AN article appeared in the Dawn Magazine issue of March 7, 2004, in which the author wrote: “Living in a foreign country, the urge to integrate is quite strong. For some, it is the only way out of constantly justifying your religion and not understanding it yourself — it sure is a daunting task.”
Among other things, the writer appears to be most concerned about the requirement for a female to be accompanied by a mahram to perform Haj and/or Umrah, and, as she points out: “of reading the Holy Quran in Arabic, we do not even know what we are reading.”
To the best of my knowledge and understanding, there is nothing that I know of in the Holy Quran about a female needing to be accompanied by a mahram, and I doubt it very much if such a requirement was in vogue in Saudi Arabia during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him). I also do not know when, where and by whom this condition was introduced. Unfortunately, however, it is a law strictly followed by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and I do not see how it can be changed. In these circumstances, I feel very sorry for Muslim women who are unable to find a mahram and are, thus, deprived of the right to perform Haj and Umrah.
This was also the subject of an article by another lady with the caption: Mahram: ritual for women’s protection or suppression. An extract from that article reads: “Our circumstances were such that we could not produce a mahram, since I am a divorcee and my sister is a widow, husbands are in short supply. The other applicants for the job such as our father, brother and sons all lived in several far-off lands and coordinating our travel plans was extremely complicated.
“At each step of our endeavour, however, we had to grapple with an attitude that was implacable and even hostile, primarily from the Saudi Arabian authorities but also from several so-called experts in religious matters. It was as though the two of us were asking for the moon or even worse, committing a breach of Islamic law. Are women to be barred from the House of Allah simply because they cannot find an appropriate male to accompany them? Is this practice Islamic?”
With all due respect to the men of letters, specially Islamic scholars and clerics who insist that the Holy Quran must be read in Arabic, do we ever sit back and think and ask ourselves what we gain by just reading verses from the Holy Quran in Arabic, without understanding a single word? What do we learn from this exercise, however sacred it may be? Does this ritualistic recitation of the Holy Quran guide us to do what is right and avoid all that is wrong?
The fact that the message of the Holy Quran was meant to be understood and not to be read ritualistically as a religious duty was the reason it was revealed to the people of Arabia through an Arab, the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him), in Arabic, the language of the people. The confirmation lies in the Holy Quran itself, as the translation by Muhammad Asad of the following verses will show:
Behold, We have bestowed it from on high as a discourse in the Arabic tongue, so that you might encompass it with your reason (12: 2).
And never have We sent forth any apostle otherwise than (with a message) in his own people’s tongue, so that he might make (the truth) clear unto them; but God lets go astray him that wills (to go astray), and guides him that wills (to be guided) — for He alone is almighty, truly wise (14: 4).
Now if We had willed this (divine writ) to be a discourse in a non-Arabic tongue, they (who now reject it) would surely have said, “Why is it that its messages have not been spelled out clearly? Why (a message in) a non-Arabic tongue, and (its bearer) an Arab?” (41: 44).
The divine message contained in the Holy Quran is plainly intended for all the nations as indicated by the following verse:
This (message) is no less than a reminder to all mankind (81: 27).
And for the Holy Quran to be simple and to be easily understood, it had to be in the language of the Messenger, through whom the message was conveyed to the people of Arabia, and we find confirmation of this fact in the following verses:
And only to this end have We made this (divine writ) easy to understand, in thine own tongue (O Prophet), so that thou might convey thereby a glad tiding to the God-conscious, and warn thereby those who are given to (futile) contention (19: 97).
And thus have We bestowed from on high this (divine writ) as a discourse in the Arabic tongue, and have given therein many facets to all manner of warnings, so that men might remain conscious of Us, or that it give rise to a new awareness in them (20: 113).
The Holy Quran also refers to those who are unmindful of the divine message, as well as those who, in spite of having all the faculties of reasoning and perception, have so deadened them that those faculties have ceased to work, as indicated by the following verses:
Will they not, then, ponder over this Quran — or are there locks upon their hearts? (47: 24).
And most certainly We have destined for hell many of the invisible beings and men who have hearts with which they fail to grasp the truth, and eyes with which they fail to see, and ears with which they fail to hear. They are like cattle — nay, they are even less conscious of the right way: it is they, they who are the (truly) heedless (7: 179).
The fact that the Holy Quran was made easy to “understand and remember” is emphasized in the in Surah Al-Qamar by the repetition of the following verse four times:
Hence, indeed, We have made this Quran easy to bear in mind: who then is willing to take it to heart? (54: 17, 22, 32 and 40).
I sincerely hope that the various verses from the Holy Quran quoted above prove beyond any doubt the importance of understanding the message contained in it. God alone knows why, with the spread of Islam to other parts of the world, the learned scholars of the time never thought it imperative and necessary for non-Arab Muslims to be taught the Arabic language to enable them to understand the message. Since that was not done, the learned scholars of today, particularly the Ulema, are not known to promote the learning of Arabic. There is no plausible reason for them to insist the reading of the Holy Quran in Arabic. It is far better to make a study of it — and it is a study of a lifetime — in a language with which one is fully conversant.
It has something to do with the mindset of the Ulema, specially in Pakistan, who also insist that the khutba (the sermon) for Friday prayers must be delivered in Arabic. I cannot see the logic in this. The sermon, which is the most important part of the Friday congregational prayer, is an address, a lecture to inform the community, once a week, about matters relating to righteous living, how to conduct their lives, etc. This can only be effective if the sermon is delivered in a language which the congregation can understand. How could it be that the Imam, who delivers the sermon in Arabic, is not aware that the vast majority of those present do not understand what he is trying to convey? In many, perhaps most cases, the Imam himself does not understand what he is reading or reciting, and it is a wonder that people listen to the Arabic sermon with religious devotion, never questioning or wondering what is being achieved by this exercise. One wonders how many of those who attend the Friday congregation regularly pay heed to a very important verse from the Holy Quran which is recited towards the end of the khutba, ritualistically:
Innallaaha yamoro bil adli wal ihsaani wa itaa-i-zil qurba wa yanhaa anil fahshaa-i wal munkari walbagh-ye. Ya’izukum la ‘allakum tazakkaroon (Surah An-nahl — 16:90).
“Behold, God enjoins justice, and the doing of good, and generosity towards (one’s) fellow-men; and He forbids all that is shameful and all that runs counter to reason, as well as envy; (and) He exhorts you (repeatedly) so that you may bear (all this) in mind.”
For those living abroad, particularly in western countries, it is important to realize that they have gone there by choice, and the host country has welcomed them, granting them citizenship, and with it, all the facilities that are enjoyed by the local people. They also have the freedom to practice and meet the basic obligations of their religion. It is only in these western countries that Muslim Pakistani women can go to a mosque and attend the Friday congregational prayers, which they cannot do in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. There may be exceptions in some cities of Pakistan of which I am not aware of. There is hardly an Arab Muslim country that I know of which will grant citizenship to non-Arabs, specially Pakistanis.
Therefore, my advice to all such people is to do the best they can to respect and abide by the laws of the country where they live, take part in community activities in their respective localities as, only then can they exercise the rights and privileges granted to them, and safeguard their basic interests. There are extremists everywhere, but, by and large, it will be seen from their disciplined behaviour, tolerance, caring for others and a charitable disposition, that, unknowingly, they follow and practice the teachings of the Holy Quran, while we, Muslims, merely pay lip-service to it.
