# Is Arabic an eternal, divine language?

*Is Arabic eternal? Grammarians, Gabriel and the language of revelation*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/xznxiyp0b5s/s/11/
- Date: 2020-07-03 · Kind: discussion · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Prof. Dr Khalil Andani | The Oral Text & the Ontology of The Quran | Mindtrap with Mufti #28 (50:31–52:33)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xznXIYp0B5s&t=3031s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/xznxiyp0b5s/

**Topics:** Quranic Arabic; Creed and the schools of theology

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth rejects grammarians' claim that Arabic is eternal; both describe the Ash'ari view that revelation takes the language of its audience.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says some grammarians, naming one he is unsure of [?] and Abu Ali al-Farisi, went so far as to say that because the Quran is divine Arabic must be eternal and the language God always spoke with the angels, whereas Arabic developed only a few centuries before the Prophet. The guest adds a report attributed to Ibn Abbas, which he doubts goes back to him, that Gabriel received every prophet's message in Arabic and translated it, found in al-Suyuti's Itqan and also in al-Zarkashi. Mufti says al-Baqillani and others held that revelation is a meaning that became Hebrew when given to Moses and Arabic when given to the Prophet, and the guest agrees that for Ash'aris and Maturidis it takes the form of a language depending on where Gabriel takes it.

## Sources and names cited

- Dr Khalil Andani (guest)
- Abu Ali al-Farisi
- Ibn Abbas
- report: jibril was given the message of every prophet in arabic and translated it (unresolved; attributed to Ibn Abbas)
- al-Suyuti
- al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Quran
- al-Zarkashi
- al-Baqillani
- Jibril (Gabriel)

## Transcript (machine tier, 50:31–52:33)

[50:04] Yeah. Now, that is an important integral difference there. It is cuz that sort of change that set that frames the whole debate. Uh it's not that Mu'tazilites say the Kalam Allah is created and the Ash'aris say it's uncreated. That's That's the secondary debate. The primary debate is what's the nature of Kalam? What's the nature of speech? And on this, even grammarians would have a different answer. Because what's funny is you get some grammarians.

[50:31] I I think Ibn al-Qinnish from amongst them or Abu Ali al-Farsi. And they've gone to the extent say, "Well, because the Quran is divine, therefore Arabic is eternal and has always been a divine and it was the language which God always spoke with the angels." Because they've they've kind of worked backwards in because they've began with a concept of saying, "Well, the Quran is divine. The Quran's always being, you know, the you know, the speech of God." So, therefore, uh it's in Arabic.

[51:01] So, Arabic must have equally existed. So, yeah. I mean, they've gone to that extreme even though we know, well, Arabic what probably at most two, you know, even if you stretch it three, but two and a half centuries before the prophet it really develops the Arabic language. Mhm. There's even uh reports for I mean, I don't think they go back to Ibn Abbas, but Ibn Abbas allegedly said that every that Angel Gabriel uh uh was given the message of every prophet in Arabic and then Gabriel translated it to the local language.

[51:34] I mean, there's even reports like that. This is of course in in Suyuti's uh Itqan book and it's repeated. I think Zarkashi has it, too. So, there is this sort of And the interesting thing on that is Baqillani and the others, they say as that the revelation wahy is like a meaning I'm using the word frequency, but it's like a meaning if it was given to Musa, it ended up becoming Hebrew in the Quran.

[52:05] If it was given to the prophet, it ended up becoming Arabic in the Quran. If it So, it's like the output source kind of determines the language. Yeah. Yes. The audience. Yeah, so So, the the Ash'ari position and the Maturidis agree is that before or as it reaches Gabriel, it becomes it takes the form of a language depending on where Gabriel's going with it.

[52:32] But, keeping in mind certain ahadith and Sunnah that the prophet is saying revelation comes to me like a ringing sound. And there is no mention of Jibril, you know, it's just direct like it comes to me and then I express it. I mean, I find myself in line with those people who who say that it is expressed to the prophet like he kind of sees it and expresses it. It's within him that it kind of as opposed to it's in the mind of Gabriel who Although they're all kind of views like the Right.

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment xznXIYp0B5s/s/11. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/xznxiyp0b5s/s/11/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.