“The knowledge of the Arabic language is of great importance, a magnificent connection to the Book of Allah Most High and to the Sunnah of His Messenger, may the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him. In addition to being of great importance, this science also establishes the understanding of the texts and the basis for which rulings are derived.So there is no doubt that knowledge of the Arabic language, and by that I mean knowledge of an-Nahw, safeguards the tongue from committing errors in recitation of Allah’s Book, in delivering sermons, and in writing. I stated previously that it is built upon understanding the texts and deriving rulings. Because of this, Shaykh-ul-Islaam, Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, mentioned in his valuable book Iqtidhaa-us-Siraat-il-Mustaqeem that the Arabic language is a part of the religion and learning it is obligatory since understanding the texts of the Book and the Sunnah is obligatory and it is not complete except by knowledge of the language. This obligation (of understanding the Book and the Sunnah) is not perfected except by it (by first learning Arabic grammar), hence it being obligatory.
It has been mentioned in regards to the Arabic language that learning it is fardh ‘ayn (an individual duty), and there are those who say learning it is fardh kifaayah (a collective duty). You may already be familiar with what has been mentioned by the Scholars of Usool concerning the areas of Ijtihaad (the independent ruling of a qualified Muslim scholar) when they made mention that one of the conditions of a Mujtahid (the Muslim scholar who can perform Ijtihaad) is that he must be a scholar of an-Nahw.
Yet despite this, regretfully- and I attach the preposition “alaa” with it because this is what is correct, as for those who say “regretfully” and attach the preposition “Laam” then this is incorrect, Allah Most High says:
{O what regret was cast upon Yusuf!} Soorah Yusuf: 84
So regretfully many students of knowledge abandon this science and detest it. And their studies have become established against memorizing the principles of grammar and constant revision of it, they are heedless of an important aspect, I mean by that the practical application side and the grammatical syntax side (of the language), and for this very reason deficiency in knowing an-Nahw is clearly evident of many students of knowledge even from those who graduate from the universities.
The student of knowledge cannot get around studying an-Nahw whether he wants to or not, yet in my opinion it is necessary for the student of an-Nahw to understand two fundamental issues for the sake of benefiting and mastering this subject:
The first issue is being meticulous in the practical application side and the grammatical syntax side (of the language), because al-‘Iraab is an issue that is necessary to know and due to this the one who knows how to read the end case of the words knows an-Nahw. So you must take interest in the subject matter of al-‘Iraab, The study of ‘Iraab needs you to be precise in the basic principles of an-Nahw, from one direction and intense knowledge of the case endings of the words from another direction. There is a saying that has been repeated by those who say: Constant practice transforms the incapable into one possessing aptitude, just look at the infant who first learns to stand and walk.
The second issue is for the one who desires the study of an-Nahw is to be meticulous in the principles of an-Nahw, my brothers the principles of an-Nahw are very important, in an-Nahw there are established principles that do not change, these principles are necessary so that you benefit from the one who teaches you an-Nahw.
So I advise all of you to be meticulous concerning these two issues and to benefit from the one who teaches you regarding the study of an-Nahw, whether in this study circle or in another. The one who knows an-Nahw the affair is easy and gratifying, while the one who does not know it then the affair is heavy and difficult, and there is not placed in front of the person whom Allah has honored with insight and knowledge any difficulty, especially knowledge of the Arabic language.”
Taken from the explanation of Nukat-ul-I’raab (the Knowledge-based Issues connected to al-I’raab) by ash-Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Saalih al-Fawzaan and translated by Aboo ‘Imraan al-Mekseekee –may Allah guide him
