Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear brother Burhan :

Question No. 1 : Is reciting Qura`an in language other than Arabic valid.

Question No. 2 : Is reciting Qura`an in a language other than Arabic in Salath (prayer) valid.

Question No. 3 : Is making Dua to Allah the Almighty in a language other than Arabic valid.

There is a ruling that " Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) permitted the recital of the Persian translation of the Qur`an in prayer " What is its validity.

Ofcourse your answers are always supported by references. Please some light on this matter.

Jazak Allah Khair

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Prayer suppliction in arabic language

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Q-1: Is reciting Qura`an in language other than Arabic valid.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2137 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "If anyone recites a letter from Allah's Book he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a tenfold reward. I do not say that ‘Alif-Lam-Mim’ are one letter, but ‘alif’ is a letter, ‘lam’ is a letter and ‘mim’ is a letter."

Every believer, must strive to at least learn enough basic Arabic language so that he may be able to recite the Glorious Book of Allah in its original language and earn its due rewards. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said that one who recites the Quran well he will receive a great reward for his worship; but one who strives to recite but does so with great difficulty because of his lack of knowledge and proficiency, such a person will actually have a double reward due to his striving and his efforts.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 6.459 Narrated by Aisha

The Prophet (saws) said, "Such a person as recites the Qur'an and masters it by heart, will be with the noble righteous scribes (in Heaven). And such a person exerts himself to learn the Qur'an by heart, and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward."

But if one has recently reverted to Al-Islam, or one does not at all know even the alphabets of the Arabic language, there is absolutely no harm if one recites the Quran in a ‘transliteration’ form in another language; it is expected that the Lord Most Gracious will not diminish his rewards in the least.

But if one does not understand the Arabic language, and strives to understand the guidance of the Glorious Quran through a translation in another language, etc.….then the reward of such a person who strives to seek Islamic ‘knowledge’ so that he may implement that ‘knowledge’ into his life is obviously much greater than one who only recites the Quran in Arabic without understanding it.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 256 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas

Acquiring knowledge (of the deen) in company for an hour in the night is better than spending the whole night in prayer.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 218 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘The seeking of (religious) knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim.’

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 257 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr

Allah's Messenger (saws) happened to pass by two groups (of muslims) in the mosque and he (saws) said: ‘Both of them are good, but one is superior to the other. One group is supplicating Allah and praying to Him. If He so wills, He will confer upon them and if He so wills He will withhold. So far as those who are acquiring the understanding of religion and its knowledge and are busy in teaching the ignorant, they are superior. Verily I have been sent as a teacher.’ He (saws) then sat down amongst them.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 249 Narrated by Al-Hasan al-Basri

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘He whom death overtakes while he is engaged in acquiring knowledge (of the deen) with a view to reviving Islam with the help of it, there will be one degree between him and the Prophets in Paradise.’

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 217 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘A single scholar of religion is more formidable against the Shaytaan than a thousand devout people.’

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 213 Narrated by Abu Umamah al-Bahili

Mention was made to Allah's Messenger (saws) of two persons: ‘the one being a devout, and the other being a scholar. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘The superiority of the scholar over the devout is like my superiority over one who is of the lowest rank amongst you.’ Then Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘Verily (for the scholars) Allah and His Angels, the dwellers of the Heavens and of the Earth, even an ant in its hole and fish (in the depth of water) invoke blessings on one who teaches people goodness.’

Q-2: Is reciting Qura`an in a language other than Arabic in Salath (prayer) valid.

The deen of Islam is a way of life and belief in the One Lord, that binds all the believers of different nationalities, different languages, different regions, different colors, different walks of life into the One Ummah and Brotherhood of Islam! And the prescribed prayers in Arabic is one tangible and visible unit which unites all the believers into the Ummah. Just imagine the chaos and confusion it would create if everyone prayed the prescribed ‘salaah’ in one’s own language! A believer from Malaysia would never be able to pray in congregation in Japan, or the USA, or in Makkah, etc.! The unity of the muslims would be in absolute shambles and disarray! But by choosing one language, a believer is at home in any mosque in the world and this salaah in one language unifies and sanctifies the believers as One Brotherhood and One Ummah; all united in the worship of their One and Only Lord, Most Supreme.

Beloved Brother, the prayer of Islam is extremely simple to learn, and even if one has just converted and does not know even the first alphabet of the Arabic language, it should not take more than a day or two to learn the exact words and phrases in Arabic which constitute the formal ‘salaah’.

If one is an absolutely new-muslim, some scholars have termed it permissible that one can offer their prayers in either their own language or glorify Allah with the phrases ‘Subhan-Allah’, ‘Allah-o-Akbar’, and ‘Alhamdolillah’ in their prayer. But one should strive to learn the simple Arabic phrases that are used in ‘salaah’ as soon as possible, and offer their prayers in the Arabic language just like all their believing brethren in Islam.

Other than the formal prayers or ‘salaah’, all other forms of worship like glorifications of the Lord, remembrance of the Lord, duas and supplications, etc. can be made in any language of one’s choice.

Q-3: Is making Dua to Allah the Almighty in a language other than Arabic valid.

The absolutely majority of the scholars are of the opinion that when one is in the actual rite of ‘salah’, it is best and preferred that the person offer his full prayer in the Arabic language, including the supplications which are made in the ‘salaah’ to the Lord Most High.

But at all times other than the prescribed rite of prayer, if one is not comfortable or does not understand the Arabic language, there is absolutely no harm in making supplications to their Lord Most Gracious in any language of their choice….for without an iota of a doubt, our Lord Most High hears and responds to every supplication of His believing and repentant slaves.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 186:

And if My servants ask you, O Prophet, concerning Me, tell them that I am quite near to them. I hear and answer the prayer of the suppliant, when he calls on Me. So let them respond to My call and believe in Me. (Convey this to them), perhaps they may be guided aright!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chater 40 Surah Mumin verse 60:

And Your Lord says, “Call upon Me. I will answer your prayers. Those who disdain My worship on account of arrogance, shall certainly enter Hell in disgrace!”

Nu'man b. Bashir reported that the Prophet (saws), said, "Verily! Supplication is worship!"

Narrated by Ahmad and Sunan.

Abu Hurairah reported, "The Prophet (saws) said, "Nothing is more dear to Allah than one's supplication to Him.''

Narrated by Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.

Salman reported that the Prophet (saws), said, "Your Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted One, is Modest and Generous, and He loathes to turn away His servant empty-handed when he raises his hands to Him in supplication."

Narrated by Ahmad and Ibn Hibban.

Abdallah b. 'Umar reported that the Prophet (saws) said, "Hearts are like vessels, some more attentive and capacious than others. When you supplicate Allah you should be certain of being answered, and know that Allah does not answer a supplication that comes from a careless and inattentive heart."

Narrated by Ahmad

Beloved Brother in Islam, our Lord Most High is All-Knowing and All-Hearing, and He is not limited at all by language or any other barrier; He is the One Who Knows the exact condition of each in His creation, and He is well aware of even the deepest secrets of our hearts!

Your Question: There is a ruling that " Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) permitted the recital of the Persian translation of the Qur`an in prayer " What is its validity.

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, to the best of our knowledge we have not come across such a ruling of the eminent and respected scholar, Imam Abu Haneefah…..but if one is an absolute new muslim and does not recognize even an alphabet of the Arabic language, the absolute majority of the scholars in Islam have held it permissible for the new believer to ‘temporarily’ offer his prayers in any language he knows until the new revert takes the day or two which are required to memorize the few Arabic phrases which are used in offering the ‘salaah’.

But the absolutely vast majority of the good scholars are of the opinion that it would not be appropriate for one to continuously offer their formal ‘salaah’ in a language other than Arabic, without making any effort to learn the few Arabic phrases that are used in offering the ‘salaah’.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan