Understanding The Sermon

Just yesterday I found myself at another Friday sermon where once again the preacher spoke in a language which the majority of the audience could not understand. I’m often struck by the contrast between the Quran which stresses the importance of comprehension and understanding, which criticises blind acts of commitment, vs the insistence of the imam to speak in Arabic to a non-Arabic audience.

I do not doubt his intention nor his passion, that was clear to see in his expressions – even though his delivery could have been much better (why aren’t public speaking classes mandatory for imams?). But I’m left utterly dumbstruck by trying to understand how anyone can possibly think they are educating or reminding their congregation without being able to effectively communicate with them in a language.

Bored, I took to facebook to vent my frustrations. It’s not that I have a low attention span, it’s just that this is the window of opportunity in every week where the mosque should be delivering a message, establishing dialogue, building a community spirit. It wasn’t. People looking around, checking their watches, fidgeting, all of the signs of boredom manifest to anyone peering in from outside. Moreover, how utterly oblivious, lost in his own world, can the imam have been if he didn’t understand this when looking at his audience?

In this now-frequently disturbing weekly ritual, God-Almighty it would seem, did answer my prayer. Yes, the imam did eventually break into English, I did put my phone away and I did afford him the respect of my attention and while the sermon was ‘ok’ it was frankly uninspiring – still he tried and for that may he be blessed. This wasn’t however the miracle.

Instead, as I sat there, a cute little girl, perhaps 3 years of age, came and stood by me. Her big brown eyes, long black hair highlighted by a solitary red clip. She began playing with her fingers, looking towards me, smiling. I had lost interest in what the imam was saying (at the time in Arabic) and my attention shifted to her. She started making faces, I being the gent that I am, obliged, all the while conscious that  I’m in a room full of men, all the while reassured that they were all so uninterested in what was being said that they had switched off. Some moments later as she walked off, the imam then spoke in English.

It so happened that as the time for prayer arrived, she ended up standing alongside me. During the prayer she displayed much the same prayer mannerisms I recall having myself as a child – fidgety, standing on my toes, waving my arms excessively with each moment of prayer. What I found more interesting is that she began mimicking the imam. For example, when he would say Allahu akbar, she too would say Allahu akbar.

This copycat approach was of course expected for at that age children do mimic the actions of those around them. But when the imam cleared his throat, she copied him. He did it again, she copied him again. Then it hit me, despite our difference in age and our differing level of comprehension, we were suffering much the same.

She, not knowing any better was there with her father, fulfilling the obligations and rituals that she had seen and was being taught. I too was there trying to fulfill my obligations and rituals by attending the most important prayer of the week. Yet she has an excuse, her age, for simply copying rote fashion. As an adult however, one thankfully capable of comprehension, I have no excuse. Nor does anyone else there.

If someone tells me, we must do such and such because it is tradition, my response should be why, and I should not accept it unless the reason ‘makes sense.’ As it stands, I see no sense in preaching to people in a language they do not understand. And the wisdom behind this simple point is actually made by Allah Almighty in the Quran, where it is said, “We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran, so that your people may understand (12:2).” In fact, Allah continues to say, “We have not sent any Messenger except with the language of his people so that he can make things clear to them(14:4).”

Further, Allah addresses the very point I’m trying to make when the Quran says, “If we had made it a foreign Quran, they would have said, ‘If only its verses were clear! What? Foreign speech to an Arab…(41:44)”

Not only does God Almighty point out the obvious common sense approach of ensuring that the revelations throughout time are delivered to the respective communities in their native tongue such that they can understand. But God Almighty also observes that if that wasn’t the case then people would complain as they are unable to understand the message. So I wonder, what is better, to deliver a sermon in a language which the audience cannot understand, because tradition dictates so, or to ensure that the message of the sermon is delivered in a clear concise manner?

For me, the answer to this question can be found in another verse of the Quran, where Allah Almighty says, “We have sent down to you, Muhammad, the message, such that you may explain it clearly to the people, such that they may think and reflect (16:44).” Sadly, far too many Muslims accept tradition in place of understanding, as a result, we are more like the little 3 year old girl, having switched off our facility for comprehension and doing things for the sake of doing things. Prosperity is rarely found without comprehension, unless of course you happen to be sitting on top of huge natural resources.

“When they are asked to follow that which Allah has revealed, they say, ‘no! We would rather follow the path we found our forefathers pursuing.’ Even if their forefathers understood nothing? Even if they were misguided? (2:170).

This verse was revealed when the Prophet invited a group of people to Islam but they refused saying, ‘Rather, we shall follow what we found our forefathers following.’ To me however, the analogy is the same. We either accept the example of Allah’s wisdom where a message is meant to be delivered to its people – in this case a sermon to an audience, in a language the congregation can understand – or we continue this mindless tradition and lose the opportunity of educating, interacting and inspiring those who attend the Friday prayers. And may Allah Almighty have mercy and guide us all, ameen.