of the
Authorized
English translation of the Quran by
Dr.
Rashad Khalifa
Why Was the
Quran Revealed in Arabic?
We learn from
41:44 that the
sincere believers have access to the
Quran, regardless of their
mother tongue. The disbelievers, on the other hand, are not permitted access
to the Quran, even if they
are professors of the Arabic language
(17:45,
18:57,
41:44, &
56:79).
Arabic is the most efficient
language in the world, especially when it comes to the precise statement
of laws. Since the Quran is a Statute Book, it was crucial that such laws
must be clearly stated. God chose Arabic for His Final Testament because
of the obvious reason that it is the most suitable language for that
purpose. Arabic is unique in its efficiency
and accuracy. For example, the word "they" in English does not tell you if
"they" are males or females. In Arabic
there is a "they" for the males, "HUM," and a "they" for the females, "HUNNA."
There is even a "they" for two males, "HUMAA," and a "they" for two females,
"HAATAAN." This feature does not exist in any other language in the
world.
I came to appreciate this
efficiency of the Arabic language when I translated, for example,
2:228. This
verse enjoins the divorcee to give up her own wishes to divorce her husband,
if she discovers that she is pregnant, and the husband wishes to reconcile
the welfare of the child takes a priority.
The efficiency of the
Arabic language was extremely helpful in stating this law. Any other language
would have made it almost impossible to point out whose wishes are to be
superseded, at least not in such a few words as we see in
2:228
.
The word "Qaalataa" of
28:23, for example,
translates into four English words: "the two women said." Such is the efficiency
of the Arabic language.
Another possible reason
for choosing Arabic is the fact that "He" and "She" do not necessarily imply
natural gender. Thus, when God is referred to as "He," this does not imply
gender at all. God be glorified; He is neither
male, nor female. The usage of "He" to refer to God in the English language,
for example, has contributed to a false image of God. This was not helped
by such distorted expressions as "Father" when referring
to God. You never find such a reference to God in the Quran.
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