The Ka'aba, the epicentre of all prayers in Islam, and its most sacred institution (Photo © UrduWire)
From a world perspective, Islam is one the most diverse religions in the world with the religion having the second most number of adherents, and one of the fastest growing major religions as well.
When it comes to languages, dialects and accents, the collection of this congregation of worshippers grows up to a staggering amount.
But in the midst of all this vast assortment of followers, there is a sting in the tail, when it comes to a mutual agreement of how this beautiful religion's teachings and texts be distributed.
The issue being highlighted here is the ongoing debacle on the ban of the translation of Quranic verses to English and Malay, and the pursuit to lift that said ban.
Personally, I think this ban perceives a wrong message to those who want to enter Islam, who have minimal understanding of the meaning of the text.
This is potentially detrimental also to the expansion of followers for Islam if the religion is seen as enclosed to only those literate in the original language.
Businessman, author, blogger and activist Anas Zubedy (Photo © The Star Malaysia)
One man involved in the pursuit to lift the ban is moderation activist Anas Zubedy (pictured above) who appealed to the Home Ministry on the banning of the translated text, which emphasized instead on keeping it exclusively Arabic.
This led him to establish the 'Let's Read The Quran' campaign where he has strong backing from Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Positive vocal opinions like Anas and many others' are very much welcomed. Especially when it comes to sensitive topics like this where negative perception towards Islam can happen, jeopardizing religious stability.
What the Home Ministry has done is rather shallow-minded and distasteful to put it bluntly. If a convert or a Muslim for that matter were to read the Quran and try to understand its beautiful meanings, will he/she have to read it in another language that they have not grasped?
Of course not, this will create a divide between faith and language. A type of scenario which the most unwanted by anyone. That's why positives can come out of this when everyone has a thorough understanding of the sacred material.
The Holy Quran (Photo © Patheos)
A huge positive would be that it fulfills a duty as a Muslim to understand the text and appreciate it even further. A little goes a long way in getting more and more people to respect the Quran as a guidance for their souls.
Another would be that one can recognize the essential directives and commands of Allah SWT. Plus a detailed study of the text can help one to come to know about its true significance of the text which helps a person to put their life on the right track.
Finally, it would also be considered a bigger effort for sake of pleasing Allah SWT in understanding the beauty of Islam.
Moderation plus compassion and understanding is by far the most viable option in the teachings of Islam and giving a positive image about Islam just like how prophet Muhammad SAW (pbuh) set out to do when Islam was in its infancy.
To sum it up, I have met foreign fellow Muslims who speak English, Arabic and French etc. They all may have a different racial background and nationality plus language, but on the whole they are Muslims through and through.
Because it is in every right for any Muslim to know the beauty of the ancient text and its thought-provoking meanings without any misunderstanding and within comfortably their own language.
And that, at the end of the day, is what truly matters.
-Written by:-
Ammo, guest writer of this blog and intern at Zaahara. Interests include motorsports and football, while making multimedia related stuff~
