The Meaning of the Saying of Allah the Exalted: Until He Hears the Words of Allah
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Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you. In the saying of Allah the Exalted:[At-Tawbah 9:6], does this mean merely reciting the words of Allah for him to hear, or explaining them to him, even if they are conveyed to him from English or other languages?
Answer:
Yes, yes. The intention is not merely to read it to him in a way he does not understand. It is necessary to clarify it for him, to translate it, to translate its meanings for him. The Qur'an cannot be translated; the text of the Qur'an cannot be translated, because humans are incapable of producing words that resemble the words of the Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, or letters that resemble the letters with which the Lord spoke. However, the meaning is translated and explained; it is said, "The intended meaning of the verse is such and such," or "The meaning of the verse is such and such." So the disbeliever has the Qur'an read to him and it is explained to him in his language so that he understands the intent of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. Yes.
But the polytheists in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were Arabs with clear, eloquent speech. Where is one of the polytheists? The polytheists in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were among the most eloquent of the Arabs; they knew the meanings of the Noble Qur'an when it was read to them. But if a non-Arab who does not know the Qur'an comes, it is necessary to clarify its meaning to him in his language. Also, note that it is taken from this verse that it is not permissible to allow a disbeliever to have access to the mushaf (written copy of the Qur'an). Rather, the Qur'an is read to him and he hears the Qur'an from the recitation of a Muslim. As for giving him the mushaf and saying, "Go ahead and read it today, or start now, or in a month, and come back," no, this is not permissible. One cannot allow a disbeliever to have access to the mushaf because it is ritually impure. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you. In the saying of Allah the Exalted:
so that he may hear the words of Allah
حَتَّىٰ يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِAnswer:
Yes, yes. The intention is not merely to read it to him in a way he does not understand. It is necessary to clarify it for him, to translate it, to translate its meanings for him. The Qur'an cannot be translated; the text of the Qur'an cannot be translated, because humans are incapable of producing words that resemble the words of the Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, or letters that resemble the letters with which the Lord spoke. However, the meaning is translated and explained; it is said, "The intended meaning of the verse is such and such," or "The meaning of the verse is such and such." So the disbeliever has the Qur'an read to him and it is explained to him in his language so that he understands the intent of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. Yes.
But the polytheists in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were Arabs with clear, eloquent speech. Where is one of the polytheists? The polytheists in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were among the most eloquent of the Arabs; they knew the meanings of the Noble Qur'an when it was read to them. But if a non-Arab who does not know the Qur'an comes, it is necessary to clarify its meaning to him in his language. Also, note that it is taken from this verse that it is not permissible to allow a disbeliever to have access to the mushaf (written copy of the Qur'an). Rather, the Qur'an is read to him and he hears the Qur'an from the recitation of a Muslim. As for giving him the mushaf and saying, "Go ahead and read it today, or start now, or in a month, and come back," no, this is not permissible. One cannot allow a disbeliever to have access to the mushaf because it is ritually impure. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 17 من 36/شرح العقيدة الواسطية (مع الأسئلة)/ومن أصدق من الله حديثا/صالح الفوزان/العقيدة/كبار العلماء — youtube.com (50:15)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.