What is the ruling on learning foreign languages, especially for children?
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Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: The Dawah magazine in Riyadh published an investigation in its latest issue with a number of teachers and typists who encourage teaching the English language in the primary stage and the preparatory stage before it. The question is: What is the ruling on learning languages other than Arabic, especially for our sons, and what is your guidance? We have heard that Shaykh Ibn 'Umar ibn Amir (may Allah have mercy on him) forbids this and is strict about it. Is this correct?
Answer:
Learning a foreign language is permissible in cases of dire necessity if one has a need for it. If there is no dire necessity, then learning it is forbidden. It is only permissible to the extent of the dire necessity. Yes, and children have no need to learn a foreign language, nor are they capable of it. If they learn it at this age, they will forget it, so it becomes a burden without benefit. They do not even need it because they are children, and because they are in need of learning the Arabic language, the Qur'an, and the complete Shari'ah. Therefore, it should not compete with these religious sciences, nor should this be made a methodology in schools, institutes, and colleges. It should not be made a methodology. However, it can be made into courses, or a special department can be established for it. As for mixing it with the curricula and making it as if it were a religious subject that competes with the curricula, this is not permissible for adults or children. As for the children, it is not permissible to teach them English because they are not in need of it. Once they need it, if they learn it at an early age, they will forget it, so it becomes a burden without benefit. This is what the scholars have denounced, and they continue to denounce it, and it will not be, if Allah wills. There are attempts by people of the Shari'ah to start the English language with children. There are attempts, but we call upon Allah that their attempts end in corruption, and that He turn their plots back upon themselves.
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: The Dawah magazine in Riyadh published an investigation in its latest issue with a number of teachers and typists who encourage teaching the English language in the primary stage and the preparatory stage before it. The question is: What is the ruling on learning languages other than Arabic, especially for our sons, and what is your guidance? We have heard that Shaykh Ibn 'Umar ibn Amir (may Allah have mercy on him) forbids this and is strict about it. Is this correct?
Answer:
Learning a foreign language is permissible in cases of dire necessity if one has a need for it. If there is no dire necessity, then learning it is forbidden. It is only permissible to the extent of the dire necessity. Yes, and children have no need to learn a foreign language, nor are they capable of it. If they learn it at this age, they will forget it, so it becomes a burden without benefit. They do not even need it because they are children, and because they are in need of learning the Arabic language, the Qur'an, and the complete Shari'ah. Therefore, it should not compete with these religious sciences, nor should this be made a methodology in schools, institutes, and colleges. It should not be made a methodology. However, it can be made into courses, or a special department can be established for it. As for mixing it with the curricula and making it as if it were a religious subject that competes with the curricula, this is not permissible for adults or children. As for the children, it is not permissible to teach them English because they are not in need of it. Once they need it, if they learn it at an early age, they will forget it, so it becomes a burden without benefit. This is what the scholars have denounced, and they continue to denounce it, and it will not be, if Allah wills. There are attempts by people of the Shari'ah to start the English language with children. There are attempts, but we call upon Allah that their attempts end in corruption, and that He turn their plots back upon themselves.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم تعلم اللغات الأجنبية خاصة للأطفال؟ لمعالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.