Why language is irrelevant!

[youssef4342]

Peace everyone
(This topic is a refutation against the notion that we should only /pray/read the Quran in Arabic.)

Now the notion that might be in the so called "Muslim circle" is that you have to pray in Arabic, or read the Quran in Arabic, or that the Arabic language is better to use than other language.
This notion does not hold basis or roots in the Quran and here is why:
There are many narrations and prayers in the Quran (i.e Abraham praying (14:35), Moses praying (20:25), Jesus Praying (5:114), ZakarYAH doing his salat 3:39)... etc).

Now the Question is, did these people speak Arabic? No!
Well how come in the Quran, they do speak Arabic?
Obviously what must have been done was that there prayers/narrations were TRANSLATED from their original languages that they spoke, respectively, into the Arabic Language. This means that some of what we have in the Quran, is not  the original, but a translation!

Yet God Almighty tells us that the Quran is a truthful narration! (3:62).
Well if that's so, This has to mean that it does not matter what language was used, and what really matter was the MEANING of the words that were said!
Thus If it was good enough for God Almighty to use translations, and also state that was the truth (3:62), then it is good enough for us to use translations of prayers/the Quran, in whatever language and try to convey their MEANING.

Moreover, God Almighty cited to us that Even if the Quran was revealed in whatever language, people would have still complained, why didn't it's verses be explained?
And the after-comment to this complaint is that Arabic and Non-Arabic, it is a guidance and healing for the BELIEVERS. (41:44)
Thus Again, the importance was laid upon the MEANING of the words, or what they convey, and not the Language itself!

God Almighty cited to us that he did not send any messenger except in the language of his people to Explain to them (14:4). Thus If the Arabs spoke any other language, the Quran was going to be in that language, in order for the Prophet to try to explain to them (also 19:97, 44:58), because they did not get a warner before him (32:3).


(If this notion is brought up, that we should pray in Arabic, or read the Quran in Arabic, or that the Arabic language is better to use than other language, ask the advocator, did Abraham, Moses, ZakarYAH, and so and so, in the Quran Pray in Arabic? Then Why does God Almighty cite to us them speaking in the Arabic Language?
Is this not an obvious translation? Thus If it was good enough for God Almighty to use translations, and also state that was the truth (3:62), then it is good enough for us to use translations of prayers/the Quran, in whatever language and try to convey their MEANING.)

[Raine]

This was always one thing that made me hesitant about Islam (I am an agnostic seeker currently, studying Islam for about a year, and finally learning that the sectarian ways are definitely not the right path for me), the language part.

I was always told everyone was to pray in Arabic for "unity" or something along that line. And so I've tried and tried to learn this or that, but in the end all I've done is memorize a bunch of phrases that I have no idea what they mean.

Sure I've looked up the translations, but what I mean is.. when I say the words? I don't recognize what is coming out of my mouth. This makes no sense to me! If I am praying or devoting to God, how does it mean a single thing if I don't understand what I'm doing?  I'm an English speaker. I was born in the English-speaking world. It does not make any sense for me to commune with God in any other language.

I think the Arabic language is lovely and beautiful, but I just don't have a knack for this language stuff. 

[/rant] sorry for the rant 

[IAMOP]

Peace, Love, Wisdom

Consider:

Consonants
VS
Vowels

Rock
Vs
Water

Soft fire
Hard water

Air
Heart
Brain

Arabic has just 3 vowels.
29 consonants.





Which one is Booba and which one is Kiki? "Synesthesia is a perceptual experience in which a stimulus in one modality gives rise to an experience in different sensory modality."

Al-Quran is a musical composition and God is the lyricist. Who better than God supreme to compose and direct this masterpiece!

Peace, Love, Enlightenment

[Raine]

I do like the "three vowels" thing 

That is an interesting graphic, do you have a larger version?

[youssef4342]

Peace Raine & IAMOP    

Well, fortunatelly, The Quran is a guidance & healing to the Believers. You do not need to speak Arabic, or Pray in Arabic. I don't currently Pray in 100% Arabic. I know Arabic, but i feel more sincere when praying in English.

And IAMOP, Lovely thing you brought Synesthesia up because at one time i was somewhat "fascinated" by it. Tasting Colors and sounds! hmmm, what would some of the Quranic Recitation Taste like 
I would think that Booba is the round-ish one and kiki is the sharp angular one, just like kiki has such a sharp angular sound.

Another thing, is that Arabic is a phonetic language, if you have knowledge of it enough, you can rarely mispell a word, moreover the Quran is easy to memorize because it has a rythm into it. If you notice, most of the words in a given specific chapter have the same ending sound (Idk if all suras exhibit this effect), but obviously that would help with memorizing the worlds, partly because the serial position effect. Moreover, you can memorize a things better if they have a rythm, and if you hear them (can take 10-20x), in comparison with reading and looking at them (can take 50x+ times) (taken from a lanaguge study course book). Moreover, the Quran is easy to learn because its almost 80k words or so, are actually build from about 2k roots, thus if you learn these frequent roots, and the most used words, it would very much be lucrative in the time spend studying & progression level.
Helpful sites:
http://corpus.quran.com/
http://understandquran.com/
http://tanzil.net/

Also, words have power built into them, partly because sound is energy. Sounds can effect things on a molecular level, as seen by the research of Masaru Emoto, and his book "Message of Water".
Also he also expiremented with some Quranic verses/words etc, see the arabic video (parts 1 & 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfOTouziEig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaLbPyx7hvA

[Mr.Q]

Salam,

I also pray in English. I know the prayer in Arabic and used to say it that way, but it is just sounds. I was still "speaking"/translating the Arabic sounds I make with my mouth, into english in my head so whats the point? We also pray to God outside of the Contact Prayers during our day as well and we call on God with our hearts as well, all in the language we were born with and God knows and understands it all of course!

The language you pray in means nothing. You pray in your heart in the language God willed for you. God has no need for you to pray in a language you don't know or understand.

Arabic is the language of the Quran and thats what we refer to, to study and understand our translations and to understand the Message better, but Prayer is personal between you and God and should be done in the language you know and understand.

[IAMOP]

God is the originator of language;

The important thing is that you pray and EXPRESS the prayer. You have input, process, output. As long as a prayer is coming in as OUTPUT it does not matter.

Not all forms of prayer are equal either. Some forms of prayer may be far more powerful to your body than other forms of prayer. Work out what works best for you.

[Raine]

Salam,

I also pray in English. I know the prayer in Arabic and used to say it that way, but it is just sounds. I was still "speaking"/translating the Arabic sounds I make with my mouth, into english in my head so whats the point?

This is exactly it, in a nutshell. I'm translating in my head anyway, and God knows what's in my head, so really it is a touch unnecessary.

I do love the Arabic language though and I like to encompass some Arabic into my prayers because I think it is beautiful and it makes me feel peaceful. If that makes any sense at all 

[Gnosis]

Also, words have power built into them, partly because sound is energy. Sounds can effect things on a molecular level, as seen by the research of Masaru Emoto, and his book "Message of Water".
Also he also expiremented with some Quranic verses/words etc, see the arabic video (parts 1 & 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfOTouziEig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaLbPyx7hvA

As-salaam Alaikum - M HTP

Excellent point, I was going to bring this up. When you speak the Qur'an in the Arabic tounge (since that is the tounge it was revealed in), you are literally speaking the Qur'an into existance, making it come alive. It is truly a great power, divine energy. Remember, everything that exist was created by the Word. That alone is a sign of the importance of language. It's also true that Isa and Musa did not speak Arabic, but they still spoke a language that came from the same root, the Semetic tounge. That tongue and it's many dialects are much more powerful languages than English and modern day languages. And again, reciting the Qur'an and Salat in Arabic is important because that is the language it was revealed in and is the language that when spoken, brings it to life.

[IAMOP]

When you speak the quran in ANY tongue you are making it come alive.

As long as you are speaking THE clear message, not your own opinion/interpretation into it.

As long as the ears around you are open and receptive to ALL of what you are saying, ready to respond to the reminder;

Then have you made quran come alive.

Arabic is a clear language where there is no room for error, at least in the quranic sense. That does not necessarily mean that praying in Arabic without knowing what you are saying will help. The aim is clarity of mind: how YOUR prayer connects YOU to God and guards YOU from evil. The prayer is not to feed God but to protect YOU from your own hands and feet and others' too.