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The Islamic Personality8 min readViewed 3 times

64. The Language Discussions


The languages are the expressions set (made) for the meanings, so since the expressions' denotation for the meanings is benefited from the set up of the composer; it is inevitable to know the set (expression), then to know the denotation of the expressions. The setting is specifying an expression for a meaning in a way that if or when the first is uttered; the second is understood. The reason behind setting the language is that the human is in need of others of the humankind, because he can not independently possess all that he needs for his life of food, clothing, housing, weapon, for maintaining the body and protecting it from the heat, the cold and the aggression, therefore it was inevitable for him to get together with others of the humankind, and from here it was natural that the human meets with the other human, so the human is social by his nature. And this meeting between the people could not be cooperative, nor could it achieve the aim of fulfilling the satisfaction without knowing one another what is in them selves, so there was a need for something by which this acquainting occurs. And from here the setting of the languages came, because this acquainting to what is in the mind does not occur without an expression, a sign or a example. The expression is more beneficial than the sign and the example for its generality, since the expression includes the tangible and intelligible existents, and it includes the possible and impossible information, for the possibility of setting the expression for what is wanted from those meanings. It is different from the sign which can not be set for the intelligible, nor the absent, or the nonexistent. And it is different from the example, for it is impossible or difficult to have compatible examples for everything, because the solid examples are not adequate for the nonexistent, and supposedly it is adequate; it is difficult. Moreover the expression is easier than the sign and the example, because the expression is compounded from the letters occurred by the voice, and it naturally occurs by the human, so using it as a means for expressing what is in oneself is more apparent and more appropriate. Therefore the reason for setting up the languages was to express what is in the mind, and their subject is the expressions compounded from the letters. As for the things which these expressions are set for; they are the meanings in the mind without the external meanings, because setting up (an expression) for something is a branch of its imagination, so it is inevitable to imagining the image of the human (as an example) in the mind when setting up an expression for him, and this mental image is what the expression (human) is set for it, not the external essence, because the expression is set to express what is in the mind and not for the essence, so it is other than the thought. The thought is judging the reality, since it is transferring the reality by the senses to the brain with previous information to explain the reality. The expression is contrary to that, it was not set to denote the actuality of the reality, nor is it set to issue the judgment on it, but it was set to express what is in the mind, whether it corresponds the reality or it differs from it, because uttering the expression revolves with the mental meanings without the external meanings. If we saw something and thought that it is a rock; we utter the expression of the rock on it, then if we get closer to it and we thought it is a tree; we utter the expression of the tree on it, then if we thought that it is a human; we utter the expression of the human on it, so the external meaning did not change with the change of the expression, so it denotes that the set expression is not made for it, but it is made for what is in the mind. And also if we say Zaid is standing up, and we make this expression for the standing up of Zaid which exists externally, then Zaid sat down, or he walked, or slept; our uttering becomes null despite that it is not void, which shows that setting the expression is not for the existing reality but it is an expression for that which is in the mind, so it may be corresponding with the reality, or not corresponding with it. And the expressions were set to denote the attribution, the restriction, or for governing the words by adding them to each other, like the subjective and objective nouns and others, and to denote the meanings of the compounded words like standing up and sitting down. For example the expression: Zaid is standing up was made so the news of its denoted meaning will be benefitted from it, like the standing up or others, and the purpose of setting the expression is not to benefit the individual meanings of the expressions, i.e. imagining those meanings, but the purpose of setting the expression is benefitting the attribution so the expressing occurs, i.e. the aim of the setting is making the expression provides the attribution for the purpose of expressing what is in the mind.

As for the composer of the languages it is that all languages are conventional, they are set by the human, and not by Allah Ta'ala, and the people agreed on them. And the Arabic language is like the other languages, it is conventional and set by the Arabs and they agreed on it, and it is not divine from Allah Ta'ala. Because if Al-Baari' Ta'ala had set it and informed us about it; this informing would be thru one of His ways, i.e. by the revealing, or by creating a necessary knowledge in a sane person that Allah Ta'ala had set it for these meanings. As for the information thru the revelation; it is invalid because it necessitates that the sending of the Messengers precedes their knowledge in the languages so that they know the language that Allah Ta'ala had set, and then He reveals the mission to them, but the sending with the mission is belated, for the saying of Allah Ta'ala: We sent not a Messenger except (to teach) in the language of his (own) people…) 4 Surat Ibraaheem, so by this it gets proven that the language is not a revelation from Allah. And as for informing the language thru creating a necessary knowledge; it is also invalid, because it necessitates knowing Allah Ta'ala by the necessity not by the acquisition of the knowledge, because the occurrence of the necessary knowledge that Allah had set the language necessitates the necessary knowledge in Allah Ta'ala, but knowing Allah Ta'ala is not by the necessity, but by the occurrence of the knowledge, so the knowledge in Allah is not by the necessity, but by the acquisition of the knowledge, and that proves that the language is not (tawqifiyah) informed to us by Allah, and this is proven, so it is set by the human, i.e. it is convention from the people. As for the saying of Allah Ta'ala: taught He And Aadam all the names …) 31 Surat Al-Baqarah, the meaning of this is the named things not the languages, i.e. He taught him the realities of the things and their qualities, it means He gave him the information that he uses to judge the things, because feeling the reality is not sufficient by itself to judge the thing and perceiving its reality, but it is inevitable to have previous information by which the reality is explained. So Allah Ta'ala had taught Aadam the names means the named things, so He gave him information by which he can judge the things that he feels. And as for expression of the Qur'an by the word "the names", it metaphorically said the name and meant the named thing, as the reality denotes, because Aadam got to know the things but did not know the languages, so every essence that is able to be known and discloses a reality is subject to the teaching and the knowledge, and the language is only a means for the expression and not more than that, and the context of the Aayah denotes that the meaning of all the names …) is the named things, i.e. the realities and the qualities. saying His for As And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages …) 22 Surat Al-Roum, it means your languages, so there is no denotation in it that the languages are set by Allah, because the meaning of the Aayah: and from the evidences on the power of Allah the differences in your languages, and it does not mean that Allah had set different languages. So the Aayah, i.e. the daleel is differences between the languages, not that Allah had set different languages. And as for His Ta'ala saying: These are nothing but names which you have devised, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority …) 23 Surat Al-Najm, Allah did not dispraise them for setting names, but He dispraised them for uttering the word lord for the idol and their belief that they are lords. Since the laat, the 'uzza, and manaat are proper nouns for idols, so the indication of their specialty in the dispraising without the other names is an evidence for it, so there is no denotation in these verses that the languages are revealed by Allah (tawqifiyah). And thus there is no shari'ahi daleel that the languages are (tawqifiyah) revealed by Allah Ta'ala, but the seen reality is that they are convention from the people, so they are set by the human, not from Allah Ta'ala.

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Chapters (185)
  1. 1Transliteration Guide
  2. 21. Personality
  3. 31.1 The Islamic Personality
  4. 41.2 The Formation Of Personality
  5. 51.3 Gaps In Conduct
  6. 62. The Islamic Aqidah
  7. 72.1 The Meaning Of Imān In The Day Of Resurrection
  8. 82.2 The Emergence Of The Mutakallimīn And Their Approach
  9. 92.3 The Error In The Methodology Of The Mutakallimīn
  10. 102.4 How The Issue Of Al-qadaa’ Wa‘l- Qadar Emerged
  11. 112.5 Al-qadr
  12. 122.6 Al-qadā’
  13. 132.7 Al-qadā’ Wa‘l-qadar
  14. 142.8 Guidance And Misguidance
  15. 152.9 The Termination Of The Life-span [ajāl ] Is The Sole Cause Of Death
  16. 162.10 Provision [rizq] Is In The Hands Of Allah Alone
  17. 172.11 The Attributes [sifāt] Of Allah
  18. 182.12 The Muslim Philosophers
  19. 192.13 The Prophets And Messengers
  20. 202.14 The Infallibility Of The Prophets
  21. 212.15 The Revelation
  22. 222.16 It Is Not Allowed On The Part Of The Messenger Pbuh That He Be A Mujtahid
  23. 233. The Noble Qur'ān
  24. 243.1 The Compilation Of The Qur’ān
  25. 253.2 The Qur’ānic Script
  26. 263.3 The Miracle Of The Qur’ān
  27. 274. The Sunnah
  28. 284.1 The Sunnah Is A Sharī’ah Evidence Like The Qur’ān
  29. 294.2 Inferring Evidences From The Sunnah
  30. 304.3 The Solitary Report (khabar Al-ahad) Is Not A Decisive Proof (hujjah) For Beliefs
  31. 314.4 The Difference Between The ‘aqīdah And The Sharī’ah Rule (hukm Shar’i)
  32. 325. Ijtihād And Taqlīd
  33. 335.1 Expert Research (ijtihād)
  34. 345.2 The Conditions Of Ijtihād
  35. 355.2 Taqlīd
  36. 365.3 The Reality Of Taqlīd
  37. 375.4 The States Of Muqallidin And Their Preponderant Qualifications
  38. 385.5 Migrating From One Mujtahid To Another
  39. 396. Learning The Sharī’ah Rule
  40. 407. The Strength Of The Evidence (quwwa Al-dalīl)
  41. 418. Consultation (shūrā) Or The Adoption Of An Opinion In Islam
  42. 429. Science And Culture
  43. 439.1 The Islamic Culture
  44. 449.2 The Method Of Study In Islam
  45. 459.3 Acquisition Of Culture (thaqafa) And Sciences
  46. 469.4 The Cultural Movement
  47. 479.5 The Position Of Muslims With Regards To Non- Muslim Cultures
  48. 4810. The Islamic Disciplines
  49. 4910.1 Tafsīr (qur’ānic Exegesis)
  50. 5010.2 The Exegetical Approaches Of Mufassirun
  51. 5111. Sources Of Tafsīr
  52. 5211.1 The Ummah's Need Today For Mufassirin
  53. 5312. The Science Of Ḥadīth (‘ilm Al-ḥadīth)
  54. 5412.1 The Hadīth
  55. 5512.2 The Transmitters Of Hadīth (ruwat Al Hadith)
  56. 5612.3 The One Whose Narration Is Accepted And The One Whose Narration Is Not Accepted And The Exposition Of (the Science Of) Invalidation And Attestation Of Reliability (al-jarh Wa Ta'dīl)
  57. 5712.4 Narrations Of The Muslim Sects
  58. 5812.5 Arration By Meaning (riwaya Bil Ma’na) And Abridgement Of The Hadīth
  59. 5912.6 Categories Of Hadīth
  60. 6012.7 Categories Of The Khabar Al-ahād
  61. 6112.8 The Accepted Hadīth (maqbul) And The Rejected Hadīth (mardud)
  62. 6212.9 The Mursal Hadīth
  63. 6312.10 The Ḥadīth Qudsi
  64. 6412.11 The Inability To Prove The Authenticity Of A Hadīth From Its Sanad Does Not Indicate That It Is A Weak Hadīth
  65. 6512.12 Consideration Of The Hadīth As An Evidence In The Sharī’ah Rules
  66. 6613. Prophetic Biography (sīrah) And History
  67. 6714. The Principles Of Islamic Jurisprudence (usūl Al-fiqh)
  68. 6814.1 Fiqh (jurisprudence)
  69. 6914.2 The Development Of Fiqh
  70. 7014.3 The Effect Of Disputes And Debates (munazarat) On Islamic Jurisprudence
  71. 7114.4 The Flourishing Of Islamic Jurisprudence
  72. 7214.5 The Decline Of Islamic Jurisprudence
  73. 7314.6 The Myth Of The Influence Of Roman Law On Islamic Jurisprudence
  74. 7415. Studying Fiqh
  75. 7516. Examples (namadhij) Of Fiqh
  76. 7617. The Khilafah
  77. 7717.1 The Time Limit Given For Muslims To Appoint A Khalifah
  78. 7817.2 Contracting (in’iqad) The Khilafah
  79. 7917.3 The Pledge (bay’ah)
  80. 8017.4 The Conditions Of Eligibility For The Khalifah
  81. 8117.5 Seeking The Khilafah Post
  82. 8217.6 The Unity Of The Khilafah
  83. 8317.7 Succession (istikhlaf) Or Reign (‘ahd)
  84. 8417.8 The Method To Appoint The Khalifah
  85. 8517.9 The Shar'a Did Not Designate A Specific Person For The Khilafah
  86. 8617.10 General Responsibilities/duties
  87. 8718 The Islamic State Is A Human State And Not A Theocratic State.
  88. 8818.1 Deposing Or Removal Of The Khalifah
  89. 8919. The Leadership (al-imarah)
  90. 9019.1 Obedience (at-ta’ah)
  91. 9119.2 The Khalifah's Adoption Of Rules And Styles I.e. Adopting Canons
  92. 9220. Jihad
  93. 9320.1 The Khalifah And Jihad
  94. 9420.2 The Meaning Of The Khalifah Supervising The Army's Leadership
  95. 9520.3 The Martyr
  96. 9620.4 Guarding The Frontiers (ar-ribat)
  97. 9720.5 The Islamic Army
  98. 9820.6 Seeking The Assistance Of Disbelievers In Fighting
  99. 9920.7 Preparing The Islamic Army
  100. 10020.8 Flags And Banners
  101. 10120.9 Captives
  102. 10221. The War Policy
  103. 10321.1 Lying In War
  104. 10421.2 Spying
  105. 10521.3 Truce (hudna)
  106. 10621.4 Military Alliances
  107. 10721.5 Permissible Treaties
  108. 10821.6 Emergency Treaties
  109. 10921.7 Annulling Treaties
  110. 11021.8the Belligerent Disbeliever (kafir Harbi)
  111. 11121.9 The Protected Person (al-m'ustamin)
  112. 11221.10 The Rules Of The Dhimmi
  113. 11322. Implementing Islam Is Obligatory Upon The Disbelievers
  114. 11423. The Jizyah
  115. 11524. The Lands Of Ushr, Kharaj And Sulh (truce)
  116. 11625. Dar Al-kufr And Dar Al-islam
  117. 11726. The Believer's Befriending The Disbelievers
  118. 11826.1 The Emigration (hijrah) From Dar Al-kufr To Dar Al-islam
  119. 11927. The Position Of Islam On Slaves And Slavery
  120. 12027.1 Treating Slaves
  121. 12127.2 Treating Slavery
  122. 12228. Relationships Between Individuals
  123. 12329. Trade (bai’)
  124. 12429.1 Everything Forbidden For Man, Trading It Is Also Forbidden
  125. 12529.2 It Is Not Allowed To Sell What You Do Not Have
  126. 12629.3 The Selling Of Advance Credit (as-salam)
  127. 12729.4 Buying Fruits While They Are Still On The Tree
  128. 12829.5 Sale On Credit And Instalments (taqseet)
  129. 12929.6 Brokerage (samsara)
  130. 13030. Hiring
  131. 13130.1 The Employee
  132. 13230.2 The Wage
  133. 13330.3 Estimating The Wage
  134. 13430.4 The Amount Of The Wage
  135. 13530.5 Paying The Wage
  136. 13630.6 Types Of Employees
  137. 13730.7 There Is No Labour Problem In Islam
  138. 13830.7 Hiring Assets
  139. 13930.8 Renting Houses For Residence
  140. 14031. All Bribery Is Forbidden
  141. 14132. Mortgage/ Pledging Security
  142. 14232.1 The Pledgee Benefiting From The Pledge
  143. 14333. The Bankrupt
  144. 14434. Transfer Of A Right (al-hawala)
  145. 14535. Drawing & Painting
  146. 14636. Usul Al-fiqh
  147. 14736.1 Al-hākim
  148. 14836.2 There is no hukm Prior to the coming of the revelation
  149. 14936.3 The legally responsible with respect to the shari’ah rulings
  150. 15037. The conditions of legal responsibility [shurūt al-taklīf]
  151. 15137.1 The legal ruling [al-hukm al-shar’i]
  152. 15237.2 The address of legal responsibility [khitab al-taklīf]
  153. 15337.3 The obligatory [al-wajib]
  154. 15437.4 That which is required to fulfill a wājib is itself wājib
  155. 15537.5 The prohibition [al-harām]
  156. 15637.6 The permissible [al-mubāh]
  157. 15737.7 The declaratory address [khitāb al-wad’]
  158. 15938. The Cause ( Al Sabab)
  159. 16039. The Condition ( Al Shart)
  160. 16140. The Prohibitive ( Al Manay)
  161. 16241. The Validity, The Invalidity, And The Corruption ( Al Sihhah, Wal Butlan, Wal Fasaad)
  162. 16342. The Determination And The Consession ( Al Azeema War Rukhsah)
  163. 16443. The Shari'ah Evidences ( Al Adilla-tul- Shariyah )
  164. 16544. The Shariah Evidences Must Be Decisives ( Al Adillah- Tu-shariah Yajebo An Takoona Qateyyah)
  165. 166What Is Considered As A Proof (hujjah) Of The Qur’aan
  166. 167Al-muhkam Wa Al-mutashabih The Precise And The Imprecise
  167. 168The Second Daleel Al–sunnah
  168. 16948. The Status Of The Sunnah In Relation To The Qur'aan
  169. 17049. Divisions Of The Sunnah (aqsaam Al Sunnah)
  170. 17150. The Mutawaatir
  171. 17251. The Number By Which The Certainty Occurs
  172. 17352. The Famous Hadeeth (al Mashhour)
  173. 17453. The Individuals Report (khabar Al Aahaad)
  174. 17554. The Narrators Of The Hadeeth (ruwaat Al Hadeeth)
  175. 17655. Types Of The Individuals Report
  176. 17756. Conditions For Accepting The Individuals Report
  177. 17857. The Actions Of The Messenger
  178. 17958. The Ways By Which The Direction (quality) Of The Action Of The Messenger Can Be Known
  179. 18059. The Silence Of The Prophet (saw)
  180. 18160. The Conflict Between The Actions Of The Messenger (saw)
  181. 18261. The Conflict Between The Action Of The Messenger (saw) And His Saying
  182. 18362. The Conflict Between The Sayings Of The Messenger (saw)
  183. 18463. The Inference (al Istidlaal) From The Kitaab And The Sunnah
  184. 18564. The Language Discussions
  185. 18665. The Way To Know The Arabic Language