do you need to know arabic to be muslim..im talking to a friend and she thinks you dont need to know arabic to be muslim.. is it one of the 5 pillars or something plz help.. my other firned told me its kinda mandatory but why..plz explain..
2007-05-27 10:06:18 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
no you do not need to know Arabic to be a Muslim, but you do need to learn a few verses in Arabic for prayer because prayer is important and you cant do your prayer reading the translation of Arabic because not all translations are the same, so it is important that you do your prayer in Arabic but you dont have to know Arabic to be a Muslim.
thank you.
assalamu alykum
2007-05-27 11:43:33 · answer #1 · answered by Farid 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
May the peace, blessing and mercy of God be upon you
Only 25% of the Worlds 1.5 Billion Muslims are Arabs.
Knowing Arabic is not a requirement, but you should know at least a few things
the Shahadah or "Testimony of faith"
La illaha ilallah, Muhammad-rasullah.
"there is no god but God and Muhammad was his messenger"
and you should know Surah Fatiha "the Opening" in arabic for prayer
these are the minimum requirements.
Only religious scholars need to have comprehensive knowlege of Arabic, normal muslims do not.
2007-05-27 17:19:12 · answer #2 · answered by onewhosubmits 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, you don't. The majority of muslims around the world don't speak Arabic, but some of them know its basics since it is the language of Qur'an.
However, one of the five pillars of Islam, which is the prayer (salat), must be performed in Arabic to the best of each worshiper's ability. But if he or she cannot speak Arabic, then the native language can be used instead.
2007-05-28 06:20:23 · answer #3 · answered by ǝɯ pɐǝɹ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To read the Koran correctly you must read it in Arabic. The Muslims recognize that any translation of God's word is going to result in confusion. And you won't know what you're saying when reciting prayers, so yes, learning Arabic is pretty much a necessity, man.
2007-05-27 17:14:52 · answer #4 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No it is not mandatory to know Arabic. However, to get the full benefit of knowing the message of the Quran you should try and learn it. I am a Muslim and my Arabic is so bad I am still learning.
2007-05-27 17:18:27 · answer #5 · answered by je 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. However, a lot of Muslims say that, since the Koran was revealed to Muhammad in Arabic, truly understanding the Koran requires being able to read it in the original Arabic.
2007-05-27 17:11:37 · answer #6 · answered by Doc Occam 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In Malaysia, SIngapore, Indonesia and Brunei, young kids born in Muslim families are sent for "Mengaji" Classes to get them used to reciting in Arabic....
This is done to keep the purity and accuracy of the Quran. Those that find Islam later in life, say by marriage ARE encouraged to do their best in learning Arabic, but it is not MANDATORY.... but if one is able to learn Arabic, one will be able to gain better understanding of the Quran without the finer details of the teaching being lost in translation.
2007-05-27 17:13:02 · answer #7 · answered by Tiara 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
To really understand the Qur'an and the Sunnah you will need to know Arabic.
To be a Muslim is simple: You believe Allah (God) is one and Muhammad is his prophet. This simple statement of faith is all that is required to become a Muslim.
As for the pillars, you really need to start at the foundation. Find a Mosque and let the community help you.
2007-05-27 17:13:36 · answer #8 · answered by J. 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, the Five Pillars of Islam are as follows
1- Shahadah - the Testimony of faith when you say in Arabic(if possible) 'I testify that there is no god but THE God and I testify that Muhammad(S.A.W.) is the Messenger of God'
2- Salaat - Five Daily Prayers
3- Zakat - Charity once a year when you contribute 2.5% of your earnings and savings to the poor
4- Sawm - Fasting(refraining from eating, drinking, sinning during the daylight hours) during the month of Ramadan
5- Hajj - Pilgrimage to Makkah(at least once during your life if you can afford it legally)
But as far as speaking Arabic, we perform the prayers in Arabic to protect us from mistranslation, misunderstanding, etc.
When I first became a Muslim, I eventuall learned the prayers in Arabic, but I performed them in English at first because God judges you by your intentions.
2007-05-27 17:16:48 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
No you don't. Not completely.
My grand parents and most of my relatives are Muslims but don't know Arabic. Usually if you wanna read the Quran or any Dua... the translation is provided... since we are Persian/Iranian we have the same alphabets and reading Arabic would be easy for us.
2007-05-27 17:12:14 · answer #10 · answered by Samantha 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋