Why the Muslim apologists’ appeal to the Arabic language does not help the case for Islam
You can barely interact ten seconds with a Muslim apologist without them going “Do you speak Arabic?” or “In the original Arabic, it says…”. This especially comes up when you show something violent, false, incoherent or contradictory in the Quran. However, whether or not one speaks Arabic does not make too much of a difference in knowing enough about Islam to be critical about it because of:
(1) Commentators:
The beauty of the internet is that it has blessed us with instant access to Islamic sources and commentaries translated into various languages. Interestingly, in all of these various languages, the messed up things in the Quran do not seem any less messed up when exegeted by Islamic scholars who spoke excellent Arabic from Ibn Kathir to Al-Jalalayn to Imam Maududi to Tafsir Ibn Abbas to the hadith collections. The violent verses do not all of a sudden become peaceful when we look at the Quranic commentaries or the hadith.
(2) History and practice:
As Jesus said, “by their fruit you shall know them”. The fruit of Islam bears witness that the things we read in it in English or whatever non-Arabic language are the reality of what the religion teaches. From Muhammad’s hadith that he is at war with mankind until they convert to Islam, to 21st century Boko Haram and ISIS giving people the options to “either convert to Islam or die”, From Muhammad’s marriage and intercourse with a nine year old Aisha, to 12–14 year old school girls being kidnapped by Boko Haram and married off, from the Quran’s admonitions in Surah 58:22 to hate your family members if they do not accept Islam, to honour killings in regions where Islam is prevalent, from the Quran’s encouragement of taking (and forcefully having) captives of the right hand in times of war to children being r***** in the UK by grooming gangs while the perpetrators recited the Quran, we cannot with a straight face say that in Arabic, Islam is an altogether lovely religion when we, in real time, see its fruits wherever it goes.
This is not all though, Muslim apologists would have us believe that the Quran is brilliant if you read it in Arabic. The rhyme scheme, the pattern, the melody, all of it is unparalleled. However in the very Quran, it tells us the reaction of those who heard the Quran recited to them,
“And when Our revelations are recited unto them they say: We have heard. If we wish we can speak the like of this. Lo! this is naught but fables of the men of old.”
(Surah 8:31)
These guys spoke fluent Arabic, yet when they heard these things, they were not in the least bit impressed. They disbelieved in the Quran and took it for nonsense,
“Then the Messenger will say: “O my Lord! Truly my people took this Qur’an for just foolish nonsense.”
(Surah 25:30)
Not only that, they mocked Muhammad as well and were not in the least bit impressed with his oratory or persona,
“ When they see thee, they treat thee no otherwise than in mockery: “Is this the one whom Allah has sent as a messenger?”
(Surah 25:41)
But leaving all of this aside, if we were to take the objection seriously, why in the world would a religion that is supposed to be a guide for all of mankind, the only religion which would be accepted by Allah on the day of judgment, why would that religion be accessible only in Arabic when the vast majority of the world (>95%) does not understand Arabic? Why would the true religion need me to understand a specific language in order to understand its message? Is its God not a God of all languages and people?
Again, speaking Arabic would clearly not help one to perfectly understand the Quran and Islamic sources because they contain words and terminologies that nobody knows the meaning of. This is something even the Quran attests to,
“ It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise — they are the foundation of the Book — and others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allah. But those firm in knowledge say, “We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord.” And no one will be reminded except those of understanding.”
(Surah 3:7)
In essence, the Quran contains unclear verses which Muslims are to mindlessly believe in if they are true Muslims. What does it mean? No one knows but they just affirm it is from Allah. The question though is if mindlessly believing in the whole book is what is ultimately required, what is the point of Arabic then? Can anybody not mindlessly believe irrespective of their native language?
The Quran contains “mysterious letters” in the beginning of some verses for example “ Ta ha” and “Alif Laam Meem” and “Ya Sin”. What do they mean? “Allah knows best”. The hadith talks about things like “Aruf” and “Qirat”, what do they mean? “Allah knows best”. Again, Arabic or no Arabic, one is certain to be ignorant of these things anyway.
Finally, if we were to go with the criteria of needing to understand the original language of a text in order to criticize it, could we ask for consistency here? Can we ask that our Muslim friends not criticize Jewish or Christian beliefs/scriptures until they understand Koine Greek or Hebrew and Aramaic? Do you see the absurdity of this position now? Your average Muslim, as well as Muhammad himself who could not even read his own name off a page, criticizes the trinity and the deity of Jesus and bits of the Christian faith that do not line up with the Quran and they do not know one word of Hebrew, Aramaic or Koine Greek.
In conclusion, if Islam is a religion for all mankind, one need not understand Arabic to understand its message. If Islam is being misunderstood in exactly the same way and especially by Arab speaking nations in the heart of the Middle East, then it is comforting to know non-Arabic speakers are in good company for thinking Islam calls for a number of messed up things. If the beauty and eloquence of the Quran is only obvious in Arabic then the real-time witnesses of Muhammad’s Quran recitations who mocked it and said they could do something like it must have missed the memo and if the new standard is that we must shut our mouths about Islamic scriptures and beliefs if we do not understand Arabic, then we ask Muslim apologists to shut their mouths about the Bible until they understand Koine Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic.
