Speaking in any language other than Arabic is disliked [makruh]

[Shehzad Sattar]

Speaking in any language other than Arabic is disliked [makruh]

Shaykhul Islaam Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah 728AH (May Allah have mercy on him) said,

“As for becoming accustomed to talking to one another in a language other than Arabic, which is the symbol of Islam and the language of the Qur’an, so that this becomes a habit in the land, with one’s family and household members, with one’s friends, in the marketplace, when addressing government representatives or authority figures or when speaking to people of knowledge, undoubtedly this is disliked [makruh], because it involves being like the non-Arabs, which is disliked [makruh], as stated previously.

Hence, when the early Muslims went to live in Syria and Egypt, where the people spoke Byzantine Greek, and in Iraq and Khurasan, where the people spoke Farsi, and the people of Maghrib [North Africa] who spoke Berber, they taught the people of those countries to speak Arabic, so that Arabic became the prevalent language in those lands, and all the people, Muslim and Non-Muslim alike, spoke Arabic. Such was also the case in Khurasan in the past, then they became lax with regard to the language and got used to speaking Farsi until it became prevalent and Arabic was forgotten by most of them. Undoubtedly this is disliked [makruh]

The best way is to become accustomed to speaking Arabic so that the young people will learn it in their homes and schools, so that the symbol of Islam and its people will prevail. This will make it easier for the people of Islam to understand the Qur’an and Sunnah, and the words of the Salaf, unlike a person who gets used to speaking one language, then wants to learn another, and finds it difficult.”

أما اعتياد الخطاب بغير اللغة العربية التي هي شعار الإسلام ولغة القرآن، حتى يصير ذلك عادة للمصر وأهله ولأهل الدار وللرجل مع صاحبه ولأهل السوق أو للأمراء أو لأهل الديوان أو لأهل الفقه، فلا ريب أن هذا مكروه؛ فإنه من التشبه بالأعاجم، وهو مكروه.
ولهذا كان المسلمون المتقدمون لما سكنوا أرض الشام ومصر ولغة أهلهما رومية وأرض العراق وخراسان لغة أهلهما فارسية، حتى غلبت على أهل هذه الأمصار مسلمهم وكافرهم، وهكذا كانت خراسان حتى غلبت عليهم وصارت العربية مهجورة عند كثير منهم. ولا ريب أن هذا مكروه .

وإنما الطريق الحسن اعتياد الخطاب بالعربية؛ حتى يتلفظها الصغار في الدور والمكاتب ، فيظهر شعار الإسلام وأهله ويكون ذلك أسهل على أهل الإسلام في فقه معاني الكتاب و السنة وكلام السلف ، بخلاف من اعتاد لغة ثم أراد أن ينتقل إلى أخرى فإنه يصعب عليه.

Source: Sharh Iqtidaa as-Siraat al-Mustaqeem pg.344 [Official print from the Mu’assasah ash-Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen al-Khayriyyah]

Taken from: https://k2knyc.com/2015/05/15/speaking-in-any-language-other-than-arabic-is-disliked-makruh/