Language May Divide, But Islam Unites
🌍 Language May Divide, But Islam Unites
During my varsity days, our university hall often hosted jamaats (groups) from abroad, especially after the Ijtema. Since our university had a large number of international students, it was quite natural that many foreign brothers would come to visit.
If Muslims from Africa visited, you could usually communicate with them in French, English, or Arabic, most people in Africa are multilingual. Similarly, when jamaats from South Asia came, we could converse in a mix of Urdu, Hindi, or English.
Our university medical centre’s doctor was trained in Russia. He was active in Tableegh and would serve as the interpreter whenever Russian-speaking jamaats visited.
Whenever we had foreign guests, I always made an effort to interact with them, even briefly. But when the Russian-speaking brothers came, it was different. Most of them didn’t know Arabic or English, and no matter how much I tried, our communication rarely went beyond smiles, hand gestures, and the simple exchange of salam.
I remember feeling a bit sad about that, how could I feel so close to them spiritually, yet be so limited in words?
Then one evening, I stayed late in the masjid. The Russian-speaking group was praying at the back. I could hear their recitation. SubhanAllah! So beautiful and pure. And when the imam recited Surah Al-Fatiha, I could understand every word.
That moment changed something in me. I realised that even when language separates us, Islam unites us, through the Qur’an, through Arabic, and through the manners and sunnah we share.
They would greet me with salam, smile warmly, shake my hand, and place their hand over their heart, a gesture of love and sincerity. I may not have understood their words, but I understood their iman.
Today, there are around 20–25 million Russian-speaking Muslims in the world. They are our brothers and sisters in faith.
And from Bangladesh, through GTAF, we have the honour to serve them, digitally, spiritually, and globally. Imagine if we could reach even half of them. That’s 10 million Muslims benefiting from Islamic knowledge, connection, and tools, people we may never meet or share a language with, yet still connected by faith.
Language may divide, but Islam unites.
