Due to the inseparable link between Arabic and the Quran, Arabic has left a deep impact on the languages of the peoples who have accepted Islam.

The Persians, for example, gave up their script and language in favor of Arabic; influencing religious science, grammar, rhetoric, prosody and other sciences. The influence of Arabic on Persian was such that it surpassed even the influence of Latin on English. Professor E.G. Brown says: "It is astonishing to find what a large number of Arabic words are in current use in Persian and to write Persian devoid of any Arabic is at least as difficult as to write English without employing Greek, Latin or French derivatives."

Arabic has also influenced Turkish. The Turks borrowed their Arabic culture and literary forms either indirectly from Persian or directly from Arabic. It is estimated that 50% of Turkish vocabulary is made up of Arabic and Persian loan words.

The same is true of Urdu which again was influenced by Arabic either directly or through Persian and Turkish. And the influence of Arabic on Indian languages is not restricted to Urdu for there are many Arabic words in Indian languages which are either found in their original form or slightly changed. Recognize these words from Hindi? muqaddar, mazaa, qaadhi, feysla, jism, mohabbat, (be)waquuf, makaan, dukaan, dunya, aasmaan, insaan, lazzat...just some of the direct or indirect Arabic words commonly found in Hindi.

In Malaysian there are more Arabic words borrowed than have been borrowed from Indonesia--its neighboring country! Arabic was brought to Malaysia and the East Indies through Arab seafarers. All of these languages first borrowed religious vocabulary, then scientific terminology and forms of literary expression and then words of daily life.

Professor Brown comments: "It is certain that no satisfactory knowledge of the language, literature and modes of thought of Persia, Turkey, Mohammedan India or any other Muslim land is possible without a considerable knowledge of Arabic...and that our appreciation and enjoyment of these literatures grow in direct ratio to this knowledge."


From "Arabic as a Language"
Dr Y. Najmuddin, Rector Al-Jameatus Saifiyah
1976, Wilson Lecture, University of Mumbai India.