Summary of Dr. Hayit’s discussion: Islam, the Quran and Arabic literature

Summary of Dr. Hayit’s discussion: Islam, the Quran and Arabic literature

Dr. Baynurza Hayit analyzed the relationship between the Quran and Arabic literature. In his discussion, he reveals that Arabic is a fundamental social fabric for the Islam religion. This is because the Quran’s literature is in Arabic; hence anyone embracing Islam should gain knowledge of the Arabic language. Even though various scholars have debated against the inimitability of this holy book, Hayit explains that various recitations and Islam rituals must be undertaken in Arabic so as to preserve its indigenous meanings as speculated by the Great prophet Mohammed.  According to the discussion, lack of consensus in the literature may dilute the power of the information embedded in the holy books thus prompting for the use of a similar language for conveying religious messages.

Hayit also revealed that the Quran was used by Mohammed as his strongest argument. In order to distinguish himself from the previous prophets such as Jesus and Moses, Mohammed used Arabic as a unique language to make his voice. As at the 7^th century, the Arabian culture celebrated their cultural identity by honoring poets and other scholars. Thus, Hayit argues that; the composition of the Quran as the first Arabic book was significant for Mohammed because he could easily get an audience and relay the holy message (Hiyat, 1). This formed the basis of retaining the Quran in Arabic because the occupants of Arabia clearly understood through their experience with poetry that; translation of important literature from one language to the next may lead to distortion of the message.

In the analysis of the impact of Quran on the Arabic language, Hayit acknowledges that indeed Islam has played a key role in the preservation of Arabic. After the Quran was written, a need to preserve its contents for future generations arose. This compelled the stakeholders to layout the Arabic grammatical theory by introduction of the dot system, thus, streamlining Arabic to a more sensual language. In addition, the Quran incorporated words from other locations such as Persia, Syria, French and English thus enriching of Arabic with other new words.

Finally, Dr. Hayit reveals that Islam has not only contributed to the preservation of Arabic but it has also influenced the internationalization of Arabic language. The inimitability of the Quran has compelled Muslims from non-Arabic countries to learn this language hence contributing to its internationalization. This, according to Dr. Hayit, Arabic has led to economical growth of the Arabic speaking countries because of absence of language barriers.

In conclusion, Islam religion has a great significance in the Arabic literature because it contributed to the preservation of the Arabic language structure. In addition, apart from the Quran being Mohammed strongest argument; Islam has influenced the internationalization of the Arabic language. Dr. Baynurza Hayit argues that, Islam and Arabic are directly related due to the need retain the power of the holy Quran. In this regard, the holy books such as the Hebraic Torah and the Christian bible should not have been translated from their original languages. This is because translating may lead to omission and change of meanings because similar words in different languages carry different weights and emotions, thus translation of holy books dilutes their power. 

Worked cited

Hayit, Baynurza. “Islam, the Quran and Arabic literature” Retrieved online from http://www.al-islam.org/al-serat/arabic.htm  on 25^th October 2013