In search at the linguistic debris at babel for the mother of languages from which the world’s multiplicity of languages derive

In  the first instalment of the above article published in our blessed and esteemed Times it was established from the Bible and Islamic history that it was the Syriac language that underwent the divine split at Ba­bel. This article conducts a search at the linguistic debris at Babel for the first and original language spo­ken by mankind before the split.

A wrong impression might, subsequently, have been created that the Syriac language, now dead, was that original languages spoken by mankind up to that point in time in the history of mankind. The following views by eminent scholars and researchers go to debunk that view.

Quoting from Hadrat Ahmad, Founder of Ahmadiyyat we read: “Ibn Asakir – the trusted and trust­worthy – quotes from Abu Abass in his work of history that the lan­guage of Adam in heaven was, in­deed Arabic. Similarly, Abdul Malik has put forth a tradition (Hadith) from the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, and likewise other men of learning have set forth other traditions. They have said that Arabic is the first language, and this language is from God, which descended along with Adam from heaven. Then, after the lapse of a long time, it suffered changes and other languages took their birth. Out of it, the first languages to emerge was Syriac. And God like­wise changed the accent of those who brought about the change (Ahmad, Minan Al-Rahman). The words” And God likewise changed the accent of those who brought about the change” are in reference to the split of languages at Babel. Meaning that human changes, arti­ficially effected in Arabic, was met by the divine response of splitting the Syriac language.

Quoting other modern views we read: “Some are of the view that Adam used to speak the Arabic language. When he descended to earth then his languages changed to Syriac. According to Ibn Abass ‘when God accepted the repen­tance of Adam He replied him in Arabic “(Fatawa Ibn Bazz). This view is similar to the one proceed­ing it.

On the identity of the Syriac says Ahmad:” And that is why the ancients call it the earlier Arabic. And it was as a matter of fact Ara­bic with a slight change” (Ahmad, Minan Al-Rahman) According to Ibn Bazz: “What we are certain about is that Syriac, Hebrew and Arabic are one language”. (Fatawa Ibn Bazz). In other words Syriac, Hebrew and Arabic differs slightly from each other hence considered as one language.

Quoting the following Tradition (Hadith) of the Holy Prophet reported by Abu Zarr Al- Ghi­faari, may Allah be pleased with them, we read: “ According to him the Prophet said, ‘oh Abu Zarr four of God’s Prophets were Syriac : Adam, Seth, Eunuch and Noah. And four are also from the Arabs:Hud, Shu’aib, Salih and your Prophet Muhammad” (Salih of Ibn Hiban). By the statement that four of God’s Prophets were Syriac he meant to say that the four Syriac Prophets delivered their messages to their respective people in the Syriac language. Similarly, by the statement that four of God’s Prophets were Arabic is meant that the four Arabic Prophets delivered their messages to their respective people in the Arabic languages.

The above Hadith therefore does not mean that because the delivery of the four Prophetic messages in Syriac chronologically preceded the delivery of the four Prophetic messages in Arabic, then Syriac was that mother tongue. Un­fortunately some scholars up- hold that view. To remove that errone­ous conclusion deep cognizance must first be taken of the tradi­tions (Hadith) reported by Ibn Asakir and Ibn Abass to the effect that the first language spoken by Adam, Progenitor of the present race of mankind, was Arabic that later changed to Syriac.

From the time of the Prophet Adam to the Prophet Noah, on the two be peace, is a lapse of one thousand years that was sufficient­ly long enough to accommodate the change from Arabic to Syriac. Let me now quote the findings of Western Researchers on the subject matter. From Nicholas we read: “Notwithstanding that Arabic is thus, in a sense, the youngest of the Semitic languages (in litera­ture), it is generally allowed to be never akin than any of them to the original archetype, the ‘Ursemi­tisch’, from which they all derived “ (RA. Nicholson, A literary History of the Arabs). Accord­ing to the learned orientalist the chronological order of literature development of the members of the Semitic family of languages are: First, Babylonian or Assyrian, second Hebrew, third South Arabic (Sabean or Himyarite), fourth Aramaic, fifth Phoenician, sixth Ethiopic and Seventh Arabic.

Despite this Arabic is closest to the mother language from which all the Semitic languages derived. In describing this honorific status of Arabic amongst the Semitic lan­guages he uses the word archetype defined by lexicons as “A perfect example of something, because it has all the most important qualities of things that belong to that type” ?(Longman Dictionary of contem­porary English): According to Phil­ip K.Hitti: “ The Arabic language, the youngest among the Semitic languages from the point of view of literature, has nevertheless, con­served more of the peculiarities of the mother Semitic tongue- includ­ing the inflection – than the He­brew and its other sister languages. It therefore affords the best key for the study of the Semitic languag­es” (Philip, History of the Arabs). Arabic having conserved more of the peculiarities of the mother Semitic language from which they all derived is tantamount to saying that it is the mother of the Semitic languages.

Last but not the least the word Semitic derives from Sem, the first born of Noah (Sam in Arabic). The other two brothers are: Ham and Japheth.

Offspring’s of Sem are referred to using the adjective Semitic. In the beginning all the three brothers (Sem, Ham and Japheth) spoke the common language of Syriac at Ba­bel. Africans are the descendants of Ham, while Europeans and Americans are the descendants of Japheth. Asians, on the other hand, descend from Sem.

Conclusion: Arabic, being the archetype of the Semitic lan­guages spoken at Babel is there­fore the mother tongue from which all the rest of languages derived.

BY KHALID KOFI AHMAD

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