Islamization of Knowledge (IOK)

The English language, I have come to realize, is a very rich language.

In my History of English Language class, I learnt so much about how far this language has evolved from how it originally was from previous centuries. The diffence in the Roman alphabets, to the borrowed words from the different languages (Latin, French, Spanish, and even Arabic). All of which thay have contributed to the wealth and depth of this much universal language.

In my Shakespeare class, I noticed how different the original text was from the modern, translated versions that we use in class. To which I was then reminded by the texts that I learnt in my Beowulf to Johnson class last semester. I read from The Canterbury Tales, The Pilgrim’s Progress, and Faerie Queen, just to name a few. Only to discover how many values and moral they taught me and how beautifully metaphoric and allegoric it was! Who says that English cannot be Islamic?

Your language does not determine your imaan. You can speak any language in the world and still be a good Muslim. You can learn any language, read books by different scholars, understand Western theories and ideologies and it still won’t affect your imaan. In fact, it strengthens it. 

You will gain so much knowledge of this world that nothing can stop you from ignorance. Iqra! Read! It was our first revelation after all. 

It is important to learn English so that we can compete at a global scale, however, it is also very crucial that we stay true to our roots and remember our mother tongue. Because we are the ones who are going to speak our own beautiful languages and pass it down to our coming generations. 

My point is, whatever slang, whatever accent, whatever dialect that you speak, be proud of it, embrace it! No language is perfect, and no language is easy. Heck, in Malaysia there are so many pronouns! Saya, awak, aku, kau, beta, patik, hamba, kitak, kamek! But that is what makes Malaysia so beautiful and diverse!