Delivering a Khuṭbah in Non-Arabic & Imām Abū Ḥanīfah’s Understanding of the Nature of the Qur’ān

The following is a translation of Mufti Taqi Usmani’s Urdu article (from his Fiqhī Maqālāt) on the ruling of delivering the Khuṭbah of Jumu‘ah in a language besides Arabic. The article looks at:

  1. The position of the four Madhhabs on this issue.
  2. The issue of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah’s retraction. Imām Abū Ḥanīfah held (a) that the obligation of Qirā’ah in Ṣalāh can be fulfilled by reciting a Farsi translation, and (b) that the obligation of the adhkār of Ṣalāh (like the Takbīr al-Taḥrīmah & Tashahhud) and the Khuṭbah of Jumu‘ah can be discharged by reciting them in another language. Imām Abū Ḥanīfah took back his earlier stance on the first issue but not the second. Some scholars conflated the two issues, hence a detailed study is undertaken on this matter.
  3. The misunderstanding that Imām Abū Ḥanīfah’s position entails that reciting the Khuṭbah of Jumu‘ah and the adhkār of Ṣalāh in non-Arabic is “permissible”. While Imām Abū Ḥanīfah believed that the obligation is discharged by reciting them in non-Arabic, he did not believe it to be permissible to do so. In fact, he regarded it to be Makrūh Taḥrīmī and sinful.

An addendum has been added to explain the theological implications of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah’s earlier stance, on a translation of Qur’ān sufficing as recitation in Ṣalāh. It addresses the important question: “Does this mean Imām Abū Ḥanīfah considers a translation of the Qur’ān to be ‘Qur’ān’?”

Note: The Urdu article is different to, and more detailed than, Mufti Taqi Usmani’s English article on the same topic.

Find the original Urdu article here.

Zameelur Rahman

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