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 Linguistic Meaning vs. Shariah Meaning



The inextricable link between language and culture  can be understood by analysing the causes behind the poor performance in English exams as explained by one of the teacher who used to teach in Muhibuddin school in Addu. According to him, the students command of the English language and its grammar is relatively good and yet their performance in English in Cambridge examinations is astonishingly poor. Often times students are asked to write on topics which they have not comprehended in essence. For example, it is a known fact there are only few restaurants in the whole of Addu and if students are asked about to write an essay describing 'an embarrassing situation in restaurant', this may pose problems. Firstly, the description of  'restaurant' by a student in Addu, maybe starkly different from the conception of 'restaurant' which exist in the mind of the British examiner. Secondly, the word 'embarrassing' has different linguistic connotations depending on one's culture and outlook. What is embarrassing for a Muslim maybe the epitome of 'freedom' for the Westerners. Also, what is 'embarrassing' for a student from Hithadhoo background may not be so for a student from Feydhoo. So for example if one of student were to write 'Yesterday I went to a restaurant called Scoop in my island. Upon entering I saw a man and woman kissing each other and this embarrassed me so much...' ,the British examiner who evaluates the papers will flatly disqualify the student for the lack of comprehension of English terms (e.g. embarrassing). This is because the British examiner, whose inclinations and tastes shaped by Western culture, expects the students to describe things according to Western culture and its outlook. And what the student described as 'embarrassing' is actually the norm in Western culture. The correct construction of sentences and the correct usage of the grammar is a secondary issue. Of course the students from Feydhoo may perform slightly better in this aspect due to their English-imitating background. In fact they could even embarrass an Englishman living at the heart of Western culture !

Language is said to be the medium for exchanging thoughts and concepts. A concept or thought can be exchanged after it has been defined in a correct manner. That is to say the formation of concepts precedes the actual medium used to convey it. For Muslims, Islam clarified the concepts, criteria and solutions in the Quran and Sunnah. Although the Quran was revealed in Arabic, Islam introduced a new layer to the Arabic language prevalent amongst the Arabs at that time. Therefore, Muslims who wish to adhere to Islamic concepts , use Islam as a standard to judge issues and apply Islamic solutions to life's problems should  refer to the Shariah meaning of the Arabic terms instead of the linguistic meaning which prevailed amongst the Arabs before the arrival of Islam. The words Kufr and Kafir are derived from the root ''Kafar'', which linguistically means ''to cover''. Even the farmer is considered a Kafir in the linguistic sense because he is covering the seeds with soil. When it comes to application, the Shari'ah meaning supersedes the linguistic connotations. In Shariah terminology, one of the definition of a kafir is a person who rejects the belief in Allah and the Prophethood of Muhammad(saw). Jihad linguistically means struggle, but the Shari'ah meaning defines Jihad as the physical fighting conducted by the Islamic state to remove physical obstacles that try to suppress the propagation of Islam. Also, Hajj means ''to go'' linguistically. If Muslims resorted to the linguistic meanings, then going to the shopping mall would be considered Hajj and the woman who covers her body with the Hijab would be considered a Kafir! Or a person who does not reveal his family secrets to others will be also considered a kaafir !As such, the Shari'ah, or the juristic meaning, defines the rule and the concepts in Islam.


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