Understanding the Arabic Language does not

Mean One Understands the Qur'an

The majority of the people assume that if one understands the Arabic language, it means he is
capable of understanding the Qur'an. They are also quick to dismiss anyone who has a point to
make about the Quran's verses, if they are not an Arab or do not speak Arabic. A consistent feature
of these sorts of people is that they themselves know little about the Qur'an because they never
attempt to research the Qur'an directly. This is because of an intentionally induced inferiority
complex of not knowing Arabic which gives them the excuses they need to stay distant from the
Qur'an, as well as due to some other vain excuses. They never attempt to understand the verses of
the Qur'an themselves. All of their views on the Qur'an are formed entirely by following other people
and texts written by those whose trust they assume. They have only read the Qur'an's verses in text
books in the context created by their trusted writers, or otherwise read the Arabic verses in
ritualistic recitation, or in prayer without understanding them. Sometimes, he feels he has done
enough by reading the translation of the few verses he recites frequently in prayer.

As stated above, their excuse is that the Qur’an is not in their language and only an Arab or an
Arabic speaker can understand the verses. The truth is however far from their mistaken beliefs. A
believer can understand the Qur'an and live by it even while possessing little or no Arabic
knowledge.

History is witness to many people who are proficient in the Arabic language, yet made very
twisted and perverted interpretations of the Qur'an, all while they are accepted to be well skilled
by the majority. The majority being the group we have identified above. These interpreters of
the Qur'an consider themselves Muslims, yet made countless erroneous interpretations - even
while knowing Arabic. This begs the question, does knowing Arabic mean one can understand
the Qur’an? The disbelievers of Makkah were expert in the language of the Qur'an, but they did
not understand many of the concepts and similitudes of the Qur'an. They thus rejected it as
being words of a madman.

What one needs to comprehend is that understanding the Qur'an means to understand correctly
what is being told in the verses, the concepts, lessons, signs, admonitions metaphors and
imagery. All of these aspects of the Qur'an hold true regardless of the language used. When one
does not understand the Qur'an, that is, makes erroneous interpretations, he is incapable of
understanding these lessons, admonitions and true purposes of the verses. One may even be in
possession of great Arabic skills, yet be incapable of understanding the verses due to his or her
lack of comprehension of what is being told in the verses. We can compare this with the
following scenario. Imagine you are explaining a concept to someone in perfect English. The
person you are explaining to can also understand English perfectly. However, due to a lack of
comprehension on their part, that person fails to understand what you are explaining to them
despite your perfect explanations in English and their ability to understand the language.
Likewise, the same can be said about the Qur'an. Even an expert Arabic speaker may well be
incapable of understanding and interpreting the verses correctly as a direct result of that missing
comprehension. This comprehension is given by Allah to whoever He pleases. A verse identifies
this:

"...But the disbelievers say, 'what does Allah mean by such a similitude?' Through it,
Allah misguides many and He also guides many. But He misguides only the rebels."
(Qur'an 2:26)

The comprehension we have mentioned is actually a gift from Allah to His sincere believers only.
A believer who does not know Arabic may be endowed with this ability to understand the Qur'an.
When the verses of the Qur'an are explained to him by another true believer in his language, he
grasps them correctly, even though he does not know Arabic. And it is probable that a person
fluent in Arabic could not understand the same verses correctly even in his own language. Skill in
the Arabic language did not afford him the true interpretations of Allah’s verses, and so he
remained bereft of Allah’s guidance. Another person who is a more sincere believer could
understand the verses, even though he did not speak the language of the Qur'an. Allah explains
this 'veiling of perception' in a verse

"When you recite the Qur'an, we place an invisible barrier between you and those
who do not believe in the life to come. We have put covers on their hearts that
prevents them from understanding it, and heaviness in their ears." (Qur'an 17:45-46)

That is why a true believer can live by the Qur'an without knowing Arabic. It is true that a non-
Arabic speaking believer will need to overcome the obstacle of language, but with his sincerity
and motivation, he overcomes them without difficulty. Today, there are many translations of the
Qur'an available in almost any language. It is possible to draw a fairly accurate understanding of
the Qur'an by studying different translations.
 
In conclusion, people who speak Arabic do not automatically posses the comprehension to
understand the meanings of the Verses of the Qur’an. The comprehension is given by Allah to
whom He wills regardless of ones language. All people who consider themselves Muslim must not
hide behind excuses from gaining a first-hand understanding of the Book revealed by Allah,
which is a guide, mercy and cure for them if they only make the effort to understand it
themselves. Allah has held everyone responsible for adhering to the Qur'an, regardless of their
spoken languages.