Balance of Realities - The wonders of languages are among the Divine signs
The wonders of languages are among the Divine signs
Tags: Language, baqa'-yi `ulwi, ruh-i mustaqarr, `ilmu'l-asma', kiraman katibin
The creation of the languages of the nations of the world is entirely by God Himself, and in all of them there are the external (physical) and the internal (spiritual) wonders of His workmanship. These wonders are among the signs of the existence of the Wise Creator and all His attributes. To reflect upon them and to make them known to the people of (respective) languages, is a kind of worship of God [in the light of] recognition (`arifanah). The pleasure and happiness that a person receives during thinking and reflection is a proof that his worship is being accepted in the court of God, and from then on he receives limitless reward. The importance of the language of a nation can be ascertained by reflecting on this verse: “And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. Verily, therein are signs for those who know” (30:22).
Thus, all the languages of the world are created by God, and His signs are hidden in their difference. Thus the wise and the noble, who are blessed with the inner eye of seeing God's power in everything, never ridicule an underdeveloped language or consider it meaningless, ludicrous and devoid of wisdom. It is true that there appears to be a superficial difference in the progress or backwardness of the languages of the nations, but in reality every language is created by God and it has the natural capacity as a world language to embrace knowledge, meaning, progress, teaching and explanation. There are many things that God created equally and gave them to the different nations. However, the difference that is found in their progress and regress is nothing but the difference in their [own] struggle or negligence.
Regarding the beginning and end of the language of every nation, it can be said as a proof, that both in the lower and the higher worlds, the Sustainer of the worlds nourishes the rational souls with knowledge in their own languages, as He Himself says about this: “The Beneficent taught the Qur'an. He created man. He taught him to speak” (55:1-4). The ta'wil of these verses is that, in the world of command the Beneficent taught the higher survival (baqa'-yi `ulwi), namely the permanent soul (ruh-i mustaqarr) of man, “the science of names” (`ilmu'l-asma') in his own language. Then He created the physical shadow of this survival in the world of creation. This was his lower survival or the transitory soul, to whom God taught knowledge through discourse in the usual way. We have already discussed the permanent survival and the transitory survival of man in this book. These kinds of realities discussed in this book can be beneficial and productive if they are studied carefully.
When God sent a Prophet to a nation, He sent him with their language, as it is said in the holy Qur'an: “We have sent no Messenger save with the language of his people so that he may explain to them” (14:4). Not only was the Messenger sent with their language, but so too was the heavenly Book or Scroll, due to which their worship, remembrance, prayer, etc. were also in their own language, so that they may understand the reality or meaning of all those teachings which were given to them on behalf of God.
Another proof of the importance of every language and the possibility of its ascension is that man according to some is considered a microcosm and according to others a macrocosm. Whether he is microcosm or macrocosm, it is a universally accepted fact that the human soul by itself is a vast spiritual world, in which there are all the speaking and living things of the world. When a human being becomes able to attain this personal and spiritual kingdom, the language of his personal luminous world is the same as his mother or national language, or the one which he used to like in this world. As God says: “In it (i.e. Paradise) they have all that they desire, and there is more with Us” (50:35). That is, with Us there are such high ranks that they have never even thought about them.
If someone asks: What are the things that are attainable in Paradise, the answer is in the above-mentioned verse. That is, all those bounties are available in Paradise that man desires. The first and foremost bounty which man cherishes is his own language, in which he will converse with the first and the last generations of his country and nation (56:49). In short, in the personal and collective paradise, one hears and sees one's own and others’ words and deeds. All this will be in the light of God’s mercy and knowledge, by which the people of Paradise will have immense happiness. The example of this is such that, by the power of God, the honourable Scribes (kiraman katibin) will revive the words and deeds of every individual and every nation exactly, which is indeed more wondrous in comparison to writing about them. In any case, the everlasting kingdom of the people of Paradise is in their own language. Thus language is an everlasting thing. It has come to this world from Paradise, being created there in a wisdom-filled way and subsists there even now.
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