Arabic Grammar and Spirituality: Discovering the Nahwul Qulub in the Quran

Living in a predominantly Muslim country makes us very familiar with Arabic. Although Islam and Arabic are two different things, they are inseparable. This is because the Quran and the messengers of Islamic teachings spoke in this "heavenly language." Therefore, no one can deny the importance of Arabic for understanding Islamic teachings. All sources of Islamic law, from the Quran, hadith, and the words of scholars, are in Arabic. In fact, branches of knowledge that are the foundation of Islamic religious life can be fully understood by understanding Arabic, such as Fiqh, Sufism, and theology (tawhid).

Spiritual Grammar

Of these three disciplines, Nahwu is the first step in understanding Arabic, as the grammar of a language teaches people, especially non-native speakers ('Ajam), how to use the language according to its rules. Not only that, the benefits of Arabic grammar are vast, as Imam Shafi'i said:

Of these three disciplines, Nahwu is the first step in understanding Arabic, as the grammar of a language teaches people, especially non-native speakers ('Ajam), how to use the language according to its rules. Not only that, the benefits of Arabic grammar are vast, as Imam Shafi'i said:

من تبحَّر في النحو اهتدى إلى كل العلوم

"Whoever is proficient in Arabic grammar will easily understand all knowledges."

A scholar once said:

مَنْ تَكَلَّمَ فِي الْفِقْهِ بِغَيْرِ لُغَةٍ تَكَلَّمَ بِلِسَانٍ قَصِيرٍ

"A person who explains Fiqh but does not understand Arabic will not be able to explain it comprehensively."

From the above statement, it is clear that the science of grammar is the foundation that guides us to the sciences of sharia, both exoteric, such as Fiqh, and esoteric, such as Sufism.

Unfortunately, even though many people already understand the science of Nahwu, there are still many who tend to avoid Sufism because it has "abstract" characteristics for some language experts, so they feel it is complicated and difficult to understand. This contrasts with Islamic jurisprudence, which is considered the opposite, as it allows people to directly practice it in their daily lives. However, the teaching of Sufism should be balanced with Islamic jurisprudence. If this balance is not met, we will experience spiritual dryness and a lack of appreciation for the meaning of Islamic teachings.

To address this issue, Arabic introduces Spiritual Grammar, an approach to understanding the Quran that explains Arabic grammar and the hidden meanings of Sufism.

The Spiritual Meaning of Arabic Grammar

So, what Muslims now understand not only explains that in Arabic there is a subject (fa'il) pronounced rafa', but also explains that in this life, there must be a subject (fa'il) who is the main actor, namely Allah, who is rafa' (Great). Many people have mastered Arabic grammar, but few realize the spiritual meaning inherent in the rules of the Quranic language. Nahwul Qulûb (Spiritual Grammar) is here to explain the Sufi content behind it.

Spiritual Grammar not only explains that in a sentence there must be a subject (fa'il) pronounced rafa', but also that in life there is something that acts as a subject (fa'il) whose nature is rafa' (the Greatest), Allah. This is how linguistics should be studied. It is not only a tool for communication between people, but also used to establish communication with the Almighty.