Introduction

Curricular Context

• This is the first course in Learning Arabic.
• This course has no prerequisites

Course Outline

• Introduce yourself and ask others their names and where they live.
• Understand and use simple words and phrases that relate to your needs and specific everyday situations.
• Recognize numbers, prices, dates and days of the week.
• Speaks to someone who speaks slowly and clearly.
• You will be able to correctly formulate simple sentences and questions 

Curricular Context

• This is the second course in Learning Arabic.
• Finish Arabic 101 First. 

Course Outline

What You Will Learn:

Executive Summary

This third step in our Online Arabic learning series focuses on specific topics for everyday conversation. This course covers more essential vocabulary, expressions, and parts of Arabic culture that provide necessary knowledge in order to converse with native speakers. The student will emerge from this class better acquainted with an important working knowledge of the language of Modern Standard Arabic.

Executive Summary

This first level in our Intermediate Online Arabic learning series focuses on common topics of discussion and touches on some history. This course covers more essential vocabulary, expressions, and parts of Arabic culture that provide necessary knowledge in order to familiarize oneself with native speakers. The student will emerge from this class with the capability of reading and writing compound sentences and develop a higher working knowledge of the language of Modern Standard Arabic.

Introduction

Learning Arabic is an act of worship. The first and most intimidating part of learning any new language is learning how to read it. Take this course to learn how to identify and articulate the letters of the Arabic alphabet and how to read complete words and sentences. Learn with Shaykh Farid as he takes you by the hand through a series of engaging videos full of practical examples and then test your own learning through a series of carefully designed exercises. This course is the first step to learning the Arabic language. It is also the first step to reciting the Qur’an.

Curricular Context

• This is a first-level course in Learning Arabic
• This course has no prerequisites

Course Outline

LESSON 1

1. Why we should learn Arabic

2. How Arabic is written

3. Letters Ba, Ta, and Tha

4. Short vowels (harakat)

LESSON 2

1. Letters Jeem, Ha, and Kha

LESSON 3

1. Long vowels

2. How letters connect

3. Letter Dal and Dhal

LESSON 4

1. Letters Ra, Zay, Seen, Sheen, Sad, Dad, Ta and Dha

LESSON 5

1. Letters Ayn, Ghayn, Fa, Qaf, Kaf, and Lam

LESSON 6

1. Letters Meem, Noon, Ha, Waw and Ya

2. Ta marbuta

LESSON 7

1. The Hamza

2. The Shadda

LESSON 8

1. Al (the definite article)

2. Sun and moon letters

LESSON 9

1. Adding the N (tanween)

LESSON 10

1. The madd sign (ultra long vowels)

2. Reading independent letters in the Quran (al-huruf al-muqatta)

LESSON 11

1. Silent letters

2. Types of Hamza

LESSON 12

1. Difference between printings of the Quran

2. Reading the Mushaf of Medina

3. Reading the Indo-Pak Mushaf

4. Word-by-word reading of Chapters 103-114 of the Quran

What You Will Learn:

• Identify and articulate the letters of the Arabic alphabet
• Read Arabic words and sentences
• Recite the Qur’an

Introduction

Curricular Context

• This is a first-level supplementary course in Step Two

• Before taking this course, take The Ajrumiyya Explained.
  

What You Will Learn:

• The main topics of Arabic grammar that one is likely to encounter when reading classical texts in a clear and approachable way

• Grammatical analysis of sentences according to the methodology of traditional Islamic scholarship

• An appreciation for the classical Arabic language

• The ability to access class

About the Course Text

Introduction

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.

Curricular Context

• 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

Course Outline

LESSON 1 -- Introduction and Categories of Speech

1. Introduction to the Ajurrūmiyya
2. Introduction to the Science of Arabic Grammar
3. The Categories of Speech

LESSON 2 -- Signs of Iʿrab (1)

1. The ism, fiʿl, ḥarf, and their signs
2. Iʿrāb
3. The Types of Iʿrab
4. Signs of Rafʿ - the Ḍamma 5. Signs of Rafʿ - the Wāw
6. Signs of Rafʿ - the Alif 7. Signs of Rafʿ - the Nūn

LESSON 3 -- Signs of Iʿrab (2)

1. Signs of Naṣb - the Fatḥa

2. Signs of Naṣb - the Alif

3. Signs of Naṣb - the Kasra

4. Signs of Naṣb - Yāʾ

5. Signs of Naṣb - the Omitting of the Nūn

6. Signs of khafḍ - the kasra

7. Signs of khafḍ - the yā

ʾ 8. Signs of khafḍ - the fatḥa

9. Signs of jazm - the sukūn

10. Signs of jazm - ḥadhf

LESSON 4 -- Iʿrab of Verbs (1)

1. Iʿrab with vowels and letters

2. Verbs - The Command

4. Verbs - The Past-Tense Verb

5. Verbs - The Present Tense Verb

LESSON 5 -- Iʿrab of Verbs (2)

1. Verbs - Agents of Naṣb

2. Verbs - Agents of Jazm

LESSON 6 -- The Marfūʿāt (1)

1. The Marfūʿ Nouns

2. The Fāʿil

3. The Fāʿil al-Ẓāhir

4. The Fāʿil al-Muḍmar

LESSON 7 -- The Marfūʿāt (2)

1. The Nāʾib Fāʿil

2. The Mubtadaʾ and the Khabar

3. The Types of Mubatadaʾ and Khabar

4. The Agents Which Affect the Mubtadaʾ and Khabar

5. Kāna and Its Counterparts 6. Inna and Its Counterparts

7. Ẓanna and Its Counterparts

LESSON 8 -- The Tawābiʿ

1. The Naʿt

2. The Definite and the Indefinite

3. The ʿAtf

4. The Tawkīd

5. The Badal

LESSON 9 -- The Manṣūbāt (1) (Maf'ul Bihi, Maf'ul Mutlaq, Dharf)

1. The Manṣūbāt

2. The Mafʿūl buhī

3. The Mafʿūl Mutlaq

4. The Ẓarf of Ẓamān and Makān

LESSON 10 -- The Manṣūbāt (2)

1. The Ḥāl 2. The Tamyīz

LESSON 11 -- The Manṣūbāt (3)

1. The Istithnāʿ - Terms

2. The Istithnāʾ - Rules

3. The Lā Which Negates A Genus

LESSON 12 -- The Manṣūbāt (4)

1. The Munāḍā

2. al-Mafʿūl Li Ajlihī

3. al-Mafʿūl Maʿahū

What You Will Learn:

• 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

About the Course 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.

Introduction

Language is a systematic combination of individual words. These words have meanings which express what is happening, by whom, when, and how. Knowing how to recognise and form these words is the scope of the science of Morphology.

In Arabic, a single root word is taken and altered in many ways to imbue it with particular meanings. This alteration is called ‘Sarf’ in Arabic, which can be understood to mean ‘changing’ or ‘morphing.’ 

A strong grasp of this science is important for anyone wishing to successfully study Arabic, or any science which is taught through Arabic. It is also a crucial ingredient in gaining a deep appreciation of the beauty of the Qur’an.

Curricular Context

• 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 Level Three and Four

Course Outline

Lesson One 

01 lesson 01a - The author and the text.
02 lesson 01b - Introduction to the science of Sarf.
03 lesson 01c - The division of verbs.

Lesson Two

Lesson Three

07 lesson 03a - al thulathi al mazid fihi.
08 lesson 03b - al ruba’i al mazid fihi.
09 lesson 03c - al fi'l al lazim.

Lesson Four

10 lesson 04a - conjugation of the past tense verb.
11 lesson 04b - the present tense verb.

Lesson Five

12 lesson 05a - the present tense mabni lil fa'il.
13 lesson 05b - the present tense mabni lil maf'ul and la and ma.

Lesson Six

14 lesson 06a - the present tense mabni with hazm and nasb.
15 lesson 06b - the command.

Lesson Seven

16 lesson 07a - alterations to the mudari'.
17 lesson 07b - the ‘nun’s of emphasis.

Lesson Eight

18 lesson 08a - the ism fa'il and the ism maf'ul.
19 lesson 08b - the muda’af.
20 lesson 08c - the mithal.

Lesson Nine

21 lesson 09 - the ajwaf.

Lesson Ten

22 lesson 10 - the naqis.

Lesson Eleven

23 lesson 11a - the lafif maqrun.
24 lesson 11b - the remaining three.

Lesson Twelve

25 lesson 12a - the mahmuz.
26 lesson 12b - the nouns of time, place, instrument, number, and manner.

What You Will Learn:

• About the text and its author.
• What Morphology is.
• The standard form (al Mujarrad) and its variants for words which have a three, and a four-letter root.
• How to conjugate the past, present, and future verbs for all of them.
• What verbs with sound letters are, and what verbs with weak letters are.
• How verbs with weak letters are categorized and conjugated.
• What the various forms of nouns are, and how to alter them to suit the context. 

About the Course Text

This text, known as ‘Matan al ‘Izzi, authored by ‘Izz al Din, ‘Abd al Wahhab b. Ibrahim al Zanjani, has been taught as the foundational text in this science for hundreds of years. With its clear and gradually progessive layout, it is an excellent place to start to learn the foundation principles of the science. 

Introduction

Cover a word-by-word explanation of the Arabic of the Qasida al-Burda, a much-celebrated poem written in praise of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace).

The text will be explained from a grammatical, morphological, rhetorical, and prosodical point of view, and the historical and religious references will also be unpacked.

As an introduction to Arabic poetry, the course also introduces the concept of poetic metre. This is extremely important for the Arabist and Talib ilm as most of the literature that is used to explain the Quran and Sunna are in poem form.

The Burda has been chosen as a case study because it is one of the most common metres of Arabic poetry (al-basit), it demonstrates common rhetorical devices, and has a deeply spiritual and religious theme.

Course Outline

Lesson 1: The Original Burda; Poetic Metre

Lesson 2: Style and rhetoric in the Burda

Lesson 3: Chapter 1: On Yearning

Lesson 4: Chapter 2: On Warnings about the Caprices of the Self

Lesson 5: Chapter 3: On the Praise of the Prophet

Lesson 6: Chapter 4: On His Birth

Lesson 7: Chapter 5: On His Miracles

Lesson 8: Chapter 6: On the Exalted Stature and Miraculous Merits of the Qur’an

Lesson 9: Chapter 7: On the Ascension of the Prophet

Lesson 10: Chapter 8: On the Struggle of Allah’s Messenger

Lesson 11: Chapter 9: On Seeking Intercession through the Prophet

Lesson 12: Chapter 10: On Intimate Discourse and the Petition of One’s State.

What You Will Learn:

• What poetic is
• What poetic styles influences Imam al-Busiri’s Burda
• How the poem translates line by line

About the Course Text

 The poem is celebrated praise of the Prophet in poem form.

Introduction

Mere facts don’t win arguments. What does, is the ability to effectively convey what you wish to say in the most beautiful and persuasive manner. This is where Rhetoric comes in.

Rhetoric, or Balagha, in Arabic, is the science of expressing something in the most effective way given the context. Many of these rules are shared amongst languages in general. Balagha, however, is the key to ‘tasting’ the inimitable beauty of the Qur’an.

Course Outline

Lesson One

01 Introduction to Rhetoric
02 Intro - Fasaha
03 Intro - Balagha

Lesson Two

01 Intro - Styles of speech
02 Intro - Arkan al-Tashbih
03 - Aqsam al-Tashbih

Lesson Three

01- Tashbih al-Tamthil
02- al-Tashbih al-Dimni
03 - aghrad al-Tashbih 
04 - al-tashbih al-maqlub

Lesson Four

01 - balaghatu al-tashbi
02 - al-Haqiqa and al-Majaz
03 - al-Majaz al-Lughawi
04 - al isti'ara 

Lesson Five

01 -  al isti'ara- asliyya wa taba'iyya
02 - al isti'ara- murash-shaha mujarrada and mutlaqa
03  al isti'ara al tamthiliyya
04 -  balagha al isti'ara 

Lesson Six

01- al majaz al mursal
02 - al majaz al 'aqli
03 - balaghatu al majaz al mursal wa al 'aqli
04 - al kinaya

Lesson Seven

01 - balaghat al kinaya
02 - athar 'ilm al bayan
03 - al khabar wa al insha'

Lesson Eight

01 - al gharad min ilqa' al khabar
02 - adrab al khabar
03 - khuruj al khabar 'an muqtada al zahir
04 - al insha' al talabi wa ghayr al talabi

Lesson Nine

01 - al amr
02 - al nahi
03 - hamza and hal
04 -  baqiyyatu adawat al istifham

Lesson Ten

01 - al ma'ani al mustafada min al istifham
02 -  al tamanni
03 - al nida
04 - al Qasr
05 - al fasl wa al wasl

Lesson Eleven

01 -mawadi'  al wasl
02 - al musawa
03 - al ijaz
04 - al itnab
05 - athar ilm al ma'ani 1

Lesson Twelve

01 - athar ilm al ma'ani 2
02 - ilm al badi' - jinas
03 - iqtibas wa saja'
04 - muqabala wa husn al ta'lil
05 tawriya wa tibaq
06 - Husn al ta'lil wa Ta'kid al madh wa Uslub al Hakim

What You Will Learn:

• How the science of Balagha developed.
• What ‘fasaha’ is.
• What ‘balagha’ is.
• The different styles of expression in Arabic.
• The sub-sciences of al Ma’ani, al Bayan, and al Badi’; their main discussions, and the effects of each on the rhetorical impact of speech and writing.

About the Course Text

al Balagha al Wadiha is modern text which combines the two classical approaches of works of this science: precise definitions and analysis, with copious practical examples of the concepts it covers.

The text was authored by Ali al Jarim and Mustafa Amin.