum

 

[Almeftah]

dear Tree..

Don't rush it, With Allah's willing it'll be very easy to you, just take it a step at a time..

There are many easy ways to learn arabic, and with practice, everything is possible.

Goodluck..

 

[Mohsin]

Peace be upon you sister,

First of all I congratulate you on finding the truth and being firm upon it. I pray that Allah ease it up for you.

Secondly, sister I would like to tell you that in Islam, Salah (ritual prayer) is a unique kind of act of worship as it is not mere words but some movements combined with it too which show the gratitude and our need for Allah. This ritual prayer is the only prayer which is required to be done in arabic other than this you can pray (seek help) to Allah the way you like sitting, lying or standing and in whatever language you want to there are no restrictions.

Now back to the ritual prayers i.e. Salah. As you are newly revert there is some ease for you until you learn to pray and say those words in arabic properly. This is what the scholars say.

If you have not yet learned the manner and characteristics of performing the prayer (i.e. at least the movements and positions), appended to this message is a description from which you can learn. What is requried from you for the time being is to say in the beginning of the prayer and between each movement between positions "Allaahu ak-bar" (a glorification of Allaah). While standing, bowing, prostrating, and sitting, you should say "subhaan allaah wal-hamdu lillaah wa-laa ilaaha illallaahu wallaahu akbar." (Glory be to Allaah, and praise and thanks be to Allaah, and there is no god but Allaah, and Allaah is the most Exalted and Great.) Then conclude the prayer by turning your head to the right then left, each time saying "as-salaamu alaikum."

This way of performing salaat is permissible for you until you can learn and memorize what should be said in each movement and position of the salaat.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid​

I hope this helps, inshaAllah.

 

[Mixedup]

Dear Sister

Hooray another sister facing the same problems!!
I too am english and was born a Christian. I am also struggling with my Arabic and to top that of I also am trying to learn Punjabi. My partner constantly laughs as I speak with a French accent when learning (School French Lessons!!!). To then add to this my 8 year old son is learning his Koran in arabic and puts me to shame!!!
My partner explained to me that saying the prayers in English loses some meaning in Translation therefore not been true. However I am lucky that he translates it into English as such so that I understand what I am saying in Arabic if you get me. Maybe someone you know could help you understand the prayers by translating them for the purpose of understanding.
Stick with it and it will get better. I am useless but keep trying because if I dont I'll never improve and its suprising how much I do know when tested.
Good luck

 

[Isra]

Assalamo Alaikome....

You know I thought the words was the most important thing. I havent even begun to try the positions yet. I have not taken Shahada yet and really Im just trying to study and practice learning the words and the meaning of them. I am also still reading the translation of the Quran which I have online. I signed up online 2 months ago to recieve the original Arabic Quran mailed to my house but it never arrived (not that I could read it now but I really wanted just to have it).

I will keep struggling because I know nothing in this life comes easy (at least it never has for me anyway) and I have so much faith in Allah that when it is necessary for me to know what he wants me to know it will be there for me. At this point I cant even read the translation without tears flowing down my cheeks from the emotion of what it makes me feel inside. This is what made me know it truely is Allah's word.

I have one other question. Since you said I need to just say those words and practice the positions am I able to write it on a paper and read it while I am moving around??? Forgive me but all the words now sound pretty much the same to me. I dont want to make a mistake on the simpliest of prayer.

Again I thank everyone for their help and encouragement! This is truely a lovely website and I feel very welcome here.

 

[Mohsin]

Peace be upon you sister,

Sure you can write them on paper and learn them. It too will be counted as Dhikr (rememberance of Allah) and you will learn them easily as well. Just be careful not to take them to the restroom though .

May Allah make it easy for you.

 

[Mixedup]

Dear sister

From my personal point of view you will learn by practice. If you need to hold the prayers or read them rather than them been in memory its still good. If you do make mistakes I dont think it matters I get confused with the la's in prayer but feel the fact I am doing it and trying is all that matters. One day it will fall into place and be easy
Good Luck
Jo

 

[cmelbouzaidi]

:salam2: i remember when i became muslim all those years ago, i used to keep my little prayer book beside me on my prayer mat. It detailed the prayer in arabic and in english with the phonetics in the english alphabet. This way, i could learn to pronounce and understand what i was saying at the same time. Soon you will find you no longer need the book but it did help a lot.

 

[al-muslimah]

Salaam Alaycoum

Sister you don't have to learn ALL the Arabic Language. Just know the main things you have to say in the prayer, for example, Surat AL-Fatiha and a short surah, which can be Surat Al-ekhlas or surat AL-nass or Surat alfalaq or Surat AL-asir or any other short sura. I advice you to memorize Surat Al-asir because its so easy to memorise plus its the shortest surah in the quran. you could recite them(Surat fatiha and short surah) every time you pray..after you feel you have memorized them so well, which could take time, learn another short Surah.
BTW sister when you do duaa(supplication) to Allah, whether it was during salah or not,you could say it in any language you prefer.the language you can express your feelings in,which is English.

take care

 

[labagel]

I only reverted a few weeks ago and felt very overwhelmed at first (English is my native language as well). I spent a week or so reading everything off a piece of paper, and slowly I began to remember bits and pieces without having to look at the paper. It will definitely come to you with time. Hang in there!

 

[Isra]

I only reverted a few weeks ago and felt very overwhelmed at first (English is my native language as well). I spent a week or so reading everything off a piece of paper, and slowly I began to remember bits and pieces without having to look at the paper. It will definitely come to you with time. Hang in there!

Thank you sister I will not give up! Im in Michigan too!!!! What part if you dont mind my asking??? Im in the South West corner!!!

 

[Anaylis]

Keep going!

Dont worry sisters i used to have the whole entire pray in a paper, everything begining with Allahu Akbar and then finiching with assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah by my side in my prayer rug, but with the practice of every day you will learn without realizing. So keep going may Allah bless you and you can pm if you need something!
Wa salam

 

[Isra]

As-Salamo Alaikome! Isnt this a wonderful crazy world we live in??? We might feel our problems are ours alone and when we are going through something it might feel we are the first to ever have experienced this but then we post a message and it appears we arent so alone after all!!!

Please know that all of your posts have given me the added strength and encouragement I needed just knowing I am not going through any of this alone and this obstacle will pass before I know it !

 

[nyerekareem]

:salam2:

i have been learning the arabic language for a little while now. i must say that so far it has been very rewarding. because when you begin to learn the language, you are able to understand the quran more deeply because you begin to understand some of the root words and the meaning become clearer.