Does reciting the Holy Quran in foreign languages carry the same reward and merit as reciting it in Arabic? And does the revelation of the Quran in Arabic represent a deficiency for Arabs due to their lack of understanding of other languages, their ignorance, and their adherence to their disbelief, similar to the sending of most messengers to the Jews due to the hardness of their hearts?

Reading the meanings of the Qur'an does not take the ruling of reading the Qur'an itself, whether in Arabic or any other language. This is because the Qur'an is the Arabic word revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him) for worship and as a miracle. Anything else is an interpretation or translation of it. While reading these interpretations or translations brings great reward, it does not reach the level of the Qur'an itself.

The revelation of the Qur'an in the language of the Arabs was for many reasons, among them that the Prophet was an Arab and his nation was Arab. Allah Almighty says: "And We did not send any messenger except with the language of his people so that he might make [the message] clear to them" [Ibrahim:4]. The Arabic language is distinguished by its vastness and ability to encompass both physical and abstract meanings, and by its richness, abundance of vocabulary, and rhetorical styles. It is the language that can contain the sciences and meanings of the Qur'an.

As for the Arab nation, they are like other nations; they have intermingled with others and spoken their languages. The Arabs are among the most intelligent nations, and the Qur'an was revealed among them while they were unlettered, as Allah Almighty says: "It is He who sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom - although they were before in clear error" [Al-Jumu'ah:2]. They grasped knowledge when they learned from the revelation, and they possessed a high degree of intelligence, memorization, and precision. Therefore, the revelation of the Qur'an in their language did not prevent them from understanding and comprehending it.