Linguistics
Al-Risala (English), March-April 1992, p. 16
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is named as the default author of the periodical; a piece that carries another writer’s byline is credited to that writer.
Linguistics
1992 3-4 March-April 16-17 Linguistics (679) On account of the superstitious beliefs attaching to language, linguistics has suffered from highly unfavourable circumstances. That is why, for thousands of years it failed to make any progress. Dr Earnest Gellner, a linguist writes:
In antiquity it was generally believed that writing was the gift of God, for instance, the Indian concept of “Braham lipi”. Words and the forms of speech were considered to have been given to man by the gods and, as such, they commanded the highest veneration from humans. John Stevens in his book, Sacred Calligraphy of the East, has presented research, carried out by him, which shows that the concept of ‘sacred’ calligraphy remained alive in the world for centuries. Scholars did differ as to the origin of calligraphy, whether in Egypt, China, India or any other place. One idea, however, is common to all ancient systems. Writing is divine. It is inherently holy. Writing is the speech of the gods.
History shows that human languages have been the object of superstitions for thousands of years. It was supposed that certain languages had a divine origin, and that their speakers enjoyed a special status above others. For instance, for centuries the Greek language had been supposed to be superior to other languages, Greek being the language of the gods, while other languages were those of barbarians.
The same was the case with Hebrew. In the Jewish Christian World it was an age-old belief that Hebrew was pod’s own language and that it was the first language to be used in the world. Wonderly and Eugene Nida, who made a detailed study of the influences of Christian beliefs on languages, have made this analysis:
One of the factors which retarded linguistic progress was the belief among early Christian writers, and persisting well into the Renaissance era, that all languages were derived from Hebrew.
(William L, Wonderly and Eugene Nida in Linguistic and Christian Missions. Anthropological Linguistics, Vol.5.pp.104-144)
The concept of ‘divine’ language was wholly a product of superstitious beliefs, having nothing to do with reality. Whenever it comes to be supposed of a language that it is the language of the gods it acquires the status of a sacred language. It becomes an object of reverence in people’s eyes. It no longer remains an object of investigation. After this stage, making a critical analysis of it or advocating a new method to develop it or any other such progressive attitude towards it are looked upon as heretical, and akin to being sacrilegious. All such efforts are seen by the people as presumptuousness, rather than as a sincere effort to develop the language.
This plight faced by the ancient languages was common to all other departments of thought: Innumerable kinds of superstitious beliefs had stemmed the tide of intellectual progress. It was the revolution based on monotheism which broke down this barrier for the first time in history.
This revolution originated in Arabia and came to finally exert its influence all over the world. Human history then entered the age of realism, leaving behind the age of superstition.
The very moment when the Qur’an announced that there was no god but the one God, the scientific way of thinking was set in motion. People began thinking about things independently of unrealistic, mental barriers. This way of thinking went from strength to strength until; finally, it led to the present scientific revolution.
Believing only in one God and refusing to grant the status of divinity to all other things results in nothing enjoying the status of sanctity except this one God. All other things, besides this one God are powerless and equally so, that is, nothing has any special status. It was actually the ‘divine’ status of things which was acting as a barrier to their becoming subjects of research and investigation. Once all these things were divested of their so-called divinity, they naturally came down to the level of being proper subjects for research and investigation. It is this special achievement of Islam which entitles it to be regarded as the creator of the modern age.
