ShariahProgram

Keepers of Classic al Ar abic

The Beginner’s Guide to

Studying Arabic
We’ll tell you what you need to know to get started.
What will you need?
What should you study?
Where should you go to study?
 C (647) 225-2546
P (905) 564-3508
F (905) 796-1607
E info@shariahprogram.ca
A 6565 Spinnaker Cir,
ShariahProgram Mississauga, ON L5W 1R2
Keepers of Classic al Ar abic

Why Study Arabic

There are various reasons why you would want to study the Arabic language. Arabic is spoken as a mother tongue by hundreds of
millions of people across 25 countries on 2 continents. Over a billion people can read the script even if they can’t understand the
language. And it is one of the official languages of the United Nations. Therefore, as a student of International Relations, or one of
many other social sciences, learning this language is a huge plus.

Or maybe you have friends, in-laws, coworkers or extended family that speak the language and you’ like to get at least some handle
on it to be able to communicate with them in their mother tongue. Similarly, you might want to study this language simply as a
hobby out of your interest for Middle Eastern culture and Islamic history.

But perhaps one of the most salient reasons for studying this language is religious. The two primary sources of Islamic knowledge
are the Qur’an and the Sunnah, both of which are codified in extremely high class Arabic. To gain access to these primary sources
and understand them as they were meant to be understood, you must first learn the language in which they were written. If the only
language I speak is French and I read a translation of Shakespeare in French, can I claim that I’ve read Shakespeare? Can I claim
that I understand Shakespeare? Of course not. So similarly, you must learn the Arabic language if you want to truly understand the
Qur’an and Sunnah.

In fact, emphasis has been placed on studying the Arabic language by the Prophet (PBUH) himself when he said to the effect: learn
the Arabic language as you learn the Islamic obligations and practices. His companions, who, remember, were Arabs, used to learn
Arabic despite the fact that it was their mother tongue. They used to say: teach your children Arabic. They used to correct each
other’s grammar. They would consider it unacceptable to make a grammatical mistake. And the scholars that followed them in later
centuries all emphasized learning Arabic. Imam Abu Hanifa said to the effect: I would’ve made learning this language compulsory
had I not deemed it difficult on the people.

Moreover, centuries of Islamic scholarship on these and other sources has been done in the classical Arabic tongue. To gain access
to this dizzying array of knowledge on hundreds of subjects in millions of books, you must first master the language in which these
books were written.

Imagine having a huge vista of knowledge open up to you. Imagine having access to centuries of research available at your finger-
tips. Imagine having the ability to pick up a book written hundreds of years ago on the most advanced subjects and being able to
understand every word. Imagine opening up a book written by people from a culture that dominated most of the known world for
centuries and being able to read what they were thinking. Now imagine having these very same doors closed to you – that’s an
uncomfortable thought.

What’s more is that the Qur’an is two things in one; it is a message for Mankind and it is a miracle at the same time. And its
miraculous nature lies in its literary beauty. To gain access to the miracle of the Qur’an and taste the very same beauty that made the
ancient Arabs weep when they heard the verses, you must learn the language. When the tribe of Qureish in ancient Arabia sent
their most infamous debater to the Prophet (PBUH), the debater barked and barked and barked. He was enthusiastic and
completely vicious. His mission was to completely overtake the Prophet (PBUH) and he was relentless. But when he finished, the
Prophet (PBUH) recited a few verses of the Qur’an, upon which tears started to flow from the debater’s eyes and he had to cover
the Prophet’s (PBUH) mouth because he couldn’t take any more. Would you like to taste the same beauty that made that debater
cry?

www.shariahprogram.ca
 C (647) 225-2546
P (905) 564-3508
F (905) 796-1607
E info@shariahprogram.ca
A 6565 Spinnaker Cir,
ShariahProgram Mississauga, ON L5W 1R2
Keepers of Classic al Ar abic

How You Should Study

How you study the language depends largely on why you’re studying it. If you’re studying the language to be able to communicate
informally with friends, for example, then formal studies will only get you so far and books will certainly be of little use to you. The
best place to start for this purpose is to enrol in a short term class. And how long is a short term? Well that depends on what you’re
comfortable with; it could be as little as 3 months, or as long as a year. But really, it depends on you.

And whether the course is in person or online doesn’t make too much of a difference in our opinion. But just make sure that the
course is one where you have a live teacher. Courses that offer a set of tutorials and tests with minimal teacher interaction are not
the way to go. And be prepared to put in plenty of hours throughout the week for practice. Find some Arab friends and practice
speaking with them. Rent some Arabic movies and pay close attention to the subtitles. And lastly, try to avail any exchange
programs.

Once you’ve achieved some basic literacy, it’s just a matter of immersing yourself in the language and speaking it all the time. The
course you took was just the first step. Now comes the real learning experience. And it’s an exciting experience at that!

If you are studying the language for formal purposes, on the other hand, you will need a more formal regiment. It is unlikely that
subtitled movies will be your first priority. You will be relying more on books and placing more attention on grammar rather than
your ability to speak fluently. The ability to speak casually and fluently will come later. And your studies will probably last longer
than a year or two.

Most universities and colleges offer Arabic language courses. Some even span 3 or 4 years. Most of these are quite good and will
give you a firm grounding in Modern Standard Arabic to the point where you can eventually acquire a formal position such as
translator, etc. But remember, just because there is more emphasis on grammar, doesn’t mean you don’t have to practice. You will
need to set aside several hours for practice and eventually work on your ability to converse in Arabic.

The wrong thing to do when studying Arabic formally is to purchase a few books and start learning on your own. We know that
many books claim that you can use them for self learning, but let’s get real here. What you need is a medium or long term course
with plenty of hours of instruction and lots of practice on your own time. Pick the course and/or book that’s most convenient for
you, but don’t try to do it on your own.

Finally, if you are studying Arabic in order to understand the Qur’an or works of classical scholarship, you will need to master
Classical Arabic. There are several courses around the world that offer mastery in Classical Arabic, but it is not worth quitting your
job and joining these schools full time. What is best is a medium or long term online course with teacher interaction. You will be
relying heavily on books and will need to prepare for each lesson by reading ahead before classes.

You will cover at least 5 different subjects just on the Arabic language:

1. Grammar –phrases and sentences

2. Morphology and Etymology – verbs and conjugation
3. Cantillation – pronunciation
4. Literature – practice, exposure to different styles of writing, idioms
5. Logic – a prerequisite for further studies

www.shariahprogram.ca
 C (647) 225-2546
P (905) 564-3508
F (905) 796-1607
E info@shariahprogram.ca
A 6565 Spinnaker Cir,
ShariahProgram Mississauga, ON L5W 1R2
Keepers of Classic al Ar abic

6. Rhetoric – literary devices and beautifying speech

7. Poetry – an understanding of Arabic poetry and culture

Where You Should Study

Like we mentioned, the wrong thing to do is to try and study on your own. You need to join a class. If you study informal or formal
Arabic, a university or college course is usually the safest bet. Find a college near you and read up on their Arabic programs. There
are a few good online courses out there, but they are a bit dodgy and not necessarily as well established.

If you are studying Classical Arabic, you probably have only two choices: 1) join a full time program that will require you to take a
few years off of work and pause your life, or 2) take a part-time course online. You may be thinking of attending a college or
university course part time. But we would discourage that. Although Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic are very similar,
studying the two flavours requires a very different approach. And university and college courses are typically not suited to teach
Classical Arabic.

One of the best online courses for studying Classical Arabic, without having to pause your life for a few years, is the Shariah
Program.

http://www.shariahprogram.ca

You will learn Classical Arabic the right way and with sufficient teacher interaction. You will be provided with the best books in the
field and you will be encouraged to spend time on your own preparing for each lesson. And best of all, the course will not interfere
with your busy schedule for the most part.

What You Need Before You Study

Most courses and books will teach you the Arabic alphabet before you start learning the language. But very few courses spend
sufficient time on this. You are usually expected to whiz through this section and this can be exceptionally difficult, especially if
you’ve never even seen Arabic before. Therefore it is a good idea to try and learn the Arabic alphabet before joining any course. Take
your time with it and get used to it until you’re completely comfortable.

A great resource for this is the free online, self-paced alphabet tutorial at:

http://www.shariahprogram.ca/Arabic-alphabet.shtml

We also recommend signing up for the premium alphabet course. It will cost money, but it is definitely worth understanding the
basics as best as possible because it will mean ease in the future.

www.shariahprogram.ca