Arabic: Reasons why Muslims demand its inclusion in their religious and secular studies
In refutation of numerous allegations that the Ministry of Education is planning to make the teaching of Arabic compulsory, the Ministry refuted that allegation in The Ghanaian Times issue of August 30, 2026, page 11.
This article is a supplement to the Muslim stand that Arabic is primarily intended to meet Muslim demands, especially in their religious education. It is not compulsory.
Arabic, as admitted by researchers, is a language divinely equipped with words capable of expressing all shades of ideas about God’s divinity. In addition, it is a living language spoken by a significant number of the world’s population.
Muslims all over the world agree that Arabic, the language of the Quran, must be used in the five daily prayers called Salat.
Because of the advantage of using only Arabic in worship, it has welded Muslims into a universal brotherhood, such that a Muslim from any part of the world can easily join a prayer service in any other part of the world without consideration of ethnicity or nationality. This is one of the major reasons why the study of Arabic has become indispensable. If nations and ethnic groups are allowed to offer prayers (Salat) in their respective languages and dialects, it will destroy this unity.
A second equally important reason why Muslims demand the inclusion of Arabic in their curriculum of studies is that Arabic is the key to unlocking the inexhaustible treasure of scientific knowledge and the humanities (arts) contained in the Quran.
Many modern researchers, especially scientists, have expressed wonder and admiration for the Quran for disclosing to the world scientific knowledge at a time when the greatest philosophers could not conceive of it. Yet, when scientists discovered the same phenomena in the 20th century, more than 1,400 years later, the Quranic disclosures remained, according to the writer, 100 per cent accurate in relation to the scientific discoveries.
Only an All-Knowing God could have disclosed them, just as the Quran claims. I have in the past treated quite a number of such scientific phenomena in The Times. An example is the Quranic disclosure of the Big Bang theory, using the Arabic word “Ratqan”, meaning unified matter. Scientists could not have used any better word or group of words to describe the same phenomenon other than “unified matter”.
For these and other reasons, a minimum knowledge of Arabic should be included in the Muslim child’s curriculum as the child begins to climb the academic ladder. But most importantly, Arabic has given Muslims around the world an easy means of identification, including common greetings of peace, a common call to prayer (Azan) and prayers (Salat).
On the method of teaching Arabic to Muslim children, there has been a radical shift from traditional Quranic memorisation in Quranic schools (Makaranta) to the direct introduction of the Arabic alphabet as the first step.
This change owes much to the proliferation of modern means of transport and communication, which have made the world a global village. It has also made it possible to transport large numbers of teachers and books from North Africa and the Middle East to isolated places such as West Africa within the shortest possible time.
After mastering the alphabet, pupils are taught how to use the letters to read Arabic sentences. This is followed by teaching them the meanings of nouns and verbs. At this stage, they begin to understand the meanings of short Quranic verses and the traditions of Islam’s Prophet, called Hadith.
This period of the Muslim child’s life should cover nursery school (two years), kindergarten (two years) and primary school (six years). After that, pupils spend three years in Junior High School (JHS), after which they write the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Arabic.
They then enter Senior High School (SHS) and spend another three years, after which they write the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). At this stage, the Muslim child is expected to have acquired the minimum Arabic and Islamic knowledge needed for the rest of his or her life.
Should the child pursue Arabic further at the tertiary educational level, then it is as an expert in the language, just as others may pursue French or Spanish at that level.
From all the above discussions, one can appreciate the fact that it is Muslims who demand the inclusion of Arabic in the school curriculum because Arabic is an integral part of Muslim training, in addition to expressing Muslim identity. It is therefore optional for non-Muslims and not compulsory.
Arabic and Africa’s educational heritage
It is an undisputable fact that formal education was established in Africa through Arabic. The establishment of the famous University of Timbuktu, a great pride of Black Africa, debunks the historical portrayal of Black Africa as an illiterate continent.
Subsequently, authentic histories of Black Africa and Africa were written down by Muslims in the Arabic language.
Last but not least, through the hybridisation of some African languages with Arabic, these languages were transformed into international languages capable of expressing cultural and scientific ideas at a high level. Examples are Swahili in East Africa and Hausa in West Africa.
Swahili means a coastal language and derives from the Arabic word Swahil (singular), meaning coast. The plural is swaahil. It is a hybrid of the Bantu language and Arabic. Through this hybridisation, Swahili has acquired the capacity to express cultural and scientific ideas at a high level.
Thus, Uhuru, meaning freedom, derives from the Arabic Huriyya, meaning freedom. Similarly, Ujamaa, used to express the concept of community, derives from the Arabic word Jamaa.
In the Hausa language, the same process of hybridisation has taken place, enabling Hausa to become an international language, just like Swahili. Jamhuariiya, used in Hausa to mean republic, derives from the Arabic Jamhuariyya.
But for British intervention in 1874, the same process of hybridisation would also have transformed Twi. Indications can be seen in such Twi words as “Adukura” and “Qurana”, used for the Holy Quran. Even though they derive from the word Quran, the developed words are distinctly Twi in every respect.
How beautifully has Almighty God summarised this diversity of human languages in the Quran:
“And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your tongues and colours” (Quran 30:23).
The diversity of tongues refers to the world’s multiplicity of languages. Similarly, the diversity of colours refers to ethnic diversity. Through differences in language and ethnicity, we can easily identify people from other parts of the world.
Europeans and Americans are white, Asians are brownish, while Africans are black in colour. An American can be easily distinguished from a British person by differences in their English accents.
In short, Arabic becomes analogous to the proverbial Twi “Obaatanpa”, surrounded by her children and offspring, representing the other languages. “Obaatanpa” is full of loving care (Abadae), is merciful (Ahumobro) and is sensitive to the plight of others (Ti ma). Arabic has these qualities in prodigious measure.
Arabic also has a bright future in the diplomatic field because North African countries, Sudan and Middle Eastern countries all speak Arabic as their official language.
As literacy in Arabic increases at the local level, it is hoped that graduates in Arabic, irrespective of their religious affiliation, will be given preference when appointing ambassadors to represent Ghana in countries where Arabic is spoken.
An ambassador who knows the language of the country to which he or she is sent is a real asset.
Conclusion
In the light of all that has been discussed above, it becomes unacceptable to accuse the Ministry of making Arabic compulsory.
Arabic is optional, and Muslims’ demand for its inclusion in their curriculum is justified by the arguments presented above.
BY KHALID KOFI AHMAD
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
Read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
