Origin of Language
Selections from the Book The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him …
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (61)
In the verse: {And He taught Adam the names - all of them.} [Al-Baqarah: 31], this noble Quranic text confirms that humanity began as knowledgeable, worshipful, articulate beings who spoke in a logical and understandable language. Meanwhile, many anthropologists claim that early humans lacked the ability to speak and only communicated through gestures, using one or both hands. Some contemporary anthropologists also insist that early humans had no defined beliefs or understanding of themselves or the universe around them. They argue that humans learned language from birds and other animals and only came to recognize God through their fear of natural phenomena and their reactions to it. Based on this misunderstanding, Michael Corballis, a professor at Princeton University, wrote a book titled From Hand to Mouth: The Origins of Language.
In this book, it is stated: "I claim that language during most of this period was primarily gestural, although sounds increasingly began to permeate it."
He adds: "The production of sounds may have partially served in the emergence of language, as it complemented the gestures of the face, mouth, and hands, making the invisible signals of the tongue and oral cavity audible. Language, of course—even today—rarely consists of pure sounds."
This contradiction in addressing an absolute metaphysical issue, such as the origin of language in humans, stems from being misled by the idea of organic evolution, which recent scientific discoveries have thoroughly refuted. This is especially evident in fields like genetics, cell biology, and microbiology.
All theories and hypotheses proposed to explain the origin of language, apart from the truth of our father Adam, peace be upon him, being created in a special manner and taught by his Creator all the names at the moment of his creation, as well as the anatomical preparation of the human body for speech, are invalid theories and hypotheses. The strong similarities among all the languages of the Earth, including the widespread presence of many words among them—especially among ancient languages—serve to refute these hypotheses and theories. It is also noteworthy that more than fifty percent of the vocabulary in both Aramaic and Hebrew has Arabic roots. A precise analysis of the languages of the world, which are estimated to number over five thousand languages and dialects today, can trace them back to a single origin: the language of our parents, Adam and Eve, peace be upon them. This language was Arabic, as indicated in several Quranic verses, noble hadiths, and human artifacts that have been discovered. Among the statements of our Lord, Blessed and Exalted, that support this conclusion are the following:
- Allah Almighty said: {And He taught Adam the names - all of them.} [Al-Baqarah: 31].
- Allah Almighty said: {The Most Merciful (1) Taught the Qur’an, (2) Created man, (3) [And] taught him eloquence. (4)} [Ar-Rahman: 1-4].
- Allah Almighty said: {Recite in the name of your Lord who created (1) Created man from a clinging substance. (2) Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous – (3) Who taught by the pen (4) Taught man that which he knew not. (5)} [Al-'Alaq: 1-5].
Moreover, the creation of humans equipped with auditory and vocal apparatuses, including the ears, tongue, oral cavity, and vocal cords, all connected to an intricately structured and precisely functioning nervous system, decisively refutes all claims of materialists that humans began their existence as ignorant, faithless, and mute beings, who then learned to speak by mimicking the sounds of surrounding animals and recognized God out of fear of natural phenomena. Despite this clarity, many atheists and polytheists—whose numbers have alarmingly increased in the context of contemporary material civilization—still deny their Creator and attribute everything to nature. Yet, they are unable to accurately define the term "nature," which they invented to evade attributing creation to the Creator, Almighty and Exalted.
As Muslims, we believe that humans were created as knowledgeable, worshipful, articulate, and thoughtful beings, endowed with all the qualities of honor that Allah granted them. They are also equipped with all the necessary tools to develop the abilities required to bear the trust of stewardship on Earth and fulfill its responsibilities.
Language is a means of knowing the names of things. Thus, we understand that Allah inspired Adam, peace be upon him, with the names of all things. Adam's understanding was guided; he recognized each name for every designated entity as created by Allah Almighty. Then he descended to Earth, where these designations would evolve, and the human mind would work to develop and specify things, necessitating the creation of derived names based on what Adam received from the truth, the Almighty.
Indeed, Allah Almighty inspired all names into the heart, consciousness, and understanding of Adam. This is evidenced by the fact that the "designations" were presented to the angels, who could not recognize their names. The angels were unable to identify the designations, which showcases the limitless power of Allah when He inspired Adam, allowing him to learn the names.
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him, pp. 466-470.
- From the verses of prophetic and historical miracles, Al-Najjar, 1/90.
- Stories of the Prophets, Muhammad Metwally Shaarawy, 1/13.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
