The Arabic Course for English-Speaking Students is a comprehensive and popular course for the teaching of Quranic and traditional Arabic, originally devised and taught at the renowned Madinah Islamic University, catering for non-Arabic speaking students from all over the world.
Over the years this course has enabled students to become competent in their use of the Arabic language and to benefit from the primary sources of Islam.
Why This Course Rather Than Another
Because of what it was designed to do. It was not written to teach conversational Arabic for travel or business — it was written to bring a student to the point where he can read the Qur'an, the hadith and the classical texts.
That aim shapes everything: the vocabulary is drawn from the sources rather than from daily life, and the grammar is introduced in the order those texts require.
How It Teaches
Almost entirely in Arabic, from early on, using illustration and context rather than translation. That is uncomfortable for the first weeks and it is the reason the method works — the student learns to think in the language instead of decoding it.
It has been the standard course for English-speaking students of Arabic for decades, and most serious students in the West have worked through it at some point.
Who It Is For
Anyone learning Arabic in order to read Islamic texts. It rewards regular study over a long period and is not a book to dip into.
Related Reading
Available Editions
| Edition | Details |
|---|
| 236 — Full Color Edition | 3-volume Madinah University method course, full-color throughout, Arabic and English lessons side by side, by Dar-us-Salam |
| R20 — Red Cover Edition (this item) | The same 3-volume Madinah University method course in affordable black & white printing |
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