Introduction

The Qur’an is the Speech of Allah, revealed as guidance for mankind, a criterion between truth and falsehood, and a light for those who seek the straight path. Yet from the earliest generations of Islam, the scholars were unequivocal on one foundational reality:

The Qur’an is inseparable from the Arabic language in which it was revealed.

While translations may convey meanings, explanations, or approximations, they can never convey the Qur’an itself, nor the fullness, depth, precision, and divine intentionality embedded within its wording.

This is not a cultural claim, nor a matter of preference. It is a theological and methodological principle rooted in revelation itself and affirmed by the scholars of this Ummah.

The Qur’an Declares Its Own Linguistic Reality

Allah repeatedly emphasizes that the Qur’an was revealed in clear Arabic, not incidentally, but by divine wisdom.

Allah says:

The early scholars noted that Allah attached understanding of the Qur’an to its Arabic nature. This establishes a critical principle:

The Arabic language is not a vessel chosen arbitrarily; it is part of the revelation itself.

Translation Is Explanation, Not Qur’an

The Salaf were clear that what is translated is not the Qur’an, but tafsir al ma na, the explanation of meaning.

This distinction is essential. A translation necessarily involves:

• Interpretation
• Selection between possible meanings
• Loss of linguistic structure
• Loss of rhetorical force
• Loss of grammatical precision

Arabic words in the Qur’an often carry multiple valid meanings simultaneously, all intended by Allah, depending on context, grammar, morphology, and usage among the Arabs.

No translation can preserve this.

The Loss of Meaning Outside Arabic

1. Precision of Words

Arabic words in the Qur’an are chosen with absolute precision. One word cannot simply be replaced by a single word in another language.

For example, the words ilm, hikmah, fiqh, taqwa, khawf, khashyah, rahmah, adl, and ihsan all have overlapping but distinct meanings that collapse when translated.

2. Grammar Changes Meaning

In Arabic, a change in word order, verb form, definiteness, gender, or number can change legal rulings, theological implications, and contextual meaning.

This is why the Companions never separated understanding the Qur’an from understanding Arabic.

The Practice of the Companions

The Sahabah رضي الله عنهم were Arabs, yet they still exerted effort to deeply learn the language, poetry, idioms, and expressions of the Arabs to understand the Qur’an properly.

This demonstrates that even native speakers did not assume automatic understanding, let alone those who approach the Qur’an through translation alone.

The Position of the Early Scholars

Ibn Kathir رحمه الله, in the introduction to his Tafsir, emphasized that the Qur’an must be understood through the Arabic language, through the Sunnah, and through the understanding of the Companions.

These three are inseparable.

Learning Arabic Is a Means, Not an End

The Salaf did not call to learning Arabic for pride, culture, or identity. They called to it as a means to correct belief, correct worship, and correct understanding.

This statement was understood by the scholars to mean that Arabic preserves correct understanding of revelation, protects from innovation born of misinterpretation, and anchors the Muslim to the methodology of the Salaf.

A Necessary Clarification

It must be stated with fairness and balance:

Translations are beneficial for dawah, learning basic meanings, and initial guidance.

A person is rewarded for reciting the Qur’an in Arabic even if they do not yet understand it fully.

Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.

However, it is a serious error to believe that translations can ever replace learning the language of the Qur’an for those who seek depth, correctness, and firmness upon the Sunnah.

Conclusion

The Qur’an is not merely a message that can be detached from its form. Its words, structure, rhythm, and language are all divinely chosen.

To attempt to fully understand it outside its language is to accept an unavoidable limitation.

To learn Arabic, however gradually, is to draw nearer to the Speech of Allah as it was revealed, walk the path of the Companions and early scholars, protect oneself from distortion and misguidance, and transform the Qur’an from a translated text into a living discourse.

May Allah grant us sincerity, humility, and steadfastness, and may He open for us the doors of understanding His Book as He loves and is pleased with.

And Allah knows best.