Is not knowing Arabic an Excuse

[bamalli]

    Is not knowing Arabic an Excuse

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-Uthaymeen


Barak Allaahu Feekum, is the fact that the Qur-aan was revealed in the Arabic language a justification or an excuse for non-Arabs (for not acting upon it) due to it not being revealed in their language?

No, non-Arabs do not have an excuse or a justification in that the Qur-aan is not in their language; rather it is upon them to learn the language of the Qur-aan, because if understanding the Book of Allaah or the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم) is dependant upon learning the Arabic language, then learning Arabic becomes Waajib. This is because every action that has to be carried out, in order to be able to perform an obligation, acquires the ruling of being obligatory [or - All actions which if not performed first, an obligatory act can not be performed, acquire the ruling of being obligatory (even if they are not an obligation within themselves, such as walking to the Masjid for Salaatul Jamaa'ah (for men), since one cannot perform Jamaa'ah in the Masjid unless he walks there, the act of walking in order to get to the Masjid becomes Waajib upon that individual, and so on...)].