Corruption, Rectification, Benefit and Harm Through Foreign Languages
In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Those Who Knew The Language of Others And Guided Them
Allaah [The Exalted] stated about righteous king Dhul Qarnayn [peace be upon him]:
ثُمَّ أَتۡبَعَ سَبَبًا
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ بَيۡنَ ٱلسَّدَّيۡنِ وَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمَا قَوۡمً۬ا لَّا يَكَادُونَ يَفۡقَهُونَ قَوۡلاً۬
Then he (Dhul Qarnayn) followed (another) way, until he reached between two mountains, he found , before (near) them (those two mountains), a people who scarcely understood a word. [Surah Al-Kahf. Verse 92-93]
Imaam As-Sadi [may Allaah have mercy upon] said: They (i.e. the people Dhul Qarnayn met) did not understand due to their foreign language, their foreign way of comprehension and the way in which their hearts perceived affairs. However, Allaah had bestowed on Dhul Qarnayn [peace be upon him] the means of knowledge through which he understood the language of these people and they could converse with each other, so they complained to him regarding the harm perpetrated by Yajooj and Majooj, who are two great nations from the children of Aadam [peace be upon him]. Allaah said:
قَالُواْ يَـٰذَا ٱلۡقَرۡنَيۡنِ إِنَّ يَأۡجُوجَ وَمَأۡجُوجَ مُفۡسِدُونَ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَهَلۡ نَجۡعَلُ لَكَ خَرۡجًا عَلَىٰٓ أَن تَجۡعَلَ بَيۡنَنَا وَبَيۡنَهُمۡ سَدًّ۬ا
قَالَ مَا مَكَّنِّى فِيهِ رَبِّى خَيۡرٌ۬ فَأَعِينُونِى بِقُوَّةٍ أَجۡعَلۡ بَيۡنَكُمۡ وَبَيۡنَہُمۡ رَدۡمًا
ءَاتُونِى زُبَرَ ٱلۡحَدِيدِۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا سَاوَىٰ بَيۡنَ ٱلصَّدَفَيۡنِ قَالَ ٱنفُخُواْۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَعَلَهُ ۥ نَارً۬ا قَالَ ءَاتُونِىٓ أُفۡرِغۡ عَلَيۡهِ قِطۡرً۬ا
فَمَا ٱسۡطَـٰعُوٓاْ أَن يَظۡهَرُوهُ وَمَا ٱسۡتَطَـٰعُواْ لَهُ ۥ نَقۡبً۬ا
قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَحۡمَةٌ۬ مِّن رَّبِّىۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعۡدُ رَبِّى جَعَلَهُ ۥ دَكَّآءَۖ وَكَانَ وَعۡدُ رَبِّى حَقًّ۬ا
They said, “O Dhul Qarnayn! Indeed, Gog and Magog [Yajooj an Majooj] are spreading corruption throughout the land. Should we pay you tribute, provided that you build a wall between us and them?” He said, “What my Lord has provided for me is far better. But assist me with resources, and I will build a barrier between you and them. Bring me blocks of iron!” Then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountains, he ordered, “Blow!” When the iron became red hot, he said, “Bring me molten copper to pour over it”. And so they could neither scale nor tunnel through it. He said, “This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord comes to pass, He will level it to the ground. And my Lord’s promise is ever true”. [Surah Al-Kahf. Verses 92-98] (1)
Those Went Astray Due to Misunderstanding The Language of The Pious Predecessors
Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “The one who does not know the language of the Prophet’s companions- the language they used when speaking to (one another), the (language) used by the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] when he spoke to them and the manner in which they spoke in general, he will change words from their right places. For indeed many people are nurtured upon the idioms of their people and their customary usage of words, so he finds those words in Allaah’s Speech or the speech of Messenger or that of the Prophet companions and thinks that what Allaah intends or what His Messenger (intend), or what the companions (intend) is what is intended by the people of his custom and their oral expressions, even though what Allaah and His Messenger intend is the opposite of that. This occurred from a group of people- the people of philosophical rhetoric, the people who spoke about Fiqh, the people who spoke about the Arabic language, the common people and other than them. And there are others who deliberately devise other meanings for the words of the Prophets and that of their [true] followers-meanings that are in opposition to their (true) ones. Then they spoke with those words whilst intending to aid themselves, saying: ‘’Indeed, we are in agreement with the Prophets.’’ This is found in abundance in the speech of the heretical philosophers, the Ismaa’eeliyyah (Rawaafid) and those similar to them amongst the heretical philosophers, rhetoricians and the soofees. The one who (truly) knows the Prophets and what they intend (by their speech) he will know by necessity that the (speech of those heretics) is not what is intended by the Prophets”. (4)
Those Who Utilise Language to Wage War Against Sound Creed and Manners
Imaam Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz was asked: What are the means used by the West to promote its ideas (in Muslim lands)?
Answer: The means that the West uses to promote its ideas are many, including: [I] Attempting to seize the minds of Muslim children and instill Western concepts in them, so a child believes that the best path is the path of the West in everything, whether in what he believes regarding religions and creeds, or what he speaks of languages, or what he adheres to by way of manners, habits and the paths he takes to pursue affairs. [II] Giving close attention to a large group of Muslim children from every country, taking care and nurturing them, so when they are completely submerged in Western ideas and then return to their countries, they are heaped with praise and commended until they take up positions and leaderships in their countries, and thus they promote Western ideas and establish educational institutions that go along with the Western curriculum or are subject to it. [III] Revitalizing the teaching of Western languages in Islamic countries and restricting the language of the Muslims, especially the Arabic language- the language of the Noble Qur’an with which Allaah revealed His book and through which Muslims worship their Lord in prayer, during pilgrimage, in their supplications and other than that. Included in this is that they encourage the destructive calls that fight the Arabic language, make attempts to weaken adherence to it in the lands by calling for the vernacular, establishing many study programs intended to corrupt Arabic grammar and so called language development, glorifying what they call folk literature and national heritage. (3)
Always Scrutinise The Concepts of The Deceivers
“One of the general fundamental principles (in Islaam) is to know that words (or terms) are two types- words that are mentioned in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, therefore, it is obligated on every believer to affirm them, affirm what Allaah and His Messenger have affirmed and negate what Allaah and His Messenger have negated. The words (or terms) affirmed by Allaah is truth and the ones Allaah negated are (negated) in truth, because indeed Allaah speaks the truth and guides to the straight path. The words (or terms) of the divine legislation are sanctified and it is from perfection in knowledge that one seeks after the (sound meanings) which the Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] intended by them, in order to affirm what he affirmed and negate the meanings he negated; because it is obligated on us to believe and bear witness to everything he has stated and follow him in everything he has commanded. As for the words (or terms) that are neither found in the Qur’am and Sunnah nor did the pious predecessors (i.e. the first three generations of Islaam) hold a consensus regarding whether they are negated or affirmed, then it is not incumbent on anyone to agree with the one who negates or affirms them until their intended meaning is explained. So, if their intended meaning agrees with the (revelation, commands, prohibitions etc) conveyed by the Messenger, they are affirmed; but if their intended meaning is in opposition to the (revelation, commands, prohibitions etc) conveyed by the Messenger, they are rejected”. (4)
[Ref 1: an Excerpt From Tafseer As-Sadi]
[Ref 2: Majmoo Fataawaa 1/175. slightly paraphrased]
[Ref 4: Excerpt from ‘Al-Haqeeqatus Shar’iyyah Fee Tafseeril Qur’aan Al-A’dheem Was-Sunnatin Nabawiyyah’ page 17. slightly paraphrased]
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