Summary: Muslims believe Arabic words have holy power and a special relationship with Allah. Because of this, Muslims pray and read the Qurrsquo;an in Arabic, no matter what their native language. Of course, not all Muslims become fluent in Arabic ndash; many only know enough to understand the Qurrsquo;an and prayers. To members of other faiths this may seem odd. Christians have translated the Bible into hundreds of languages ndash; very few Christians feel the need to read it in its original languages. And, although many Jews learn the Torah in Hebrew, the language is not essential to Judaism. But in Islam, Arabic is considered a sacred language because Allah recited the Qurrsquo;an to Muhammad in Arabic. Arabic is the language of God and is untranslatable. Just speaking the words is a religious act. In some cultures, even Arabic newspapers or fiction novels are considered sacred.
