Could someone please tell me if it is written down that it is required to pray in Arabic? Someone on another forum is saying that because it is not Sharia that the prayers need to be in Arabic that it is definitely not required.
When an immigrant comes to a foreign country they take the time and exert great efforts to learn the new language. This benefits the person to get better jobs, understand their new environment etc. The same way, if you want to benefit and understand Islam you should learn the language of the Qur'an. You can make effort for your life in this world but you can't do the same for your After life.
We should appreciate the beauty of Islam because by learning to read the Qur'an in Arabic and understanding its meaning is a way of encouraging Muslims to seek knowledge and to abandon ignorance. Thus in this way Allah is encouraging us to seek knowledge. I didn't realize this until I started writing this post. May Allah give us the ability to obey Him and to understand the beauty of Islam. Ameen.
When an immigrant comes to a foreign country they take the time and exert great efforts to learn the new language. This benefits the person to get better jobs, understand their new environment etc. The same way, if you want to benefit and understand Islam you should learn the language of the Qur'an. You can make effort for your life in this world but you can't do the same for your After life.
Mashaallah sis that is so true. I am currently studying Arabic at uni, and to be honest most of my class are non-arabs and non-muslim! Something like 80%. If these people can put in the effort to learn Arabic, and without having any great need to do so, then why is it asking so much for Muslims to learn? The only person who will benefit from it is themselves!
When an immigrant comes to a foreign country they take the time and exert great efforts to learn the new language. This benefits the person to get better jobs, understand their new environment etc. The same way, if you want to benefit and understand Islam you should learn the language of the Qur'an. You can make effort for your life in this world but you can't do the same for your After life.
We should appreciate the beauty of Islam because by learning to read the Qur'an in Arabic and understanding its meaning is a way of encouraging Muslims to seek knowledge and to abandon ignorance. Thus in this way Allah is encouraging us to seek knowledge. I didn't realize this until I started writing this post. May Allah give us the ability to obey Him and to understand the beauty of Islam. Ameen.
wasalam
-SI-
Allah is not just the Allah of Arabs. He is everyones Allah. He listens to the sincere prayers and responds to the honest people. So feel free to chat with Him in any language you feel most comfortable in.
Don't fall into the trap of thugs who want you to make them your representatives and interpretors while talking to Allah. They make you believe that your prayers will not be responded if you don't put them in between you and Allah. They're the thugs. Be aware of them.
Faith, to my mind, is a stiffening process, a sort of mental starch.
Allah is not just the Allah of Arabs. He is everyones Allah. He listens to the sincere prayers and responds to the honest people. So feel free to chat with Him in any language you feel most comfortable in.
I do pray in my own language after I perform my Salah in Arabic. Allah made everything easy for us. People like you seek to complicate matters.
format_quote Originally Posted by iqbal_soofi
Don't fall into the trap of thugs who want you to make them your representatives and interpretors while talking to Allah. They make you believe that your prayers will not be responded if you don't put them in between you and Allah. They're the thugs. Be aware of them.
I guessing you are referring to the Scholars as the thugs. It wasn't a hard guess. Please explain to me how are we putting them between us and Allah by performing our Salah in Arabic. What you are referring to is Shirk and we are not Mushrik.
By the way, do u know how to perform your Salah because everything we read in Salah is basically praising our One and Only Creator, Allah.
I do pray in my own language after I perform my Salah in Arabic. Allah made everything easy for us. People like you seek to complicate matters.
You do the right thing if you pay in your own language. You believe in the same as I do, i.e., paryer in Arabic is not required.
format_quote Originally Posted by siFilam
I guessing you are referring to the Scholars as the thugs. It wasn't a hard guess. Please explain to me how are we putting them between us and Allah by performing our Salah in Arabic. What you are referring to is Shirk and we are not Mushrik.
By the way, do u know how to perform your Salah because everything we read in Salah is basically praising our One and Only Creator, Allah.
wasalam
-SI-
When you also believe that prayer in Arabic is not required or mandatory, then why do you still pay to those who convince you to pray in a language in which you cannot express yourself comprehensively and clearly? You pay them because they make you pay using spirtual arguments and other tactics. Generally the kind of people who make you take out money from your pocket for them using different arguments and tactics are known as thugs.
Faith, to my mind, is a stiffening process, a sort of mental starch.
You do the right thing if you pay in your own language. You believe in the same as I do, i.e., paryer in Arabic is not required.
prayer as in Du'a after PERFORMING MY SALAH IN ARABIC. Salah in Arabic is must. May Allah save me from thinking and acting like you. AMEEEEEEEEEENNNN.
format_quote Originally Posted by iqbal_soofi
When you also believe that prayer in Arabic is not required or mandatory, then why do you still pay to those who convince you to pray in a language in which you cannot express yourself comprehensively and clearly? You pay them because they make you pay using spirtual arguments and other tactics. Generally the kind of people who make you take out money from your pocket for them using different arguments and tactics are known as thugs.
I do believe that Salah must be performed in Arabic. But my Du'a is actually combination of English, Arabic and Bangla (my parents r from Bangladesh). An in Islam we don't pray to people we pray to Allah.
U r accusing people of being Mushrik. be careful because you have no valid proof to do so.
Tell me what will u lose if you perform your Salah in Arabic.
prayer as in Du'a after PERFORMING MY SALAH IN ARABIC. Salah in Arabic is must. May Allah save me from thinking and acting like you. AMEEEEEEEEEENNNN.
I do believe that Salah must be performed in Arabic. But my Du'a is actually combination of English, Arabic and Bangla (my parents r from Bangladesh). An in Islam we don't pray to people we pray to Allah.
U r accusing people of being Mushrik. be careful because you have no valid proof to do so.
Tell me what will u lose if you perform your Salah in Arabic.
So you mean that Allah doesn't mind if you say du'a in your own language, but then why he'd be angry if you say the slat in any language other than Arabic, when He knows that nobody in the whole jamaat knows Arabic? If Allah understands your language, and all the participant of the jamaat understand the same language, then for who you say it in Arabic?
Let me elaborate this a little further. When the Imam recities the verses in Arabic, there's hardly some people (non Arab Muslims) who understand what Imam is saying. In fact when we say slat by joining our sholuders and bow to Allah, we actually pledge that we'd work as a team when we go out on our duties of life. Nobody would cheat with others. The verses of Quran teach you different morals which every listener should understand. Listening something without understand is of no use. Allah would be definately annoyed with us when we pretend that we're listening carefully to the message of Allah whereas in fact we really don't understand it properly.
Faith, to my mind, is a stiffening process, a sort of mental starch.
So you mean that Allah doesn't mind if you say du'a in your own language, but then why he'd be angry if you say the slat in any language other than Arabic, when He knows that nobody in the whole jamaat knows Arabic? If Allah understands your language, and all the participant of the jamaat understand the same language, then for who you say it in Arabic?
This must be a difficult subject for you ekhi, isn't it :sunny:.
Let me elaborate this a little further. When the Imam recities the verses in Arabic, there's hardly some people (non Arab Muslims) who understand what Imam is saying.
Which is why, if the majority of the people in the masjid are nonArabs, those verses are translated. If they are said in just Arabic, they can go seek that knowledge on their own, they can ask questions, but usually this is not needed, since it's always always translated. It should be said in Arabic of course, it's the language of the Quran, in its most accurate form. When they do translate it, its only a rough translation. Not as accurate as it is in Arabic, but for those who understand the Arabic, they can go more in depth with the translation.
In fact when we say slat by joining our sholuders and bow to Allah, we actually pledge that we'd work as a team when we go out on our duties of life. Nobody would cheat with others.
Mashallah, that's great that you can understand the concept of unity. Excellent. So a brother prays in English, another in Arabic, another in Urdu, and another in Spanish, where's the unity? Moreso, if one asks each one, what it was they recited--think of it this way--if a little kid came in to learn Salah, he asks the one who speaks english what the first surah he recited was, what would be the response? He will obviously give him the English translation, right? Then he goes to the second brother and asks him the same question, the brother will give him the Arabic, then the third brother will give him the Urdu translation, etc. What will that little boy learn? HOw much of that surah will he pick up? Rather, if each one recited it to him in Arabic, he'd pick up more of the ayahs in arabic than if he had heard the different translations in different languages. Even if they all translated it to him in English, they won't have the same translation to give to him.
When everyone recites in Arabic, and prays the same way, and is learning the exact same meanings and morals of the verses, then Allahu Akbar! The unity is much greater.
Supplication, du'a, is allowable in whatever language you are more comfortable with, because not everyone is fluent with every word in arabic, its not required for them to learn arabic to learn supplication, because supplication differs from person to person, but salah is obligatory because it includes the words of Allah, it is teachable to others, du'a is more personal.
On another note, each surah of the Quran is like a rhyming poem. It is much easier to memorize the Quran in Arabic than to memorize it in English. Those who continue to seek knowledge, will even be able to translate each of those verses on their own to others. How many Christians have you heard of that have the whole Bible memorized in two languages--skip that, how bout in just one?? It's in english and whatever language they want, but I have never met nor heard of any Christian or Catholic have their entire Bible memorized.
If you go to perform Hajj, what language should the Imam recite the prayers in? There are people from ALL OVER THE WORLD, yet Arabic is the universal language of Islam. Do not be lazy in the deen, prove you are striving to learn Arabic, don't expect the teachings to come to you so easily as the ignorant do, for the ignorant always stay ignorant in this manner.
The verses of Quran teach you different morals which every listener should understand. Listening something without understand is of no use.
So if you listened to something and didn't understand it, who's fault is that? The teacher or you, the learner? Yes, if you don't mind, I would like you to answer this question to the best of your ability inshallah.
Allah would be definately annoyed with us when we pretend that we're listening carefully to the message of Allah whereas in fact we really don't understand it properly.
Listening carefully? If you're truly listening carefully, then you want to pick up from whatever you're listening as much as you can. Even if its a morsel of knowledge, its a morsel of benefit.
When you take the example of little children learning Quran, not many will grasp the translation right away, but they would have the ability to memorize it, even if they didn't know what it meant. For the time being they can memorize the whole entire Quran and not know its meaning. Later on, when their minds expand and mature, they will try to learn what they have memorized. That is an advantage, no? There is an advantage to listening something you don't understand, because it makes you want to understand it. It will be a desire from inside of you.
Why do you make every person who strives to learn Quran in Arabic sound like they are lazy in their search? The person who seeks Allah's pleasure, will seek it in the highest of mountains or deepest of seas, and when knowledge is concerned, there is no limit to how much one can learn. If there are non Arab reverts who know more about the deen than I, a born Muslim, then surely anyone can do it, even if your knowledge of Islam started with a blank slate.
Assalamu Alaikum
Which is why, if the majority of the people in the masjid are nonArabs, those verses are translated. If they are said in just Arabic, they can go seek that knowledge on their own, they can ask questions, but usually this is not needed, since it's always always translated. It should be said in Arabic of course, it's the language of the Quran, in its most accurate form. When they do translate it, its only a rough translation. Not as accurate as it is in Arabic, but for those who understand the Arabic, they can go more in depth with the translation.
It may not be as accurate as the original, but it's better to understand something than nothing. For the general people who don't know a single word of Arabic is just like playing music in front of a buffalo.
format_quote Originally Posted by *charisma*
So if you listened to something and didn't understand it, who's fault is that? The teacher or you, the learner? Yes, if you don't mind, I would like you to answer this question to the best of your ability inshallah.
Obviously it's the teachers fault who bluntly teaches geography to the students in English when he knows that students don't understand a single word of English.
format_quote Originally Posted by *charisma*
When you take the example of little children learning Quran, not many will grasp the translation right away, but they would have the ability to memorize it, even if they didn't know what it meant. For the time being they can memorize the whole entire Quran and not know its meaning. Later on, when their minds expand and mature, they will try to learn what they have memorized. That is an advantage, no? There is an advantage to listening something you don't understand, because it makes you want to understand it. It will be a desire from inside of you.
This is like digging the grave first and then expecting the person of the same size or height to die.
In Quran there're some solutions to the social problems of the old times of Arabs. Now we wish to convert every Muslim country's envoirnment to that of the old time Arab first, and then apply the solutions specified in Quran to solve those problems (which hardly exist anymore).
Faith, to my mind, is a stiffening process, a sort of mental starch.
i've heard qur'an recitations and would have to agree with you - it is very beautiful.
but there is no reason why a muslim who doesn't know arabic can't read the qur'an in his own language too, is there?
Actually Muslims are obliged to read one Sura (Al Fatiha) in performing the salah... which only consists of 7 verses.... is it difficult enough to know the meaning of these 7 verses....?
You mentioned that pray your Salat in your own language, so assuming that your language was english, am I correct in assuming that you've memorized Surahs from the translated Quran, and pray your five daily prayers in English?
On another note, I dare you to memorize the translated Quran if you haven't already and then learn Arabic and translate the english memorization you have memorized. I guarantee that a better part of it will be misleading.
It may not be as accurate as the original, but it's better to understand something than nothing. For the general people who don't know a single word of Arabic is just like playing music in front of a buffalo.
Which is what I explained previously. Anything is better than nothing. I didn't say to reject translations completely, but alongside to learn the arabic when you are able to do so.
Obviously it's the teachers fault who bluntly teaches geography to the students in English when he knows that students don't understand a single word of English.
La ya ekhi. The teacher has his obligations, and the student has his obligations. There is a fair share. The teacher must teach to the fullest of his ability, and the learner must take in to the most of his ability what he can, as well as learning from else where so that the teachings aren't biased, surely the student picks who he wants for his teacher as well, right? You cannot blame Allah subhana wa ta'ala for choosing Arabic as the Quranic language for someone to learn it, if the one who chooses to read the Quran does not seek to learn the Arabic. It's not His fault if that person doesn't care to learn it. We have free choice, and our rewards are based on what we choose to do with that freedom.
This is like digging the grave first and then expecting the person of the same size or height to die.
To that negativity? How about building a building that will provide many jobs and hoping the person will learn how to manage it because his own desires drive him to do something positive? If I'm a teacher, it's my obligation to teach. It is up to the student if he wants to take that advantage and expand upon it. Don't you think that if someone took the time to help me memorize something, I'm going to seek its level of importance? It has to be worth something for me to memorize it or for someone to take time from their life to help me memorize it. Its not the same if you have someone spit out information for you, than if you go to seek it on your own. Right?
In Quran there're some solutions to the social problems of the old times of Arabs. Now we wish to convert every Muslim country's envoirnment to that of the old time Arab first, and then apply the solutions specified in Quran to solve those problems (which hardly exist anymore).
We can still learn from those solutions. The people of today are no different than those of the past. Of course the situations have evolved and changed, but the people still react the same to those situations. Just worry about not conforming and doing your best in deen. We aren't perfect nor do we have to obey those that conflict with our duties to Allah. If you can do some things that were used back in the day, if you have that ability to, why not do it?
People in Iran don't pray in farsi, loool... Where do you get such information?? GEeeeez... get the facts straight before making up things you hear from you friends.
They might do their Dua's in Farsi, just like Americans who pray to Allah in Arabic and then ask for what they want in english... "To You we pray, and to You we ask for help"
I didn't accuse you of anything let alone a MUSHRIK. I never accuse anyone with these kind of weird labels. Only the religious scholars use these kind of labels as their venomus weapons.
Maybe you're right. Muslims need not bother about what is being said in a salaat. They should perform salaat like an illiterate person.
Ok, there is a certain problem here. Let's say that we are imam is leading the Jamaat in English, and there are certain people in the jamaat who don't understand english, will you still blame the Imam?
It is not about understanding the quran during prayers[We are obligated to learn the Quran, translated or untranslated, in our own time], what it is about is congregation equality. When you stand and I stand beside each other, we are equal, regardless if we understand the verses or not. If you do understand, then good, Kudos for you.
If during the time of our prophet, the persians or the abyssinians or the egyptians hadn't made an effort to understand the arabic language, and rather just used a translated text and told everyone to memorize that, imagine how many different editions of the Quran would we have today.
I say this because when a person memorises something he seeks to understand its denotative meanings AND connotations. If the Quran was translated in persian, alot of its indepth understanding is lost. So the next generation is unable to grasp the core concept of some events. As it continues on through generations and what you'd have at the end is a completely deformed version of the Quran. It works much like the broken telephone game.
People in Iran don't pray in farsi, loool... Where do you get such information?? GEeeeez... get the facts straight before making up things you hear from you friends.
They might do their Dua's in Farsi, just like Americans who pray to Allah in Arabic and then ask for what they want in english... "To You we pray, and to You we ask for help"
kidman
I don't see the need to be rude.
I was having lunch about a month ago with some collegues and one of them happens to be from Iran. I had not met him before so I said "assalam alaykum", thinking that because he is from Iran and he is muslim he would know what I meant. He did not say anything and my friend asked what I said so I explained it and then I said that he was supposed to have said "walaykum salam" back to me, and I stared at him waiting to hear why he didn't.
He told me he does not know Arabic and I said "then how do you pray" and he said "I am from Iran and we pray in Farsi".
I had no reason to believe that he lied so I asked my husband who lives in Egypt and he confirmed that people from Iran pray in Farsi.
Do you have proof that they do not or were you just using me as a verbal punching bag for your own amusement?
what about niyat for Salah? can that be made in any language?
The Shafiite Sunnis must uttered the niyah in Arabic (and understand the meaning in whatever language in their heart)
Thus, when Malaysian kids are learning how to perform the salah... the religious teachers/parents would ask them to utter the niyah (usually those kids are shouting as the teachers/parents need to hear it more clear ) in both languages in order for them to understand whatever they're uttering... so it would be like this..
Usalli fardhan Dhuhri Arba3a raka'atin lillahi Ta3ala, Sahaja aku sembahyang fardhu Zuhur 4 rakaat kerana Allah Ta'ala... Allahu akbar!!!!
I am much too tired to sort out any petty arguments. Rather than trying to sort out who is right and who is wrong, it is easier to just remove the squabble and anything that got caught in the middle of it.
Personal arguments and/or name calling will not be tolerated. And if you see it the best route to take is report it without responding to it.
I was having lunch about a month ago with some collegues and one of them happens to be from Iran. I had not met him before so I said "assalam alaykum", thinking that because he is from Iran and he is muslim he would know what I meant. He did not say anything and my friend asked what I said so I explained it and then I said that he was supposed to have said "walaykum salam" back to me, and I stared at him waiting to hear why he didn't.
He told me he does not know Arabic and I said "then how do you pray" and he said "I am from Iran and we pray in Farsi".
I had no reason to believe that he lied so I asked my husband who lives in Egypt and he confirmed that people from Iran pray in Farsi.
Do you have proof that they do not or were you just using me as a verbal punching bag for your own amusement?
Did you ask him if he is muslim? from what I know, Iran has quite a few religion. Besides I dont think it would be good to come to a conclusion based on what you hear from 1 or 2 people. My personal experience with one Iranian was funny. He was asking why we say 'La Illaha Il Allah Muhammadur Rasoolallah" and not "Isa/Yunus/Nuh RasoolAllah". I thought that was too naive and believe me, there are people like that NOT JUST in Iran...but everywhere claiming to be muslims although belonging to some tailored denomination that fits their needs.
"prayer" is perhaps a wrong word that you have used. Salah NEEDS to be in Arabic for numerous reasons, while Du'a can be in any language (it actually doesnt need a language I would assume).
Majority of muslims are non-arabs now. That means its easy for a non-arab to memorize arabic (once they get past the initial troubles) and they would never forget. Now if I am english and if I try to memorize the english translated version of any surah, I dont think I would do a good job. Besides, english and so many other languages (including arabic) has gone through so much changes in course of time that what I pray now would sound so different from what my ancestors did centuries back (if it was not in classical arabic). Besides, if muslims did use their native language for salat, I would imagine Islam would have had the same fate as Christianity. Its a blessing that I or any other muslim prays the exactly the same way prophet(Saw) did. How many non-muslims can make such a claim?
Also If I were to move to portugal, I would have to learn portugese to know what surah the imam is reciting in portugal. Thats another beauty of sticking to the same language. besides, whats wrong with arabic? Its one of the most beautiful languages and the chosen language in heaven!!! So if we do some little hardwork and inshaAllah if we do end up in jannah, we wouldnt have any communication problem there!
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) in both languages in order for them to understand whatever they're uttering... so it would be like this..
kay:
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