بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Advice for those who learning Arabic for Islamic Studies, and one of the Myths students have in their approaches to achieve it .

All the Praise is due to Allah Az wa Jala and peace and blessing be upon His Messenger.

For those who begin with Arabic language, and they are not learning it in an institute like Madiaah Islamic University and whatever university that has the same set up like it, like Azhar, Muhammad ibn Saud in Saudi, others Islamic Universities in Jordan, Sudan, Pakistan etc. Some of the centers in Yemen.

Many who study Arabic outside those settings, like in Arabic Institute in Egypt like al-Ibaanah, Fajr Center, al Qurtaba and whatever like their settings. Or with a teacher one on one , or group lessons for Arabic in person or online where they live in US. I want to address those who study in these setting excluding those who study in Islamic University wherever they may be.

Those who study in these settings, learn Arabic but do not learn Islam. Many of them when they finish courses like in al – Bannah or Fajr Center , or al Qortaba, al Dewan in Egypt (also in Jordan, and Qatar Arabic Institutes), they finish these courses and still do not understand Islam. The reason why because they are not studying Islam , and Islamic sciences along with Arabic because its an Institute for Arabic only. In Egypt they do not have permission from the government to teach deen, and they are not markaz (center) for Islamic studies. So this is why they do not teach Islamic sciences. Marketing tool set up that way to make money. Many brothers and sisters who are beginners or want to learn Arabic are clueless about this. I am speaking also from experience studying and living in Egypt and what I witness also with other associates who enter these centers, their outcome after they finish the courses and left . Many also think because they study Arabic in these settings like in Egypt they know Arabic and the reality they do not. But learn things that will assist them in learning Arabic and further their studies like with a Shaykh or in a Markaz for Deen or Islamic universities. So this is my advice for brothers who want to enter these centers like in Egypt for Arabic, or study Arabic in their home town. You need to start learning sciences of Islam. This can be done by a few simple steps.

• Buy Quran and Tafseer on Quran in Arabic meanings of words, and by Word to word translation of Quran so they can pick up words. Start with al Baqrah because its context talk about various things so it will increase your vocabulary.
• Pick up summarize al Bukharee or Muslim Arabic and English, study it context and index in Arabic and its English translation, so you comprehend. (And Bukharee and Muslim there is a Fiqh principles in the name of each chapter but many do not know this who are beginners to seeking knowledge and the Arabic language).
• Buy Bulugu al Maram Arabic English study it index well along with it terms, and hadeeth, well there are many words related to fiqh in the index and in the text you will need.
• Same thing with Hadeeth, but search for books that speaks about the science of hadeeth in English into Arabic and pick up all terms in Arabic.
• Pick up books in Aqeedah like those books author by Shaykh Muhammad Abdul Wahab may Allah have mercy on him, and study the terms related and used in his books. Like al Qawid Al-Arabah, Usoolu Thalatha , Usoolu Sitah, and his other books. Study and memorize the terns used in these books.

This advice is for those who are studying Arabic already and for those who thinking about studying Arabic in the settings just described.

Those in Islamic university mostly likely are getting these same things but in their curriculum teaching Arabic giving them the basic and vocabulary for Islamic sciences a good introduction into them, which prepare them for the facility they want to study in. What was said here can support their efforts also.

But those who study in the settings Arabic only Institutes you will be getting none of these sciences from them, and when they go sit with the Shaykh related to Deen many cases they do not understand and not familiar with these terms because they never study it in their Arabic Institutes.

By Abul Baraa Muhammad Amreeki