Al-Hidayah Australia 2026 | Day 2: Shaykh-ul-Islam Delivers Landmark Keynote Address on Language, Identity and the Future of Faith

Australia: On the second day of Al-Hidayah Australia 2026, His Eminence Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri delivered a landmark keynote address exploring the profound relationship between language, faith, identity, and the preservation of Islam among future generations living in the English-speaking world.

The lecture formed the third and concluding instalment of his international series addressing the challenges confronting Muslim families raising children in Western societies. Drawing upon theology, sociology, history, linguistics, and contemporary academic research, Shaykh-ul-Islam examined what he described as one of the most pressing issues facing the Ummah today: the growing phenomenon of "English-only dependence" and its implications for the transmission of faith.

At the outset of his address, Shaykh-ul-Islam congratulated the organisers, volunteers, speakers, and participants of Al-Hidayah Australia 2026, appreciating the collective efforts of Minhaj-ul-Quran Australia, Minhaj Welfare Foundation Australia, Minhaj Women League Australia, Eagles Australia, Minhaj Youth League, and all those who contributed to making the educational retreat a success. He also announced that the next phase of this important series would continue at Al-Hidayah Canada 2026 at McMaster University later this year.

English is Not the Problem

A central theme of the keynote address was Shaykh-ul-Islam's clarification that the English language itself is not a threat to Islam or Muslim identity.

He explained that English has become indispensable in today's world, serving as the language of education, professional advancement, public engagement, communication, and intellectual discourse. Muslim youth, he stressed, must master English in order to excel academically, contribute positively to society, and confidently articulate Islamic perspectives in response to modern ideological challenges such as atheism, secularism, and liberalism.

However, he warned that the real challenge arises when English becomes the only language through which Muslim children understand religion, identity, and meaning.

According to Shaykh-ul-Islam, when religious understanding becomes confined solely to English, future generations gradually lose access to the vast inherited reservoirs of Islamic scholarship, spirituality, and civilisation that have sustained Muslim communities for centuries.

The Three-Language Model

Presenting what he described as the "Three-Language Ideal Model" for Muslim families living in the West, Shaykh-ul-Islam proposed a balanced framework for preserving both faith and identity.

He explained that English should remain the language of education, communication, and engagement with the modern world; the heritage language—whether Urdu, Turkish, Persian, or another inherited Muslim language—should serve as the bridge to religious, spiritual, and cultural inheritance; while Arabic remains the gateway to the original sources of Islam, including the Holy Qur'an, Hadith, Sunnah, and classical Islamic scholarship.

He emphasised that the solution is not to replace one language with another, but to ensure that each language fulfils its unique role.

Summarising this model, Shaykh-ul-Islam stated:

"Keep English strong, keep the heritage language alive, and connect with Arabic."

Language Shapes Thought and Identity

Shaykh-ul-Islam explained that language is far more than a means of communication—it shapes thought, perception, worldview, and moral understanding.

Children, he said, do not merely speak through language; they think through it, interpret reality through it, and develop their intellectual and ethical frameworks through it.

He warned that when Muslim children become exclusively dependent upon English, they often begin to understand religion through the assumptions and categories of the secular environment in which English predominantly functions. As a result, their understanding of Islam can gradually become detached from the civilisational, spiritual, and intellectual traditions that originally nurtured the faith, contributing to the growing identity crisis experienced by many Muslim youth in Western societies.

Heritage Languages Preserve Islamic Civilisation

Highlighting the importance of heritage languages, Shaykh-ul-Islam described them as vital carriers of Islamic civilisation and religious knowledge.

Using Urdu as an example, he explained how it developed through centuries of interaction between Arabic, Persian, and Turkish traditions, becoming a powerful vehicle for Islamic scholarship, spirituality, and culture.

He noted that heritage languages preserve not only knowledge but also emotional memory, inherited values, manners, etiquette, and essential religious vocabulary. Expressions such as Insha'Allah, Masha'Allah, SubhanAllah, Tawakkul, Sabr, and Shukr carry profound spiritual meanings that become deeply rooted within a child's subconscious understanding of faith.

When such expressions disappear from daily life, he observed, the concepts they represent gradually disappear as well.

Access to Authentic Islamic Scholarship

A significant portion of the keynote focused on the relationship between language and access to authentic Islamic knowledge.

Shaykh-ul-Islam explained that the original sources of Islam—including the Holy Qur'an, Hadith, Islamic jurisprudence, theology, spirituality, and classical scholarship—are preserved in the Arabic language. He further noted that vast portions of Islamic intellectual heritage have also been transmitted through Turkish and Persian scholarly traditions, with Urdu serving as an important bridge connecting later generations to this rich legacy.

Without access to these linguistic traditions, he cautioned, Muslim youth become increasingly dependent upon translations and secondary interpretations, limiting their ability to engage deeply with the richness and depth of Islamic scholarship.

The Rise of "Algorithmic Religion"

One of the most significant themes of the address was Shaykh-ul-Islam's warning against what he termed "algorithmic religion."

He observed that many young Muslims today no longer acquire religious understanding primarily through scholars, books, families, or established institutions. Instead, they increasingly receive religious information through platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, podcasts, social media influencers, AI-generated responses, and algorithm-driven digital feeds.

In such an environment, young people encounter atheist critiques, secular liberal perspectives, hyper-literalist interpretations, ultra-modern ideologies, influencer-based religion, and countless conflicting viewpoints simultaneously.

Without grounding in authentic scholarship and inherited religious traditions, Shaykh-ul-Islam warned, many lack the ability to distinguish between sound Islamic knowledge and misinformation.

He described this phenomenon as "algorithmic religion"—a personalised version of faith assembled from random digital fragments selected by algorithms rather than guided by authentic scholarship, tradition, or religious authority.

According to Shaykh-ul-Islam, this trend contributes to religious confusion, weakening family transmission of faith, inconsistent religious practice, identity instability, and spiritual uncertainty.

Faith is Transmitted Through the Heart

Throughout the lecture, Shaykh-ul-Islam repeatedly emphasised that faith is not transmitted through intellectual reasoning alone.

While rational understanding remains essential, religion is also conveyed through love, belonging, emotional attachment, memory, spiritual experience, family traditions, and inherited religious culture.

He explained that many dimensions of Islamic life continue through sentimental and spiritual connections that exist beyond intellectual explanations. These connections are preserved through language, family practices, and cultural expressions that ultimately connect believers to the Prophetic tradition itself.

Without these channels of transmission, future generations may retain information about Islam while gradually losing their emotional and spiritual attachment to it.

Culture as a System of Meaning

Shaykh-ul-Islam challenged the common misconception that culture is merely a collection of local customs or ethnic traditions.

Instead, he defined culture as a comprehensive system of meaning, consisting of values, beliefs, concepts, norms, manners, habits, and traditions rooted in faith.

Islamic culture, he explained, transcends geography and ethnicity. It is formed through the shared meanings transmitted by the Holy Qur'an, the Sunnah, Islamic scholarship, and the rich spiritual heritage of Islam.

Language, he stressed, plays a central role in preserving and transmitting this system of meaning across generations.

Research Supporting Faith Transmission

Supporting his arguments with contemporary academic research, Shaykh-ul-Islam referred to studies demonstrating that retention of heritage languages strengthens religious continuity, reinforces family bonds, and contributes significantly to preserving faith among immigrant Muslim communities living in Western societies.

These findings, he observed, confirm what religious communities have understood for generations—that faith is sustained not only through doctrine but also through family, language, culture, and emotional belonging.

A Powerful Call to Muslim Families

Concluding his keynote address, Shaykh-ul-Islam delivered a heartfelt appeal to Muslim parents, educators, and community leaders.

He urged families not to see language as a choice between modern success and religious commitment. Instead, they should equip future generations with all three essential dimensions:

Strong English for success in the contemporary world.
Strong heritage language for preserving identity and religious continuity.
Strong Arabic connection for direct access to the original sources of Islam.

Shaykh-ul-Islam warned that neglecting heritage transmission risks disconnecting future generations from the religious, moral, and spiritual foundations that sustain faith.

Bringing his address to a close, he reminded participants that preserving Islam is not merely an intellectual exercise but a holistic process encompassing knowledge, identity, family, language, culture, spirituality, and the heart. For Muslim communities living in the English-speaking world, he concluded, the challenge is not English itself—but ensuring that English does not become the only lens through which future generations encounter their faith.