In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Allah, as He says:
وَمِنۡ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ خَلۡقُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱخۡتِلَـٰفُ أَلۡسِنَتِڪُمۡ وَأَلۡوَٲنِكُمۡۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَـٰتٍ۬ لِّلۡعَـٰلِمِينَ
And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. Verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge.[Surah Ar-Rum. Ayah 22]
Truly, the Qur’an provides a clear illustration of righteous individuals who were granted authority by Allah in both the East and the West, benefiting His slaves, like Dhul Qar’nayn [peace be upon him]. They stood in stark contrast to those who, in their cruel and heartless actions, inflicted untold suffering upon their fellow beings in the vast lands of Africa and beyond, for an agonizing span of four centuries. Even today, these oppressors shamelessly exploit and subjugate their victims through unjust and inhumane post-colonial agreements. Allah says about Dhul-Qarnayn:
ثُمَّ أَتۡبَعَ سَبَبًا
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ بَيۡنَ ٱلسَّدَّيۡنِ وَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمَا قَوۡمً۬ا لَّا يَكَادُونَ يَفۡقَهُونَ قَوۡلاً۬
Then he (Dhul-Qarnayn) followed (another) way, until he reached between two mountains, he found, before (near) them (those two mountains), a people who scarcely understood a word. [Al-Kahf. Ayaat 92-93]
Imam As-Sadi [may Allah have mercy upon him] said: They could not understand due to their foreign language, their foreign way of comprehending, and the manner in which their hearts perceived matters. Nevertheless, Allah granted Dhul-Qarnayn [peace be upon him] the means to the knowledge through which he comprehended the language of these people and facilitated communication between them. Consequently, they complained to him regarding the harm perpetrated by Gog and Magog, two big nations descended from Adam [peace be upon him]. Allah says:
قَالُواْ يَـٰذَا ٱلۡقَرۡنَيۡنِ إِنَّ يَأۡجُوجَ وَمَأۡجُوجَ مُفۡسِدُونَ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَهَلۡ نَجۡعَلُ لَكَ خَرۡجًا عَلَىٰٓ أَن تَجۡعَلَ بَيۡنَنَا وَبَيۡنَهُمۡ سَدًّ۬ا
قَالَ مَا مَكَّنِّى فِيهِ رَبِّى خَيۡرٌ۬ فَأَعِينُونِى بِقُوَّةٍ أَجۡعَلۡ بَيۡنَكُمۡ وَبَيۡنَہُمۡ رَدۡمًا
ءَاتُونِى زُبَرَ ٱلۡحَدِيدِۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا سَاوَىٰ بَيۡنَ ٱلصَّدَفَيۡنِ قَالَ ٱنفُخُواْۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَعَلَهُ ۥ نَارً۬ا قَالَ ءَاتُونِىٓ أُفۡرِغۡ عَلَيۡهِ قِطۡرً۬ا
فَمَا ٱسۡطَـٰعُوٓاْ أَن يَظۡهَرُوهُ وَمَا ٱسۡتَطَـٰعُواْ لَهُ ۥ نَقۡبً۬ا
قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَحۡمَةٌ۬ مِّن رَّبِّىۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعۡدُ رَبِّى جَعَلَهُ ۥ دَكَّآءَۖ وَكَانَ وَعۡدُ رَبِّى حَقًّ۬ا
They said, “O Dhul-Qarnayn! Indeed, Gog and Magog [Yajuj and Majuj] are spreading corruption throughout the land. Should we pay you tribute, provided that you build a wall between us and them?” He said, “What my Lord has provided for me is far better. But assist me with resources, and I will build a barrier between you and them. Bring me blocks of iron!” Then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountains, he ordered, “Blow!” When the iron became red hot, he said, “Bring me molten copper to pour over it”. And so they could neither scale nor tunnel through it. He said, “This is a mercy from my Lord. But when the promise of my Lord comes to pass, He will level it to the ground. And my Lord’s promise is ever true”. [Surah Al-Kahf. Ayaat 92-98] [1]
Behold the illustration of how those exceptional individuals harnessed their talents for the betterment of society, instead of resorting to savagery, theft, pillaging, killing, and degradation. This stands in sharp opposition to the savagery exhibited by the French colonisers, who were notorious for their extreme cruelty, exploitation, and injustice during the periods of colonialism and the early post-colonial era. Those seeking information on this topic will discover a plethora of resources available. In recent times, following the decision of certain former Muslim colonies to remove French as their official language, a language that was imposed upon them by their colonial predecessors as a means to indoctrinate and wage an ideological battle against Muslims, some French academics have displayed fits of anger and frustration. It is possible that they feared the unraveling of one of the schemes devised by their monarch, Louis IX. In 1250, this monarch was taken captive during his participation in a crusade against the Egyptian Muslims. After a substantial ransom was paid, he was eventually released from imprisonment. Nevertheless, during his time in confinement, he utilised his time to devise plans against Islam and its followers. These schemes included the substitution of the physical conflict between Christians in the Western world and Muslims with a battle of ideologies and cultural dominance. Additionally, he aimed to equip the West with the means to undermine the beliefs of Muslims and tarnish Islam’s image in the world. [2]
Imam Abdul Aziz Bin Baz [may Allah have mercy upon him] was asked: What are the means used by the West to promote its ideas (in Muslim lands)?
Answer: The means that the West uses to promote its ideas are many, including:
[I] Attempting to seize the minds of Muslim children and instil Western concepts in them, so a child believes that the best path is the path of the West in everything, whether in what he believes regarding religions and creeds, or what he speaks of languages, or what he adheres to by way of manners, habits and the paths he takes to pursue affairs.
[II] Giving close attention to a large group of Muslim children from every country, taking care and nurturing them, so when they are completely submerged in Western ideas and then return to their countries, they are heaped with praise and commended until they take up positions and leadership in their countries, and thus they promote Western ideas and establish educational institutions that go along with the Western curriculum or are subject to it.
[III] Revitalising the teaching of Western languages in Muslim countries and restricting the language of the Muslims, especially the Arabic language- the language of the Noble Qur’an with which Allah revealed His book and through which Muslims worship their Lord in prayer, during pilgrimage, in their supplications and other than that. Included in this is that they encourage the destructive calls that fight the Arabic language, make attempts to weaken adherence to it in the lands by calling for the vernacular, establish many study programs intended to corrupt Arabic grammar and so-called language development, to glorify what they call folk literature and national heritage. [3]
Hence, it is a positive development when certain African Muslim nations remove French as their official language.
Ahlul Bidah and The Arabic Language
Shaikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah -may Allah have mercy upon him – said: Those who are unfamiliar with the language spoken by the Prophet’s companions, the language they used amongst themselves, and how the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] communicated with them, may inadvertently alter the proper placement of words. Many individuals are raised with the idioms and customary language of their people. As a result, they may come across these words in the speech of Allah, the Messenger, or the Prophet’s companions and mistakenly assume that the intended meaning aligns with their own cultural norms and verbal expressions, whereas what Allah and His Messenger intend is contrary to that. This (phenomenon) took place among a group of people – those who engaged in philosophical rhetoric, those who discussed Fiqh, those who delved into the Arabic language, the common people, and others. Some intentionally interpreted the words of the Prophets and those of their true followers in a manner that contradicted their meanings. Then, they expressed themselves using those words to aid their views, saying, “Indeed, we agree with the Prophets”. This (sentiment) is prevalent in the discourse of the heretical philosophers, the Ismaa’eeliyyah (Rawaafid), and others akin to them among the heretical philosophers, rhetoricians, and the Soofees. One who (truly) knows the Prophets and their true intentions behind their words will inevitably discern that the (utterances of those heretics) do not align with what the Prophets intended”. [4]
Behold the corruption wrought by these individuals who ascribed to Islam, as well as the neo-colonialists who brazenly or covertly push forward their vacuous rhetoric and un-Islamic concepts through various means. Hence, it is a positive development that Mali has removed French as their official language.
[1] An Excerpt From Tafseer As-Sadi
[2] خطة لويس التاسع – page 6
[3] https://binbaz.org.sa/discussions/30/%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%AB-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AD%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%BA%D8%B2%D9%88-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A
[4] Majmoo Fataawaa 1/175
