We do not know the meanings of the prayers we say by heart in Arabic. Will our duas (supplications) and prayers (salahs) be accepted in that case?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Even a very small deed done in the way of Allah will not be left without an outcome. A deed like reading the Quran will never be left without thawabs (rewards). Since it is thawab only to look at the Quran, it will definitely gain man rewards to read a book that explains the meaning of the Quran.

However, there is a difference between reading the original Quran and its meaning. What is essential is to learn to read the Quran from its original form and to read its meaning in order to understand it. However, no meaning (translation) of the Quran can be the same as its original form; therefore, its translation cannot be read in prayer (salah). We have to read the Quran in its original form in prayer. Allah’s word is in Arabic. Its place and rewards are different. Many rewards are given for each letter of the Quran.

At first glance, it seems more appropriate for a person to worship his Lord in his own language. However, when the issue is examined, different dimensions appear.

First of all, it is necessary to make a distinction between dua (supplication) and salah (prayer). It is not forbidden for a believer to present his needs and requests to his Lord in a language that he wishes in his dua outside salah. It is a personal issue and it is about his presentation to his Lord his needs and wishes directly. In dua, everybody can pray to his Lord in his own language.

Salah is very different from it. In salah, all Muslims, no matter what their languages and races are, unite like a single body and worship Allah in congregation. It is necessary for the tongues to be in unity like the hearts. Besides, deeds of worship are performed as Allah ordered them and as the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) described them.   

For instance, if we break an original seed into pieces and then sow it in the ground, it will not produce a tree because its properties have disappeared. Similarly, the verses, words and letters of the Quran are like seeds. When it is translated into other languages, it will not be regarded as the Quran because it will lose its properties.

As for the thought of: “We do not understand its meaning”, it is the duty of every Muslim to understand the meaning of the Quran whether from its original form or translations and to act in accordance with the judgments and decrees of the Quran. Besides, the Quran was sent down so that it would be practiced. It is necessary to think why a Muslim who learns English in order to understand an English book does not learn Arabic in order to understand the Quran.

Even if we do not understand it, it is useful for us. For instance, a person whose tongue has lost the property of tasting will benefit from the food and meals that he eats; although his tongue does not taste them, they will go to the necessary organs. Reading the Quran is like that. A person whose mind does not understand the Quran will understand it when he sends it to his stomach, that is, his spirit will understand its meaning. 

Besides, it is stated that at least ten thawabs (rewards) will be given for each letter of the Quran. The translations are definitely useful but since no translation can replace the original Quran, the reward for each letter of the Quran will not be received when one reads its translation.

If Islam was the religion of a region, race or nation, only the language of that region, race or nation could definitely, be used. However, there are believers who live all over the world, who are of different races and who speak different languages. It is necessary for them to unite in the same language of worshipping in order to perform prayers together and read the chapters of the Quran in the same language.   

Do people use their own languages or a common language that is known by people in general in international congresses and conventions?

Another aspect of the issue is as follows: No translation can be the same as the original. The Quran is the word of Allah and was sent down in Arabic. The beings that come from Allah’s attribute of power cannot be imitated; similarly, the Quran which comes from His attribute of speech cannot be imitated. A translation of the Quran cannot be called the Quran. The grant of at least ten thawabs for one letter of the Quran is a divine bestowal in return for repeating the words of Allah. Since translation is not the word of Allah, this meaning is lost there. When a person reads a translation of the Quran, he receives the thawab of learning something but not the thawab of reading the Quran.

Can we be regarded excused if we do not learn a few words that are necessary for worship though we learn so many foreign words for our worldly affairs?

Questions on Islam