should I do with regard to the adhkaar (phrases praising Allaah)in the
prayer and reading Qur'aan in Arabic?
Praise be to Allaah.
The majority of fuqaha' say that if the non-Arab can speak Arabic, he
should not recite Takbeer (saying "Allaahuakbar (Allaah is Most
Great)") in any other language. The evidence for this is that the
texts instruct this particular wording, which is Arabic, and that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do it any
other way.
But if a non-Arab cannot speak Arabic and is unable to pronounce it,
then according to the majority of fuqaha' it is OK for him to say the
Takbeer in his own language after it has been translated from Arabic,
according to the statements of the Shaafa'is and Hanbalis, no matter
what the language is. The Takbeeris remembrance or mentioning of
Allaah, and Allaah can be remembered or mentioned in every language,
so a language other than Arabic is an alternative, and the person has
to learn how to say it in the other language. There is some
controversy as to whether all of the adhkaar of the prayer, such as
tashahhud, qunoot, du'aa', and the tasbeehaat in rukoo' and sujood may
be said in languages other than Arabic.
With regard to reading Qur'aan, the majority saythat it is not
permissible to read it in any language other than Arabic. The evidence
for this is the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'aan…" [Yoosuf 12:2]
Moreover, the Qur'aan is a miracle in its wording and its meaning; if
it is changed, this is no longer the case, and it is no longer Qur'aan
but an interpretation (tafseer). (al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah, part 5:
A'jami).
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
"Section: It is not right toread it in any language other than Arabic,
or to substitute other words in Arabic, whether the person can read it
well in Arabic or not, becauseAllaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): "…an Arabic Qur'aan …' [Yoosuf 12:2] and 'In the plain
Arabic language' [al-Shu'ara' 26:195]. The Qur'aan is a miracle in
both its wording and its meaning, but if it is changed this is no
longer the case, it is not Qur'aan or anything like it. It is only an
interpretation (tafseer), and if the interpretation were like the
Qur'aan itself, they would not be unable to meet the challenge of
producing asoorah like it.
If a person cannot read well in Arabic, he has to learn. If he does
not learn when he is able to,his prayers are not valid.If he is not
able, or he fears that he does not have time to learn before the time
for the next prayer is over, and he knows one aayah of al-Faatihah, he
should repeat it seven times… If he can recite more than that, he
should repeat it as much as he needs to make his recitation equivalent
to the length of Soorat al-Fatihah, or he could make it up by reciting
other aayaat. If he knows some aayaat he does not have to repeat, he
could recite another aayah instead, because the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded the one who could not
recite Qur'aan well to say 'Al-Hamdu Lillaah (Praise be to Allaah)'
and other phrases, which is part of an aayah, but he did not command
him to repeat it. If he cannot do anything, but he knows some of the
Qur'aan by heart, he should recite whatever he can, and nothing else
will do, because of the report narrated by Abu Dawoodfrom Rifaa'ah ibn
Raafi', who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "When you get up to pray, if you know some
Qur'aan,recite it, otherwise say al-hamdu Lillaah (praise be to
Allaah), and La ilaaha ill-Allaah (there is no god but Allaah), and
Allaahu akbar (Allaah is Most Great)." This is more like Qur'aan, and
ismore appropriate (than any other words). He should also recite as
much as he needs to make it equivalent in length to Soorat
al-Faatihah. If he cannot recite anything of the Qur'aan, and cannot
learn before it is too lateto pray the current prayer, he should say
Subhaan Allaah wa'l-hamdu Lillaah wa Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa Allaahu
akbar wa Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah (Glory be to Allaah;
praise be to Allaah; there is no god but Allaah; Allaah is Most Great;
and there is no strength and no power except with Allaah). Abu Dawood
reported that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) and said: "I cannot learn anything ofthe Qur'aan. Teach
me something that will suffice me." He said, "SaySubhaan Allaah
wa'l-hamdu Lillaah wa Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa Allaahu akbar wa Laa
hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah."
And Allaah knows best.
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