Arabic Bookshelf

Sarf Unlocked and Sirah Explored Assalām ʿAlaykum wa Raḥmatullāhi wa Barakātuh, Please join us for a study of the book As-Ṣarf al-ʿArabī: Aḥkāmun wa Maʿānin (‘Arabic Morphology: Rules and Meanings’) by Dr Muhammad Fāḍil as-Sāmurāʿī, the son of the world’s greatest living Arabic linguist, Dr Fāḍil as-Sāmurāʿī, may Allah preserve them both. This book goes above and beyond the rules of morphology and dives deep into the meanings, while providing an abundance of examples from the Noble Qurʾān along the way. On the side, as part of our weekly homework and revision, we plan to read the short yet brilliant Sīrah book by Shaykh Muṣṭafā as-Sibāʿī, may Allah have mercy on him, entitled As-Sīrah an-Nabawiyyah: Durūs wa ʿIbar (The Prophetic Biography: Lessons and Precepts’). We intend to read a short section each week and add all the vowels, because an-naḥū is all about what vowels go at the ends of words while as-ṣarf is all about what vowels go everywhere else. If Allah so wills, this course will not only deepen our knowledge of morphology and syntax, but also increase us in love of Allah the Exalted and His Book and in love of His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. And with Allah alone is every success! Time: Wednesdays, 7-9 PM EST, starting October 2, 2024 Duration: One year (35-40 weeks) Teacher: Shaykh Mahdi Lock https://www.arkview.org/arabic

Sarf Unlocked and Sirah Explored Assalām ʿAlaykum wa Raḥmatullāhi wa Barakātuh, Please join us for a study of the book As-Ṣarf al-ʿArabī: Aḥkāmun wa Maʿānin (‘Arabic Morphology: Rules and Meanings’) by the world’s greatest living Arabic linguist, Dr Fāḍil as-Sāmurāʿī, may Allah preserve him. This book goes above and beyond the rules of morphology and dives deep into the meanings, while providing an abundance of examples from the Noble Qurʾān along the way. On the side, as part of our weekly homework and revision, we plan to read the short yet brilliant Sīrah book by Shaykh Muṣṭafā as-Sibāʿī, may Allah have mercy on him, entitled As-Sīrah an-Nabawiyyah: Durūs wa ʿIbar (The Prophetic Biography: Lessons and Precepts’). We intend to read a short section each week and add all the vowels, because an-naḥū is all about what vowels go at the ends of words while as-ṣarf is all about what vowels go everywhere else. If Allah so wills, this course will not only deepen our knowledge of morphology and syntax, but also increase us in love of Allah the Exalted and His Book and in love of His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. And with Allah alone is every success! Time: Wednesdays, 7-9 PM EST, starting October 2, 2024 Duration: One year (35-40 weeks) Teacher: Shaykh Mahdi Lock https://www.arkview.org/arabic

Sarf Unlocked and Sirah Explored Assalām ʿAlaykum wa Raḥmatullāhi wa Barakātuh, Please join us for a study of the book As-Ṣarf al-ʿArabī: Aḥkāmun wa Maʿānin (‘Arabic Morphology: Rules and Meanings’) by the world’s greatest living Arabic linguist, Dr Fāḍil as-Sāmurāʿī, may Allah preserve him. This book goes above and beyond the rules of morphology and dives deep into the meanings, while providing an abundance of examples from the Noble Qurʾān along the way. On the side, as part of our weekly homework and revision, we plan to read the short yet brilliant Sīrah book by Shaykh Muṣṭafā as-Sibāʿī, may Allah have mercy on him, entitled As-Sīrah an-Nabawiyyah: Durūs wa ʿIbar (The Prophetic Biography: Lessons and Precepts’). We intend to read a short section each week and add all the vowels, because an-naḥū is all about what vowels go at the ends of words while as-ṣarf is all about what vowels go everywhere else. If Allah so wills, this course will not only deepen our knowledge of morphology and syntax, but also increase us in love of Allah the Exalted and His Book and in love of His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. And with Allah alone is every success! Time: Wednesdays, 7-9 PM EST, starting October 2, 2024 Duration: One year (35-40 weeks) Teacher: Shaykh Mahdi Lock https://www.arkview.org/arabic (link in bio)

Do not deprive yourself from learning Classical Arabic Language. Consider it an act of worship. Don't get overwhelmed thinking you can't learn it. Enjoy the process and consider it recreational worship. The goal isn't always "to know" but rather "to spend your time" in that which please Allah. One of the things that inspired me to go study after accepting Islam in 1998 was listening to the early Sh Hamzah Yusuf break down the meaning of Arabic words in his lectures on cassete tapes, which was his habit. I reached a point where I said to myself "don't deprive yourself from understanding the language of Revelation, learn it!" So I found someone to teach me how to pronouce the letters and read Quran from the classical al-Qā'idah book. Then I started gathering Arabic-English books and teaching myself grammar and morphology (at that time we did not have the luxury of today's internet). I also learned how to write well by just looking at a page of Quran and copying  a page even before I knew how to read.

The AI Arabic Intensive Check out this amazing new program by Ust. Muhammad Umar Mustafa: the AI Arabic Intensive! 10 weeks of hand-crafted and AI-optimized Arabic lessons, quizzes, and tests, allowing you to memorize over 300 essential vocabulary words and make complete and coherent sentences. Starting January 2025. Use my referral code: 'rafi' to get 20% off. For more details, visit: themadinanway.org/aiarabicintensive

The unique language of the Qurān 📖

One of my teachers said once الذي يكشف العجمي من العربي عند المستمع في الغالب ثلاثة أشياء ١ـ المخارح ٢ـ الضمائر ٣ـ الاعداد That which allows the listener to distinguish between the Arab and non Arab usually are three 1- Pronunciation 2- Pronouns 3- Numberings These are three important things for the one learning Arabic to work on perfecting when speaking.

I did not spend enough time as I would have liked studying classical Arabic poetry so I always used to read various classical Arabic lexicon as a habit. This came as an easy habit for me because before Islam I used to always carry my Random House rhyming dictionary in my back pocket. Just from this habit of reading classical lexicons and checking up words regularly, I realized how much linguistic mistakes are made due to a lack of awareness regarding how words are used and change in meaning based on context، even amongst people of learning and teaching. Dear Students of Knowledge get yourself at the very least a pocket size copy of these 3 classical dictionaries and refer to them on the regular: 1 المختار الصحاح 2 المصباح المنير 3 المغرب في ترتيب المعرب

ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb said, "Knowledge of Arabic increases murūʾah and strengthens the intellect." — Ibn Mufliḥ, Al-Ādāb al-sharʿiyyah, ii. 94

https://youtu.be/95TELgdVAnU?

قالَ وهيب بن الورد رَحِمَهُ الله ‏بلغَنا أنَّ الحِكْمَة عشرة أجزاء: تسعةٌ منها في الصَّمت، والعاشرة في عُزلةِ النَّاس. ‏•العُزلَة لِلخَطّابي Wisdom has ten parts. Nine parts are keeping quiet, and the tenth part is staying away from people. —al-Wuhayb ibn al-Ward, d. 153 CE Quoted in al-Khaṭṭābī (d. 988) in The Book of Seclusion

Review of Bayān Fundamentals The study of figurative language is called bayān. It consists of four figurative devices: tashbīh, kināyah, istiʿārah, and majāz mursal. Each device uses explicit wording to impart an implicit meaning. The relationship between these two meanings is called the ʿalāqah. The context that causes the listener to realize that the explicit wording isn’t intended is the qarīnah. In the case of tashbīh & istiʿārah, the ʿalāqah is mushābahah (resemblance or likeness). The difference is that tashbīh mentions both the mushabbah (tenor) and mushabbah bihi (vehicle), while istiʿārah omits one or the other, mentioning instead something that implies the omitted component. For example, “Zayd is a lion (زيدٌ أسدٌ)” is a tashbīh, since both tenor & vehicle are mentioned, while “Zayd roars (يزأرُ زيدٌ)” is an istiʿārah, because the vehicle (“a lion”) is missing. Ḥaqīqah & Majāz vs Literal & Figurative The terms literal & figurative in English are not the same as the ḥaqīqah and majāz of classical bayān, though modern Arabic usage conforms to the English equivalents. To be clear, the entire study of bayān has very little to do with literal truth, as it concerns itself with figurative language. Despite this, tashbīh & kināyah are both ḥaqīqah. Alarm bells should go off in your head when you hear that “Zayd is a lion” is considered a ḥaqīqah, since that simply is not literally true. The root of the problem is actually the translation: “Zayd is a lion” is not identical to the Arabic: زيد أسد. A nounal sentence in Arabic can consist of exactly two nouns: a subject and a predicate. But what does it mean when we say the equivalent of: “Zayd lion”? What is the relationship between these two words? By default, we say it means: “Zayd is a lion.” However, simile and hyperbole are so engrained into Arabic usage that a looser meaning, closer to: “Zayd is like a lion”, is standard. Thus, the relationship of a subject to its predicate in a nounal sentence is literally either “is” or “is like”. If you want to know the theory behind why native Arabic nounal predication includes simile, it’s because when both the tenor (Zayd) and vehicle (lion) are mentioned, they must be distinct things, as no one would say: “Zayd is Zayd”, and sentences like “Zayd is a man” are not of interest in the field of bayān, because they’re literally true. Now, since Zayd is not the same thing as a lion, we must conclude that this is an implicit simile. A figurative device is a ḥaqīqah when its qarīnah does not rule out the possibility of its literal meaning. Zayd can literally be like a lion in some ways. This also applies to kināyah. When we say that “Prof Jones takes no prisoners” to mean he’s uncompromising, it doesn’t change the fact that he most likely doesn’t take any prisoners. Thus, a device is a ḥaqīqah when its explicit wording can be true, allowing for implicit similes. It is literally true when its explicit wording is true. This is in contrast to majāz, such as istiʿārah. “Zayd roars (يزأر زيد)” is not a ḥaqīqah, as humans do not roar. Tashbīh focuses on telling you Zayd is (like) a lion: a simile expressed using the literal meanings of words. Istiʿārah doesn’t mention the lion at all, but directly attributes roaring to Zayd, thereby using the word “roars” figuratively. Thus, there are three major differences between haqīqah and literal truth: 1. Ḥaqīqah is concerned with the literal use of words. Literal truth conforms to reality or the speaker’s understanding, notwithstanding lies. 2. A figurative device is a ḥaqīqah if it can be true. A figurative device is never literal. 3. Arabic’s nounal sentences, e.g., زيد أسد, can literally mean “Zayd is like a lion.” (After all, there might be a lion named Zayd.)

Free 10 Week Conversational Class with Shaykh Muhammad Yaseen

This is the arrangement of Arabic letters according to the Maghribi sequence, which is necessary to know it in order to benefit from the dictionaries, lexicons, and other books compiled by the scholars of the Maghrib, which are alphabetically arranged according to their sequence.

The difference between “تلك حدود الله فلا تقربوها” and “تلك حدود الله فلا تعتدوها” is that the former is used after a prohibition, instructing us to stay away from the boundaries of Harām, whereas the latter is used after explaining what is permissible in a matter, telling us not to go beyond limits of Halāl. Therefore, in the former, “حدود الله” refers to boundaries of what He has forbidden, whereas in the latter, it refers to the boundaries of what He has allowed. An example of the first type is the verse ”ولا تباشروهن وأنتم عاكفون في المساجد تلك حدود الله فلا تقربوها“ “..but do not be intimate with your spouses while you are meditating in the mosques. These are the limits set by Allah, so do not exceed them...” He explained here that being intimate with one's wife is not permissible in the Masājid and during Iʿtikāf, and instructed us to stay away from these boundaries, as what He described is something prohibited. This means that being intimate with them is allowed in other times and places, unless there is another evidence for its prohibition (such as in her mensturation). From the second type is the verse ”فإن خفتم ألا يقيما حدود الله فلا جناح عليهما فيما افتدت به تلك حدود الله فلا تعتدوها“ ”...So if you fear they will not be able to keep within the limits of Allāh, there is no blame if the wife compensates the husband to obtain divorce. These are the limits set by Allāh, so do not transgress them...” Here, the context of the verse is taking from the dowry the husband has given his wife. He explained that it is permissible if the woman gives him something for a type of divorce (Khulʿ), meaning that this is the green circle. What is outside it would be Harām, such as taking from her dowry without her approval. Another verse explains this: ”فإن طبن لكم عن شيء منه نفسًا فكلوه هنيئًا مريئًا“ “...But if they waive some of it (the dowry) willingly, then you may enjoy it freely as you wish.” Since what is before the phrase “تلك حدود الله” here is permissibility, He said “فلا تعتدوها”, and vice versa in the first example.

Grammatical Maturity: A Rite of Passage Grammar is like fighting. It doesn't matter how many forms you've perfected. What matters is practice. In this course, you are not going to merely study the work of a master, you are going to internalize his art, insha' Allah. Enter the ring of grammatical analysis of the Qur'an, Hadith & Classical Arabic poetry. You'll get your nose broken in the process, but there's no other way to learn. Register now: https://bit.ly/3L3v1Ag

Some good Arabic resources https://ejtaal.net/islam/arabic.html

عجبت لمن يقرأ القرآن وهو لا يعرف معانيه - كيف يلتذ بقراءته؟ - ابن جرير الطبري I am left stupefied by one who recites the Qur'an without understanding its meanings. How can he delight in its recital? - Ibn Jarir al-Tabari