Q.1. May I ask why is the Qur’an in Arabic when the majority of Muslims all over the world speak other languages?
Q.2. Is there racism among Muslims, even though it is not mentioned in the Qur’an?
M.M.W.
A.1. God has chosen to address His final message to all mankind, and that it should be one message, binding on all, and valid for the rest of time. As such, it has to have a clear text to which people may refer whenever they wish to know what God wants them to do, and what to refrain from. He sent a messenger to deliver it to mankind. It is only to be expected that the messenger should speak the language of his own people, and that the message given to him should be in that same language. He could not be expected to speak all human languages. Of course, God is able to put His message in all these languages, or to make all mankind speak Arabic or any language He wants. But this is not the way He has chosen for His creation. He has chosen that every individual should be distinct from all others, in every respect: In the language he or she speaks, just like their fingerprints are different. If the message were to be given in all human languages, then there would have been a very large number of translations of the Qur’an, all revealed by God, so that they would be made ready for the time when speakers of those languages become Muslims. Moreover, languages change, spread or die out. Latin, Greek, Aramaic are examples of languages that had died. Today, they are only learned or spoken by a handful of people. But there are many others that have disappeared. In contrast, many languages have risen and developed. Should the Qur’an have been revealed in these as well?
It is definitely the proper thing that the Qur’an should be in the language spoken by the messenger God chose to deliver it. That was Muhammad (peace be upon him), who was an Arab. People who wish to learn about Islam have the means to do so through Muslims, who are required to deliver God’s message to other people and call on them to accept Islam.
A.2. If you are speaking about Islam, then there is absolutely no racism in Islam. The rule established by God Almighty is that: “The most noble of you in God’s sight are those who are most righteous.” (49: 13) The Prophet says: “No advantage does an Arab has over a non-Arab, nor a white man over a black man except through God-fearing.” Many are the Hadiths that confirm this principle, which makes people’s actions, not status, the criterion of distinction.
The Prophet made every effort to instill this new principle into the minds of his companions. He was exceedingly successful, particularly when we take into consideration the fact that the Arabian society at the time was strongly class-conscious. To give just a simple example, we should remember that slaves were the lowest class in that society. Yet, Bilal, a former slave set free by Abu Bakr, was the Prophet’s mu’azzin in charge of calling the prayer, and he was the treasurer of the Islamic state headed by the Prophet. During his reign as caliph, Umar who belonged to the tribe that used to be the highest in the tribal hierarchy, said in reference to Bilal and how he was freed from slavery: “Abu Bakr was our master, and he set our master free.” Thus, Umar, the caliph who belonged to the noblest tribe describes a former slave as “our master”, acknowledging Bilal’s seniority as one of the early converts to Islam.
This is the model Islam establishes. However, the practice of Muslims may fall short of what their faith requires. In such a case the fault is with Muslims, not Islam. It may be that in some Muslim communities, class-consciousness creeps in and people take a somewhat racial attitude. This is totally forbidden in Islam. Anyone guilty of it will have to account before God for that, and he could easily incur God’s punishment. I am glad to say, however, that the very idea of racism is repugnant to the vast majority of Muslims throughout the world.
