The Profundity of Arabic Language and Its Encapsulated Wisdom
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
13 May 2022
Monotheistic
Arrogance of Semitic Faiths Plagued Islam As Well And Muslims Thought That Pagan
And Polytheistic Arabs Were Absolute Jahilaan (Plural Of Jahil), Not Being
Aware That Pagan Arabia Produced The Finest Odes (Qasidah)
Main
Points:
1. Think twice
before calling them (Arabs) uncultured and unsophisticated.
2. The
advancement of a race is judged by its ability to use and create proverbs.'
3. List of
superlative Arabic proverbs is endless.
-----
I've always
wondered as to why Arabs are often perceived as uncouth, boorish and
desert-dwellers and their language (Arabic) is viewed as phonetically inferior?
Agreed, Arabic, like Pashto, may not sound phonetically euphonic like Persian,
it's a magnificent language and a repository of great wisdom. As for its robust
hoarseness and being guttural, the existing geographical reasons can be adduced
for that.
Both Pashto
and Arabic are guttural-fricative tongues as both originated from
geographically harsh terrains; Arab Peninsula and Afghanistan. The problem with
the world is that Arab culture and civilization is always seen with respect to
the advent of Islam in the 7th century. Any development in any sphere in the
Arab world, prior to Islam, is deliberately not considered worthwhile. Muslim
'scholars' are responsible for that as they concocted a pejorative term like
Pre-Islamic Jahaliya (Qable-Islam Jahalat).
The rest of
the world thought that it was a benighted period for that region and Arabs had
no significant history before Islam. The greatest western scholar of Arabic,
Professor Sir Hamilton Gibb, who taught Arabic at Oxford and Cambridge, never
liked the contemptuous term Pre-Islamic Jahiliya and eschewed using the word Jahiliya
for Arabs throughout his life. Muslims may fallaciously think that it was Islam
which 'educated' and 'enlightened' the desert yokels just like the
condescending Brits thought that they 'educated' the 'savage' Indians and
humanised the 'feral' non-whites of the continent of Africa. Totally wrong.
The
indigenous Indians and Arabs were already advanced before the marauding Muslim
invaders attacked and spread Islam by all means in the sub-continent in 712 CE
(when Muhammad Bin Qasim invaded Sindh) and Islam took roots in the Arab
Peninsula a little over 1400 years ago. Sorry for the (relevant) digression,
let me focus on Arabs. The Monotheistic arrogance of Semitic faiths plagued Islam
as well and Muslims thought that Pagan and Polytheistic Arabs were absolute Jahilaan
(plural of Jahil), not being aware that Pagan Arabia produced the finest odes (Qasidah):
Seven Odes of Pre-Islamic/Pagan Arabia and the greatest Greek philosophers like
Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Diogenes, among others were either atheists or
Pagans. Even the earliest Arab philosopher Moshef was a Pagan.
Such
patronising demarcation between the polytheists and monotheists was further
strengthened by the sub-continental poet Dr Muhammad Iqbal's disparaging
couplet in his Shikwa (Complaints): Tujh Se Pahle Tha Ajab Jahan Ka Manzar/Kahin
Ma'abood Thay Patthar, Kahin Masjood Shajar (The world was in a state of
veritable shambles before you/ People were worshipping and genuflecting before
stones and trees.......a totally unnecessary and highly disdainful Sher that
demeans all idolaters; whereas Iqbal's own ancestors were Sapru Brahmins from
the Valley). So, Arabs were woefully Jahil (ignorant/benighted) in terms
of not knowing Islam and its perceived 'greatness'. But the Arabs have always
been intelligent people.
By the way,
Arabic is considered a West Semitic language, and it belongs to the family of
languages with alphabetic scripts (such as Hebrew, Aramaic and Ethiopic) that
all ultimately descend from ancient Phoenician. British scholar of Arabic
literature and Persian Studies, Sir Arthur John Arberry collected thousands of
Arabic sayings prior to Islam and also a cornucopia of Arabic aphorisms after
Islam. It's very interesting to know that Arabs have always been adept at using
Kahvatein (Masal in Arabic) and maxims. And according to
philologists like Dr Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, ' The advancement of a race is
judged by its ability to use and create proverbs.' Arabs were very advanced on
this count.
Can you
believe that there've been more than 2,600 sayings in Arabic that are based on
fools and their foolishness! My personal favourites are: Stupidity is
contagious! Even Iblees refrains from arguing with a fool. One must follow the
sense and spirit of this proverb in toto and never argue with those whose
craniums are filled with the essence of bovine. Look askance when a fool speaks
(a 5th century Arab saying). Compare this with Jawaab-E-Jahilan Baashad
Khamoshi in Persian (The answer to ignorant is silence) or when you argue
with a fool, you become two. It needs elaboration.
The
infectious stupidity of one will invariably rub off on you and you too will
become like that. In other words, as if one wasn't enough that you've added
yourself as well (Yak Na Shud, Do Shud in Persian)! Ponder over this
brilliant Arabic proverb: He who doesn’t know, says “lentils.” Explanation:
Those who don’t know the true story will just say anything as an explanation.
This is particularly true about believers of any man-made faith, whose
understanding (of faith) is awfully limited, but who try to defend it tooth and
nail. Remember this in a larger context that there's no worldview so dangerous
as the worldview of those who've not viewed the world.
They've a
cognitive dissonance with their own worldview. Or cogitate over this 6th
century (before Islam) Arabic saying: Blood doesn't become water (Blood is
thicker than water in English) or a pebble can support a barrel (Even a small
effort can go a long way). The Crown of all is this 8th century Arabic idiom:
Those without a pedigree, argue and abuse (English equivalent: A bumpkin is
forever ready to fight).
The list of
superlative Arabic proverbs is endless. I gleaned just a few gems out of the
ocean to make the readers realize the profundity of Arabic language, culture
and civilization. Now think twice before calling them (Arabs) uncultured and
unsophisticated.
----
An occasional columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit
Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam.
He has contributed articles to world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/arabic-language-encapsulated-wisdom/d/126996
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