Is it Sunnah to learn Hebrew
Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakaatuh
A student of mine asked if it is considered a sunnah to learn the Jewish language as (she said) Nabi ﷺ told one sahaba that he should learn the Jewish language for treaties and other such reasons.
Please let me know if it will be considered sunnah and if this narration is true.
Jazakallah khair
Answer
Wa’alaykum as Salām wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuhu,
A Sunnah refer to ‘the prophetic way of life’.
It relates to those actions carried out by the Prophet ﷺ in terms of devotion and worship, or habits and likes.
It is indeed true that the Prophet ﷺ instructed a companion of his to acquire the skills of the Hebrew language. However, the basis for this was merely so that he could be a means of reaching out to the Jewish community at that time to propagate Islām to them.
Therefore, the learning of the Hebrew language cannot be categorized as a Sunnah.