| Answer: The Qur’ān is the ultimate guidance for human
intellect in affairs it is likely to falter. It has been sent down by the
Creator of heavens and the earth to inform man of the path that leads to
salvation. As such, there is no question about the fact that it should be read
with an effort to understand what it says to us. Learning Qur’ānic Arabic should
be every Muslim’s desire, and if taken up seriously takes hardly a year of
concerted effort. However, people who for some genuine reason are not able to
learn Qur’ānic Arabic or are in the course of doing so should try to keep a
translation of the Holy Book with them in whatever language they can understand
better and read it with the Arabic text. Reading the Qur’ān without
understanding seems a meaningless exercise since the book is addressing and
guiding you.
It is difficult to say whether one will be rewarded while
reading the book without understanding it or not. However, to me, it seems quite
unlikely except of course when translation is beyond a person. |