The science of Arabic grammar (nahw) is the oldest and one of the most important of all the Islamic sciences. It began in the time of the Companions, when the mistakes of non-Arabian converts to Islam began adulterating the linguistic purity of the ancient Arabic language. The early grammarians preserved this ancient language through formal rules, thereby preserving our ability to understand the Qur’an and Sunna. Take this course to understand what Arabic grammar is, how it developed, its technical vocabulary, its most important questions, and how to use it to analyze the ancient Arabic language, which is the key to understanding the Qur’an, the Sunna, and all of the Islamic sciences. This course is taught in English but it is not a first-level course in Arabic grammar. Proficiency in the Arabic language and in its most important rules are a prerequisite for this course.
- Teacher: Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
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Total Lesson: 12
Number of hours: 9
Weightage: 2
Skill Level: Beginner
Monday: No
Tuesday: No
Wednesday: No
Thursday: No
Friday: No
Saturday: No
Sunday: No
About the text:
This course is a detailed explaination of the Ajrumiyya (or, alternatively, the “Ajurrumiyya”). The Ajrumiyya is the most popular traditional primer in the science of Arabic grammar. Written seven hundred years ago by the Berber scholar and saint, Muhammad b. Muhammad al-Sinhaji (d. 723 AH / 1323 CE), it has been the foundation for studies in Arabic grammar for students of sacred knowledge all over the world. It has dozens of important commentaries and glosses and is popularly memorized, sometimes in its original prose-form and sometimes in one of its versified versions. The secret of its popularity is frequently ascribed to the sincerity of its author, who wrote it while sitting before the Ka‘ba. He tested his sincerity by casting it into the sea. Only when he saw it washed ashore with its writing intact did he begin teaching it to others. A translation of the Ajrumiyya is provided along with the course materials.
Who is this course for:
- This course is cross-listed in Step Two and Learn Arabic
- This is an advanced course in the
- Learning Arabic curriculum
- Students who register for this course must be able to:
(a) conjugate verbs in each of their ten morphological forms;
(b) identify the ism fāʿil, ism mafʿūl, ism tafḍīl, al-ṣifa al-mushabbaha, the ism ẓarf, ism āla, and the maṣdar;
(c) know all important rules related to masculine, feminine, singular, dual, and plural nouns;
(d) comfortably work with nominal sentences (jumla ismiyya), verbal sentences (jumla fiʿliyya), and conditional sentences (shart and jawab al-shart); and (e) use the Hans Wehr dictionary. Some Arabic vocabulary is also required.
- This course is a key prerequisite for all courses in Steps Three and Four
Learning outcomes:
- Describe what the science of Arabic grammar is and how it developed
- Organize the rules of the Arabic language into structured map (this is how the Ajrumiyya is written)
- Explain the key terms and questions of the science of Arabic grammar
- Recognize the rules of Arabic grammar at work in authentic uses of the ancient Arabic language
- Use the rules of Arabic grammar to analyze the ancient Arabic language
