Giving priority to reading the translations of the Quran

19-10-2005 | IslamWeb

Question:

I was talking to my Muslim brother and we started a conversation about the following: What is better - to read translations of the Quran and Tafseers, or to read the books of the Ahlul Sunnah scholars, - which interpret the Quran and the Sunnah? Please answer as soon as possible!
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

 

It might be that the best for a Muslim is to combine between reading the translation of the Quran and the interpretations of the books of Sunnah and jurisprudence if time allows. However, if it is not possible to combine between the two, then reading the translation of the Quran comes in priority over the interpretations of the books of Sunnah. That is because a beginner in seeking knowledge should start with the book of Allaah; this is the advice of the scholars may Allaah have mercy upon them.

Finally, we advise the brothers who do not speak Arabic to do their utmost to learn this language and then teach it to their families as it is the language of their religion in which the book of Allaah was revealed. It is also the language which the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) spoke. In addition to this, the great meaning and eloquence of the Arabic language could not be accurately translated no matter how excellent is the translation.

For more benefit please refer to Fatwa 85806 on the importance of seeking knowledge and how to gain this knowledge. You could also refer to Fataawa 89464, 88977 and 88489.

Allaah Knows best.

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