Short answer
Because Allah sends every messenger in the language of his people, and the Prophet ﷺ and the first people he addressed were Arabs. The Quran says it was sent as an Arabic Quran so that they might understand. Its message is for all mankind, and its meaning reaches others through translation and tafsir.
Arabic is the language of the Quran, so the recitation of salah must be in Arabic and a translation is not the Quran. Learning enough Arabic to recite correctly is a duty, and learning more to understand it is highly virtuous.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The Quran answers this question directly. Allah says: We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran that you might understand (12:2). And: We did not send any messenger except in the language of his people, to make things clear to them (14:4). Musa spoke to the Children of Israel in their language and Isa in his. The final messenger was an Arab sent first to Arabs, so the Quran came in their tongue.
A message for everyone. The language is Arabic, but the message is universal. Allah says He sent the Prophet ﷺ to all mankind (34:28). The first generation carried the Quran from Arabia to Persia, Africa and beyond, and people of every nation learned it.
Other wisdom scholars mention:
- Arabic is rich and precise, able to carry deep meaning in few words.
- The Arabs of that time were masters of eloquence, so the challenge to produce something like the Quran was made to the people best able to judge it (2:23).
- One shared language of worship unites Muslims across the world in salah.
The Quran also anticipated the objection: had it been revealed in another language, people would have asked why it was not explained in their own (41:44). Some opponents claimed a foreigner taught the Prophet ﷺ, and the Quran replied that the man they meant spoke a foreign tongue while this is clear Arabic (16:103).
You do not need to be Arab to benefit. Read a translation with tafsir, and learn the Arabic step by step. See choosing an English translation, whether a translation is the Quran and learn al-Fatiha word by word.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Yusuf 12:2
إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ قُرْءَٰنًا عَرَبِيًّۭا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿٢﴾
Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an that you might understand.
The Quran states why it is in Arabic.
Quran, Surah Ibrahim 14:4
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا بِلِسَانِ قَوْمِهِۦ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَهُمْ ۖ فَيُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ﴿٤﴾
And We did not send any messenger except [speaking] in the language of his people to state clearly for them, and Allah sends astray [thereby] whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
Every messenger came in his people's language.
Quran, Surah Saba 34:28
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَٰكَ إِلَّا كَآفَّةًۭ لِّلنَّاسِ بَشِيرًۭا وَنَذِيرًۭا وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٢٨﴾
And We have not sent you except comprehensively to mankind as a bringer of good tidings and a warner. But most of the people do not know.
The message is for all people.
Quran, Surah Fussilat 41:44
وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَٰهُ قُرْءَانًا أَعْجَمِيًّۭا لَّقَالُوا۟ لَوْلَا فُصِّلَتْ ءَايَٰتُهُۥٓ ۖ ءَا۬عْجَمِىٌّۭ وَعَرَبِىٌّۭ ۗ قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ هُدًۭى وَشِفَآءٌۭ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌۭ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِن مَّكَانٍۭ بَعِيدٍۢ ﴿٤٤﴾
And if We had made it a non-Arabic Qur'an, they would have said, "Why are its verses not explained in detail [in our language]? Is it a foreign [recitation] and an Arab [messenger]?" Say, "It is, for those who believe, a guidance and cure." And those who do not believe - in their ears is deafness, and it is upon them blindness. Those are being called from a distant place.
The Quran answers the objection about its language.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Salah, discussion of reciting in a language other than Arabic. The relied-upon Hanafi view that recitation in salah must be in Arabic.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.