The Constitution and the Quran – LANGUAGE

 

The Constitution and the Quran – LANGUAGE

A language is much more than a means of communication. It carries the history, wisdom, values and accumulated experiences of a people. Through language, we inherit not only words but also ways of understanding the world.

When a language disappears, we risk losing something far greater than its vocabulary. We may lose centuries of human knowledge and cultural memory.

Modern scholarship helps us appreciate why. Linguistics, semantics, anthropology and cognitive science have demonstrated how closely language is connected to human thinking, culture and civilisation.

One particularly interesting field is linguistic relativity, associated with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf, and explored through modern experimental research by scholars such as Lera Boroditsky. The central idea is that the language we use can influence how we pay attention to, categorise and remember certain aspects of our experiences. Language does not determine what we can think, but it can shape some of our habits of thinking.

Consider something as universal as time.

In English, we often speak of looking forward to the future and looking back at the past. Mandarin also uses vertical expressions for time, such as shàng ge yuè (last month) and xià ge yuè (next month), drawing on words associated with above and below.

In her book Malay Perception of Time, Malaysian linguist Asmah Haji Omar examines how the Malay language expresses and organises our understanding of time. One fascinating traditional Malay expression is setanak nasi, referring to the time taken to cook a pot of rice.

Imagine asking someone how far away a village is and receiving the answer, “Lebih kurang setanak nasi.”

Rather than describing the distance in kilometres or the journey in minutes, the answer uses a familiar daily activity as its measure. Within those few words lies an entire cultural experience: cooking rice, the rhythm of daily life, shared knowledge and an understanding of time through familiar activities.

These examples do not mean that Malays, Chinese and English speakers experience time in completely different ways. Rather, they show how languages can preserve different ways of describing and organising human experience.

The Japanese scholar Toshihiko Izutsu took this understanding further through semantic analysis. In his studies of Quranic vocabulary, he demonstrated how the relationships between words and concepts can reveal an ethical and religious worldview.

Centuries earlier, Muslim scholars such as Al-Jurjani had explored how meaning emerges through relationships between words, while Ibn Khaldun examined how language develops within societies and civilisations.

Together, these studies remind us that language is a living inheritance. It preserves knowledge, relationships, values and the encounters between civilisations.

What does the Quran say?

What fascinates me is that the Quran specifically draws our attention to the diversity of human languages.

In Surah Ar-Rum, verse 22, Allah says:

“And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colours. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge.”

Notice that linguistic diversity is described as one of God's signs. And notice something else. The verse ends by referring to those of knowledge.

To me, this is significant. The Quran is not merely acknowledging that human beings speak different languages. It is inviting us to pay attention, to learn and to reflect upon that diversity.

Classical Quranic commentators, including Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir, discussed differences in human languages as manifestations of God's creative power and wisdom.

The Quran makes another important point in Surah Al-Hujurat, verse 13, where humanity is described as having been made into peoples and tribes so that we may know one another. The Arabic expression lita'arafu carries the idea of mutual acquaintance and understanding.

What better way to know another community than to appreciate its language, its history, its values and the wisdom accumulated through generations?

In Surah Ibrahim, verse 4, the Quran also tells us that messengers were sent in the language of their people so that their messages could be made clear. Language, therefore, is not merely about speaking. It is about understanding.

I do not suggest that the Quran is presenting a modern scientific theory of linguistics. Rather, modern scholarship helps me appreciate more deeply why the Quran draws attention to language as one of God's signs.

What does our Federal Constitution say?

This brings me to something about Malaysia that I find particularly meaningful.

Our Federal Constitution, through Article 152, establishes Bahasa Melayu as our national language. I believe this is important. Every nation needs a common language that brings its people together, facilitates communication and strengthens a shared national identity.

But our Constitution does something else that deserves equal attention.

Article 152(1)(a) protects the use, teaching and learning of other languages, subject to the constitutional exception concerning official purposes. Article 152(1)(b) also preserves the right of the Federal and State Governments to support the use and study of the languages of other communities.

Think about what this means.

Our constitutional social contract recognises the importance of a common national language while providing space for the languages of our diverse communities to continue living and developing.

Bahasa Melayu need not flourish at the expense of Mandarin, Tamil, Iban, Kadazandusun, Bidayuh or the many other languages and dialects that form part of our Malaysian inheritance. We can strengthen our national language and preserve our linguistic diversity at the same time.

Indeed, I believe we should. The Constitution provides the framework. It is for us, as Malaysians, to give that framework life.

Beyond political debates, towards Quranic practice

For years, politicians and commentators have debated whether Malaysia is an Islamic state, whether we should become one, or whether our Federal Constitution is Islamic.

I believe there is a more constructive question we should be asking.

How can we study our existing Constitution and identify the opportunities it provides for us to put Quranic teachings into practice?

Rather than spending so much energy debating labels, should we not pay greater attention to our deeds, our conduct and the kind of society we are building?

Article 152 offers one practical example. By respecting our national language while protecting and supporting the languages of other communities, we can give meaningful expression to the Quran's invitation to appreciate linguistic diversity and know one another.

We do not have to declare every provision of our Constitution Islamic to recognise where it provides opportunities to practise Quranic values.

Surely, that is a more productive approach than turning Islam into an instrument of political competition. Religion should inspire us to build a better country, not merely provide arguments for political advantage.

Our responsibility towards 2057

I feel fortunate, even gifted, to be Malaysian. I live in a country whose Federal Constitution recognises our national language while protecting space for linguistic diversity.

And as a Muslim, I find something deeply reassuring in this arrangement.

The more I reflect on Article 152 alongside Ar-Rum 30:22, the more convinced I become that our Constitution provides an opportunity for me to become a better Muslim. By being faithful to its provisions, I can also give practical expression to what the Quran encourages.

But I am worried. Some of our languages and dialects, particularly those spoken by smaller indigenous communities in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, face the danger of gradually disappearing.

When a language disappears, we do not simply lose another way of saying good morning. We risk losing an entire library of human experience: oral histories, traditional knowledge, relationships with nature, ethical concepts, stories and the wisdom of generations. Some of that knowledge may never be recovered.

Good intentions alone will not prevent this loss. We need to allocate sufficient budgets, resources, institutional attention and sustained effort to document, preserve and revitalise our endangered languages and dialects. This should involve governments, universities, cultural institutions and, most importantly, the communities whose languages are at risk.

As we work towards WAWASAN 2057, Malaysia's centenary of independence, let us make this part of our national responsibility. Let us ensure that our linguistic inheritance is not lost through neglect or a lack of commitment.

For Muslims, passing on beneficial knowledge can also be a meaningful expression of faith. For all Malaysians, it is a gift to generations yet to come. Our Federal Constitution has provided us with a foundation. The Quran has given me a reason to appreciate its wisdom even more deeply.

Let us ensure that when Malaysia celebrates 100 years of independence in 2057, we have not become a nation richer in material progress but poorer in the languages, wisdom and memories of our people.

Peace,
Anas Zubedy