His Highness added, in a phone interview on the programme “Direct Line”, broadcast by Sharjah Broadcasting Authority with His Excellency Mohamed Hassan Khalaf, Director-General of Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, that the Arabic language is sufficient to handle all matters. It is beautiful and clear. He illustrated this with an example: the difference between the words “عطشتَ” (you were thirsty) with a fatḥa and “عطشتُ” (I was thirsty) with a ḍamma, which once led to the death of a son. When the son asked his father using “عطشتَ”, the father thought the son was asking if he himself wanted water, whereas the son meant that he was thirsty and wanted water. The tragedy occurred due to incorrect pronunciation and failure to distinguish between the words.
His Highness praised the beauty and descriptive marvels of the Arabic language. He noted that when he was in Milan, Italy, where Arabic is taught, one of the students spoke of the importance of the Arabic language, describing it as having great strength, a special flavour, and a very distinctive sound and pronunciation.
His Highness called on people to master the Arabic language and to be able to speak it correctly and eloquently. He praised the high level people have reached in speaking Modern Standard Arabic, free of foreign words, without any guidance or correction. He added that the “Direct Line” programme helps benefit people, improve the language, and noted the large sums and budgets allocated to language improvement and the great efforts made in this regard.
His Highness urged people to take the initiative themselves, to care for the Arabic language, master it properly, and help government bodies promote Modern Standard Arabic, whose meanings we understand. He stressed: “A people are lost only after they lose their language.”
His Highness expressed his hope to revive Modern Standard Arabic in all areas of life and to purify it of foreign words, because Arabic is not only the cradle of other languages but also the core of worship, the basis of devotion, and a means of drawing closer to God Almighty. For example, Chinese and other foreign Muslims say the Takbīr for prayer, pray, and recite verses of the Quran in Modern Standard Arabic. Translation is not permitted, nor do they request it, because prayer is only valid in Arabic.
His Highness added that we must take pride in the Arabic language, as billions of Muslims pray and worship in it. We must not lose it, must preserve it, and must speak it according to correct rules and proper pronunciation. He pointed out that there is ample time to address such matters, which cost nothing. He clarified that people are not being asked to learn the Arabic of the pre-Islamic era, but rather the contemporary language without introducing foreign words. His Highness noted that the Sharjah dialect contains many words of Modern Standard Arabic origin, giving examples such as “سحلة”, “يديه”, “يغرف”, and others — all of which are from the Arabic language.
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