Basic Arabic Reading: Qai’dah Nooraniyyah

Ustadh Samer Jaber & Ustadha Maryam Shaikh

This gateway to Learning Arabic and Tajweed will teach you how to read the Arabic script fluently and articulate the Quran correctly using the foundational rules of Tajweed.

At-A-Glance

Staged Reading: Learning to read by formulaic identification and repetitive articulation of individual consonants and vowels in words.

• The Arabic Alphabet
• Joining Letters
• Diacritical Accents (Vowels)
• Stage Reading Formula
• Nunation
• Long Vowels
• Silent Letters
• Soft Consonants
• The Hamza
• Doubled Letters (Shadda)

About the Course

This gateway course to learning Arabic will teach you how to read the Arabic script fluently and set your foundation for learning the rules of grammar by mastering the alphabet, and learning how to read any voweled Arabic text. The technique used in the course is based on traditional, time-tested methods of learning how to read, and is the best way to learn. Through practical application and repetition, the course enhances the memorisation needed to internalise the rules.

You can set the foundations for reading the Quran and any other vowelled Arabic text. The technique used in the course, which is based on traditional, time-tested methods of learning how to read the Quran, is the best way to learn how to read: through practical application and repetition, the course enhances the memorisation needed to internalise the rules.

The course also provides the theoretical background to the rules of reading that draw from advanced books of Tajweed and Arabic morphology. This course is unique because it also teaches a number of important Tajweed rules that other reading courses don’t cover. These rules are necessary for reciting the Quran properly, and many of these rules are needed for reading standard Arabic texts.

 

At-A-Further-Glance:

• The first level in a series of courses designed to take you from no knowledge of Tajweed to a high level of proficiency.
• Set the correct foundations for reading any Arabic script properly.
• Become familiar with basic rules of Quranic recitation.
• Learn how to properly articulate sounds, sun and moon letters and lengthen vowels.
• Learn about the double-consonant, and merge or hide the nun and meem appropriately.

Course Syllabus

Fluent Reading + An Introduction to Tajweed Rules: Learning how to look at a word and read it immediately.

• Stopping at the End of a Word (wuquf) and Closing Ta (ta’ marbuta)
• Unarticulated Long Vowels
• Diacritical Long Vowels
• The Enabling Hamza (hamzat al-wasl)
• Sun & Moon Letters
• Lengthened Long Vowels (madd)
• Doubled Nun and Double Mim
• Merging the Silent Nun into Ya and Waw (Idgham)
• Merging the Silent Nun into Lam and Ra (Idgham)
• Hiding the Silent Nun (Ikhfa)
• Hiding the Silent Mim and Turning the Silent Nun into a Hidden Mim (Iqlab)

Course Format

The course will consist of weekly Live Sessions. The teachers shall hold weekly office hours where student can consult with them one-on-one. Students are highly encouraged to post their questions in the Discussions Forum over the course of the week.

Weekly Time Commitment

The required weekly time commitment for Tajweed can vary greatly depending on the student’s learning ability. However students can expect to dedicate at least two hours a week to learning the rules and practicing with correct recitation.  

Recommended Background

No background is required, this course is for students who have no prior experience with the Arabic alphabet.

FAQ:

Why should you strive to learn the Quran and teach it to others?

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and give him peace, said: “Everything in existence prays for the forgiveness of the person who teaches the Qur’an – even the fish in the sea.”  In order to access the Qur’an, you must first know how to read Arabic, the language of divine revelation. Knowledge of Arabic brings Muslims closer to their religion, so that they are able to pray with focus and understand what they are reciting. The first step of this journey is to learn how to read the Arabic script.

Is it important to learn to read the Arabic script even if I don’t understand what I’m reading?

Yes. Traditionally, Muslim children were taught how to read the Qur’an even if they could not speak or understand Arabic. Many Muslims raised in non-Muslim lands—whether converts or otherwise—are no longer taught this vital religious skill, and only realize its importance later in life. But it’s never too late to learn.

What shall I know coming out of the course?

By the end of this course, you will be able to read any vowelled Arabic script, including copies of the Quran.