A Refutation of Those Who Call People to Learn Foreign Languages and Neglect Learning the Arabic Language

Question:
The benefits of explaining the book *Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim li-Mukhalafat Ahl al-Jahim* by Ibn Taymiyyah. I would like to ask, our Shaykh (may Allah preserve you), before you begin the second point, you mentioned in the previous episode that Muslims suffer from ignorance in their religion. I recall that when speakers and proponents put forward languages other than Arabic, they rarely face the fact that the issue is religious and that adhering to Arabic is a religious obligation. Rather, out of extreme ignorance and regression, they repeat to people that whoever learns the language of a people is safe from their deception, so the Ummah is led to believe that learning non-Arabic languages is a religious duty, and that religion has recommended it. We rarely find anyone saying that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab prevented it and forbade it, and that religion calls for adhering to Arabic, just as you previously mentioned that among them are those who suffer from either weak faith or ignorance of faith?

Answer:
Yes, the call is now in full swing to learn foreign languages in the lands of the Muslims and among the Muslim youth, for nothing other than a love for this foreign language and an infatuation with it, and the claim that it is the refined and advanced language, like that. And this goes back to one of two things among the Muslims: either their ignorance of their religion, and that is a calamity.
There is no doubt. Or the weakness of their faith, and that is more severe; or because those who speak of this and call to it have no faith, and rather they are from the people of hypocrisy, so when the opportunity arises, they openly display their hypocrisy. The obligatory thing is the opposite: that we call to learning the Arabic language, encourage those who learn it, and focus on it in our curricula. And we spread the English language.
And we forbid learning the language of the non-Arabs. And if we are compelled to learn it, let it be to an extent that is not general in the curricula, but rather there should be a specific section dedicated to studying this language to the extent of necessity. And for that reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not order the people to learn the language of the Persians or the language of the Romans in his time (peace and blessings be upon him), but rather he designated one man for it, Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him), and ordered him to learn the Syriac language and the language of the Jews in order to translate for him the books that came to him. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) limited it to the need. Yes, we say that Muslims need to learn, or some of them need to learn, from among those who can fulfill the need, one of them.
One of them, from among those who can satisfy the need, that they designate someone to learn these languages and make a center or a special department for them. As for it competing with the Arabic language or being preferred over it, and burdening the sons of Muslims with it.
And giving it full class hours and diminishing the right of Arabic, this is from the fallacy and from ignoring this Arabic language, the language of religion, the language of Islam, the language of the Qur'an, and the language of the Sunnah. This is from ignoring it and being undutiful to it as well. And this is what causes the language to disappear, the language of the Arabs to disappear, and in the end, the meaning of the Qur'an and the meaning of the Sunnah will not be known. A generation will come that does not know the meaning of the Book and the Sunnah if the situation continues with this matter: weakening the Arabic language, weakening the curricula of the Arabic language, and strengthening the curricula of the foreign language. This will destroy the Arabic language. The early Muslims, as it comes, did the opposite; they compelled the non-Arabs to learn the Arabic language. In fact, the non-Arabs were the ones who desired this and preferred it, so they learned the Arabic language and excelled in it, and among them became the imams in the Arabic language. Correct. Look at Sibawayhi, and so-and-so, and so-and-so, from the non-Arabs who became imams in the Arabic language and authored books on it. This indicates that the Arabic language is the mother language, it is the prevailing language, and it is the language that should be the one given priority.