TheGoldenAdviceRegardingtheProperMannerofLearningtheArabic

Language

IntheNameofAllh,theMostBeneficent,theMostMerciful

ByAbu'UmaralJurjaani

AllpraiseisforAllah.Wepraisehimandseekhisassistance.Maythesalahandsalambeupon
the messenger of Allah and all those who follow the prophetic path until the last day. Amma
bad: Many brothers have asked me about learning the Arabic language and the best way to
arrive at an understanding of the quran and sunnah. In response to these brothers I put this
small essay together. May Allah grant us ikhlaas and sucsess in our efforts. Some of the salaf
used to say, man dakhala fil ilm jumlatan, kharaja minhu jumlatan. Whoever entered into
knowledge all at once, it shall leave him all at once. It is binding upon the student of any
subject to gain an understanding and basic conception of what exactly he/she is studying. In
Arabic this is called tasawwur. The lack of a proper tasawwur concerning the method of
learningArabicisperhapsthebiggestproblemfacingthosethatattempttolearnArabicinthe
west. One simply has to look at the many numerous books on the Arabic language that are
currently on the market in the west. With all of these books available, it would seem like
everyone in the Muslim community would know Arabic by now but that is not the case. The
reason for this lack of learning despite the presence of many decent books is built upon my
previous statement about the lack of tasawwur. As for those who have no desire to learn
ArabicoronlyclaimthattheywanttolearnwhileexpendingnoeffortsinthatpathIaskAllah
togivethemtawfeeqanddesiretounderstandthelanguageoftheQuranandsunnah.

WhatistheArabiclanguage?

a) The Arabic language is a Semitic language that is primarily based upon three letter root
words. For example we say madhhab, this word comes from the root dhaalhaabaa. This
word is derived from the root verb dhahaba. It is expected that those reading this already
knowthis.

b)TheArabiclanguageiscomposedofdifferentsciences.WhensomeonelearnsArabiche/she
must understand that he is in fact learning three sciences. Realizing this separation between
the various sciences assist the student of Arabic in grasping the language. With this he will
knowwherethelanguagebeginsandwhereitends.Itisindeedunfortunatethatmostmodern
books of Arabic language instruction fail to even mention this. See what I mean when I spoke
aboutthelackoftasawwur?

The sciences of Arabic are in fact twelve in number. However the sciences that are the most
importantfortheunderstandingofthequranandsunnaharethree:

I. Nahw: It is most often translated as grammar. Nahw is a study of the language and the
variousrulesgoverningthewordsastheyappearinasentence.ForexampleIwillnowmention
toyouthreesentencesanddiscussthedifferencebetweenthempleasepaycloseattention.
1.latashrubillabanwatakuluassamak
2.latashrubillabanwatakulissamak
3.latashrubillabanwatakulaassamak
Whatisthedifferencebetweenthesethreeinmeaning?Thedifferencebetweenthemisinthe
ending of the verb takul which means to eat. In the first sentence takul ends with a
dummah. In the second sentence the verb takul ends with a sukuun. In the third sentence
however, the last letter of takul ends with a fathah.the difference occurs because of the
different usages for the waw. In the first sentence the waw is the waw signifying a
separation. It means, Do not drink the milk (but no problem) and your eating fish. In the
secondsentencethewawisthewawofjoining.Thesentencemeans,donotdrinkthemilk
or eat the fish. In the third sentence the waw signifies a unity of action (maaiyah). This
sentencemeans,donotdrinkthemilkandeatthefishatthesametime.Allofthesechanges
inmeaningtookplaceduetothetypeofwawused.Thechangeswerenotonlyintheactual
structureoftheharakaatinthewords,butalsointhemeaningofthesentences.

II. Sarf: It is often translated as morphology. The actual meaning of sarf is the
metamorphosingorchangingoftheasl(base/rootword)tomanydifferentexamplessoasto
achievemeaningsthatcouldnototherwisebeachievedThescienceofsarfismostlyrelegated
toverbsandthatwhichderivesfromthem.Thischangeisdonetostretchthemeaningandto
also make pronunciation easy upon the toque. An example of changing the meaning through
sarf is manipulating the verb nasara. From nasara we may derive the following: Nasara
Nassara Naasara tanaasara anassara istansara mansar naasir munasar mansoor . All of these
wordscomefromonerootverbnasara.AsformakingiteasyuponthetonqueI willprovide
oneexample.LetustakethewordscaleinArabic.Itiscalledmeezaan.Thiswordcomesfrom
therootverbwazanawhichmeanstoweigh.Accordingtoaprincipleofsarfthethingwhichis
used to do this action will sound like mifaal. If we were to apply this principle here the item
usedfortheactofweighingwould bemeewzaan.Dueto thedifficultyfoundinpronouncing
thatuponthetonquewereplacethewawwithayaatomakeiteasier.Thissimplificationis
broken down into set principles known in sarf. Properly applying principles of sarf can
sometimesspellthedifferencebetweenimaanandkufr.ForexampleAllahsaidabouthimself
in the Quran that he is almusaawirthe fashioner. If someone was to pronounce the waw
with a fathah instead of a kasrah the word would mean almusaawarthe fashioned one (the
one fashioned by another). Of course the ignorant one making this mistake would be excused
butthissimplyshowsyoutheimportanceofsarfintheArabiclanguage.

III. Balaghah: It is a science dealing with the eloquence of the Arabic language and how to
convey proper meanings according to the situation. Balaghah also deals with the meanings of
wordsandtheytakeshapeintheirdifferentusage.Balaghahisessentialinfullyunderstanding
the Ijaaz (miraculous) nature of the quran. An example of balaghah may be taken from the
Quran. Allah the most high said in surah al ankabut, alif laam meem. Do people think that
they will be left alone saying, we believe and will not be tested with fitnah? Certainly those
beforethemweretestedwithfitnahsothatAllahmaymakeitknownthoseweretruthfuland
make it known who the liars are." In this noble ayah Allah said so that Allah may make it
known those who were truthful in this part of the ayah Allah used the past tense verb
sadaquu which indicates that they were truthful in the past so the test and trial only made
apparentthatwhichwasalreadythereInthepasttruthfulness.Allahthensaid,Andtomakeit
known those who the liars are in this part of the ayah Allah speaks about those who didnt
passthetestasbeingliars.Hereheusedthewordkaadhibeen.Inthescienceofbalaghahwe
learn that this descriptive wordor sifah implies an established state of the person who is
describedwiththisquality.AllahspokeabouttheJewsandhowtheydisbelievedinsomeofthe
prophetsandsometheyevenkilled.Thiswasmentionedinthepasttenseinsurahalbaqarah.
However, when we look at the ayah we see a special rule of balaghah that gives us more
meaning that what is found in the English translation. Allah said about them, fa fareeqan
kadhdhabtumwafareeqantaqtuluun.Soagroupofthemyoudeniedandagroupofthem
you killed. Allah spoke about them saying that they denied a group of the prophets. He used
thepasttenseverbkadhdhabtum.Howeverwefindintheendoftheayahhesaidthatsome
ofthemtheykilledbyusingthePRESENTTENSEverbtaqtuluun.Inthescienceofbalaghahwe
learnthatifapresenttenseverbisusedinapasttensecontextitthensignifieswhatiscalled
istimraarorcontinuance.Thereforethemeaningofthisayahinthecontextofbalaghahisthat
thejewsusedtodenyandkilltheprophetsandthattheywillcontinuetokillinthiscasekilling
thefollowersoftheprophetswayandtruepath.Thisismentionedintafseerofalaluuseeand
intafseeribnsauud.
LearningArabicwheredoIstart?

Thisdependsonyou.WhatdoyouwishtodowithyourknowledgeofArabic?Aboxerwilldoa
workout of a boxer to prepare for a fight. A runner will do a workout that enables him to win
hisrace.Ifarunnerdoestheworkoutofaboxerhewillnotachievehisgoalofwinningarace.
Andlikewisetheboxerwhodoestheworkoutofarunnerwillnothavethestrengthtowinhis
fight.Solookingatitwiththisviewyoumustaskyourself,whatdoIwanttodowithArabic?If
youwishtoreadthepaperonlyperhapstheadviceslistedherewillnotbeabigbenefittoyou.
AndlikewisethesamefortheonewhoonlywishestobecomeadoctororchemistinanArabic
speakingcountry.IfyourreasonforlearningArabicistounderstandthewordsofyourcreator
andwordsofyourprophet(saw)andtheknowledgethatcomesfromthebooksandtonguesof
theulemathenthisadviceshouldbeofsomebenefitinshaallah.

Listedbelowaresomeconceptstoponderupon
YoumustunderstandArabicinArabicbeingaselftranslatorisnotthegoal
ThereisnoonebookthatwillteachyouallofwhatyouneedtoknowofArabic.
NonArabshavebeenlearningArabicforover1,400yearsfromAfricatoIndonesiasoit
isincorrecttoassumethatwecantlearnastheydidinthepast.
ThetraditionalmethodoflearningArabicistriedandtrueandweareinnoneedofnew
waystolearnthelanguage.Thatinvolvescomplexsystemsandtests.
YouwillnotlearnArabicbysimplytakingonepartoftheplan.WhatImeanisthatifyou
learngrammaronlyyouwillnotknowArabic.Andifyoulearnnewvocabularyonlyyou
willnotreallyknowArabic.Ratheryoumusttakeallofit.
Wheretobegin,thatisthequestion?

The reality is that it is very difficult to learn Arabic in the west without a good teacher,
determination,time,ArabsorArabicspeakingbrotherstomixwithandlearnfromassociation.
Itismypersonalopinionthatoneshouldbeginwithabasiclessoninsarffromthebookbinaa
alafaaal. Learning sarf in the beginning is the best thing for nonArabs. In fact this is way
Arabic is still taught in turkey, India, and Pakistan and other non Arab Muslim countries.
Learningbasicsarfwillassistthepersoninutilizinghisdictionaryproperly,whichinthistimeof
learninghewillhaveashisconstantcompanion.(Note:thebestdictionaryinArabictoEnglish
is Hans wehr without argument) the student should learn the basic verb patterns and basic
skillsinusingthedictionary.Afterthis,hewillbereadytolearnmoreandlookupwordswith
relativeease.

The student should now learn basic grammar. The best book in this area for beginners is the
book alajrumiyyah. It is a small book outlining the fundamentals of grammar that are
indispensable in understanding Arabic. There are some brothers that have learned al
ajrumiyyah and grasped concepts that the 3rd year college student studying Arabic couldnt.
One should study this book with a good teacher who will make him understand the
fundamentalsofthebookwithoutgoingintodetaileddiscussionsofgrammarissues.Aswesaid
earlier, learning grammar is not enough, so you must also learn how to pick up words to
increase your vocabulary. This part is the most time consuming, sometimes taking years to
develop.Herearesomepracticaladvisesinthisregard:
You must read as much as you can. Start by reading small books on different issues in
Arabic.Takeanotepadandwritethenewwordsdown.Whenyoulookupawordinthe
dictionary,underlineitwithapencil.Ifyoulookupthewordagaininthefutureandsee
that you marked it with your pencil, you must memorize that word, as you will more
thanlikelyseeitagainandagain.DontwritethemeaningsofthewordsinEnglishdown
in your book that you are reading. That is because you only read the meaning and not
theactualwordinArabicthisway.
You must also learn through listening. In this way you learn how Arabic is spoken and
howcertainideasareconveyed.Thebestthingistolistenandactasifyouunderstand
everythingyouhear.Ifyoucantfindaspeakergivingatalkthenbuysometapesofthe
ulema and tulaab ul ilm. Some of the clearest speakers are Shaykh Muhammad al
Uthaymin,shaykhalalbani,shaykhMuhammadmukhtarashshinqiti,andshaykhSaalih
aalashshaykh.Itisalsoadvisabletolistentotapesofthosewhoarenotsocleartogain
masteryinlisteningskills.SomeofthebestonesforthatareshaykhAbdulAzizibnBaz
and shaykh Jibreen & Shaykh A'id alQarni (Abu Mujaahid: This is the opinion of the
originalwriter..asformethenIdon'tadvisehearingfromSaalih,Qarnee&co)
Listentothequranattemptingtounderstand.
Try to understand the Arabic language in Arabic. Dont be like some people who only
wish to translate everything into their own native tongue. This will take time but it is
veryimportantandwillcauseyoutounderstandArabicasitis.
TalkasmuchasyoucantothoseArabswhowillcorrectyouandhelpyouinlearning.
Themostimportantthingistoalwaysread.Ifyoudontreadyouwillnotgainmastery
over the language. You must read even if you dont want to. Reading will give you a
glimpseintothevarioussciencesofthedeenandincreaseyourvocabulary
In the beginning make your primary focus understanding. Most of us will know more
wordsthatwecaneventhinktomentioninaconversationwithanArab.Thesamegoes
forEnglish.
InlearningArabic,trytotestyourselfbygaugingyourprogress.
Level1/readingandunderstandingthebookqisasannabiyyeenfirstthreemonths

Level 2/ reading and understanding the book al aqeedah assaheehah wa ma yudaduha by

Level3/readingandunderstandingtafseeribnkatheerthirdthreemonthperiod

Level4/readingandunderstandingfathalmajeedsharhkitabattawheed.Forththreemonth
period

Level5/readingandunderstandingalfawaidbyibnalqayyim.Fifththreemonthperiod

Level 6/ reading and understanding hilyah taalibililm by shaykh bakr abu zaid Sixth three
monthperiod

Many may disagree with the books listed in each level but I firmly believe that a person can
understandthesebooks(exceptsomevocabulary)after18months.

Stay away from English books and lectures. Cutting your ties with them will give you more
determinationtolearn.AdvancedstudyasforanadvancedstudyofArabic,onemusttraverse
thefollowingpath
In grammar Start with the book attuhfah assanniyyah bi sharhilmuqqadimatil
ajrumiyyah.Thisbookisperhapsthebestexplanationofalajrumiyyah.Afterthisbook,
learnthebook,sharhqatrannadabyibnhishaam.Afterthatifonelikeshemaystudy
alfiyyahibnmaalik.Anothergoodbooktoreadisjaamiduroosalarabiyyah
InsarfStartwiththebookbinaaalafaal.Afterthat,moveontothebook,al
maqsood.Formoreadvancedstudy,learnthepoeminsarfentitled,laamiyahal
afaalbyibnmaalik.
InbalaghahStartwiththebookalbalaghahalwaadihah.Afterthatonemaystudy
uqoodazzimaambyassuyooti.PerhapsthebestbookstoreadafterthebookofAllah
togainstrengthinthelanguagearethebooksofibnalqayyimandibnRajabal
hambali.DontrelyonanyonebooktolearnArabic.Themadinahbooksarenotenough
inmyopinion.TakethisadviceandseekthetawfeeqofAllah,youshouldseesome
progressinshaAllah.
AllahknowsBest