‫اﻟﻌﺮﺑ ـ ـﻴﺔ‬

The Beginner’s Guide to Arabic

by Mohtanick Jamil

GUIDE TO STUDYING ARABIC 2

WHY STUDY ARABIC 2

HOW TO STUDY ARABIC 3
WHERE TO STUDY ARABIC 4
WHAT YOU NEED BEFORE YOU START 4

THE ARABIC ALPHABET 5

INTRODUCTION TO THE ALPHABET 5

THE LETTERS 6
THE VOWELS 11

SOME BASIC VOCABULARY 13

RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ARABIC 17

ONLINE 17
RECOMMENDED BOOKS 18

OUR NEWSLETTERS 19
Arabic is spoken as a mother tongue by between 250 and 400 million people across 25 countries. Over a
billion people can read the script even if they can’t understand the language. And Arabic happens to be
one of the official languages of the United Nations. Therefore, many people learn the language for
formal reasons.

At about 1,500 years old, Arabic also happens to be a very old language. It was the language of
scholarship throughout the rule of the Islamic empires – a period of well over 1,000 years from the 7th
century right down to the 19th and even 20th. The greatest books of medicine, geology, law, philosophy,
and basically any subject you can imagine were all written in the finest Arabic. Therefore, many of the
most advanced people in their fields of study learn Arabic for scientific and anthropological reasons.

Arabic is also the language of the Qur’an (the Islamic holy book). It doesn’t matter what your beliefs are,
the Qur’an is unequivocally, undeniably and undoubtedly the greatest form of Arabic literature, and
indeed the greatest form of literature, period. The beauty of this piece of literature is, in fact, quite
literally, miraculous. Therefore, tens of millions of people learn this language to witness firsthand the
beauty and miracle that is The Qur’an... religious reasons.

In fact, emphasis has been placed on studying the Arabic language by the Prophet (PBUH) himself when
he said to the effect: learn the Arabic language as you learn the Islamic obligations and practices. His
companions, who, remember, were Arabs, used to learn Arabic despite the fact that it was their mother
tongue. They used to say: teach your children Arabic. They used to correct each other’s grammar. They
would consider it unacceptable to make a grammatical mistake. And the scholars that followed them in
later centuries all emphasized learning Arabic. Imam Abu Hanifa said to the effect: I would’ve made
learning this language compulsory had I not deemed it difficult on the people.

That is because

1. in order to truly understand the message of God as it was revealed, one must understand it in
the very language it was revealed, and
2. the Qur’an is a literary miracle – really, a full blown miracle – and in order to witness it, you
need to simply learn the language and you will witness a miracle with your very own eyes

When the tribe of Qureish in ancient Arabia sent their most infamous debater to the Prophet (PBUH),
the debater barked and barked and barked. He was enthusiastic and completely vicious. His mission was
to completely overtake the Prophet (PBUH) and he was relentless. But when he finished, the Prophet
(PBUH) recited a few verses of the Qur’an, upon which tears started to flow from the debater’s eyes and
he had to cover the Prophet’s (PBUH) mouth because he couldn’t take any more. Would you like to taste
the same beauty that made that debater cry?
How you study the language depends largely on why you’re studying it. If you’re studying the language
to be able to communicate informally with friends, for example, then the best place to start for this
purpose is to enrol in a short term class (about 6 months to 1 year) where you will be taught a colloquial
dialect of Arabic. There are many dialects, but the Egyptian is most popular and most widely recognized.

Whether the course is in person or online doesn’t make a difference in our opinion. But the course must
have a live teacher of native Arabic descent, offer plenty of conversational practice and place high
emphasis on out-of-class work. These are courses that get their students to watch subtitled movies, pair
them with native speakers for practice and even offer exchange and immersion programs.

If you are studying the language for formal purposes, on the other hand, you will need a more formal
regiment. You will be relying more on books and placing more attention on grammar rather than your
ability to speak fluently. The ability to speak casually and fluently will come later. And the studies will
last longer than a year or two; perhaps as much as 4 years.

Most universities and colleges offer Arabic language courses. Some even span 3 or 4 years. Most of
these are quite good and will give you a firm grounding in Modern Standard Arabic to the point where
you can eventually acquire a formal position such as translator, etc. But remember, just because there is
more emphasis on grammar, doesn’t mean you don’t have to practice. You will need to set aside several
hours for practice and eventually work on your ability to converse in Arabic.

A note of caution: The wrong thing to do when studying Arabic formally is to purchase a few books and
start learning on your own. Many books claim that you can use them for self-learning, but let’s get real.
What you need is a medium or long term course with plenty of hours of instruction and lots of practice
on your own time. Pick the course and/or book that’s most convenient for you, but don’t try to do it all
on your own.

Finally, if you are studying Arabic in order to understand the Qur’an or works of classical scholarship,
you will need to master Classical Arabic. There are several courses around the world that offer mastery
in Classical Arabic, but it is not worth quitting your job and joining these schools full time. What is best is
a medium or long term online course with teacher interaction. You will be relying heavily on books and
will need to prepare for each lesson by reading ahead before classes.

You will cover at least 5 different subjects just on the Classical Arabic language:

1. Grammar –phrases and sentences

2. Morphology and Etymology – verbs and conjugation
3. Cantillation – pronunciation
4. Literature – practice, exposure to different styles of writing, idioms
5. Logic – a prerequisite for further studies
6. Rhetoric – literary devices and beautifying speech
7. Poetry – an understanding of Arabic poetry and culture
As mentioned, the wrong thing to do is to try and study on your own. You need to join a class. If you
study informal or formal Arabic, a university or college course is usually the safest bet. Find a college
near you and read up on their Arabic programs. There are a few good online courses out there, but they
are a bit dodgy and not necessarily as well established.

If you are studying Classical Arabic, you probably have only two choices: 1) join a full time program that
will require you to take a few years off of work and pause your life, or 2) take a part-time course online.

You may be thinking of attending a college or university course part time or learning from a native
speaker for Classical Arabic. But don’t be fooled. Although Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic
are very similar, understanding the Qur’an and the depths of Classical Arabic cannot be done so easily;
universities are not equipped to deal with this and native Arabs don’t necessarily understand the
language at this level.

You need the absolute best education by the absolute best teachers in the most advanced manner.
Regular courses can’t give that to you and native Arabs speak the language but they don’t necessarily
understand its most intricate details... you need a proper method.

Most courses and books assume you already know the alphabet and can read and write Arabic. And to a
large extent, this is a valid assumption because most students have been reading the Qur’an since
childhood.

But not all students are Muslim and have been reading since childhood. Moreover, when learning the
Qur’an as a child, most Muslim children were not taught in a correct manner. It is vitally important to
learn reading and writing skills even if you already read the Qur’an.

Here we have given you just a basic crash course on the Arabic alphabet and reading/writing to get you
started. You are highly encouraged to take a course on Arabic script. Remember, even if you read the
Qur’an or even if you are an Arab, if your goal is to understand the Qur’an then you need the most
advanced Arabic. And reading, writing and the alphabet are no exception... you need to relearn these
things the right way.

To take the Arabic alphabet crash course, scroll to the next section.
Arabic is read from right to left
Almost all the letters in an Arabic word are joined together like hand writing
Some letters can’t join because of their shape, but we’ll see them as they come
There are 29 letters in the Arabic alphabet
There is no such thing as capital letters versus small letters
There is no such thing as printing versus hand writing, Arabic is all hand writing
All the letters in the alphabet are consonants
Vowels are separate marks that go on top or underneath these letters
The letters are shown below

‫ج‬ ‫ث‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ا‬

Jeem (J) Thaa (TH) Taa (T) Baa (B) Aleph (A)

‫ر‬ ‫ذ‬ ‫د‬ ‫خ‬ ‫ح‬

Raa (R) Dhaal (DH) Daal (D) Khaa (KH) Haa (H)

‫ض‬ ‫ص‬ ‫ش‬ ‫س‬ ‫ز‬

Daad (D) Saad (S) Sheen (SH) Seen (S) Zaa (Z)

‫ف‬ ‫غ‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ظ‬ ‫ط‬

Faa (F) Ghein (GH) Ein (?) Zaa (Z) Taa (T)

‫ن‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ق‬

Noon (N) Meem (M) Laam (L) Kaaf (K) Qaaf (Q)

‫ي‬ ‫ء‬ ‫ه‬ ‫و‬

Yaa (Y) Hamza (A) Haa (H) Waw (W)

Each letter has 4 forms (which look very similar to each other)
when you write the letter by itself
when it comes in the beginning of a word
when it comes in the middle of a word
when it comes at the end of a word
The forms you saw in the chart above are when the letter is by itself
here’s an example of the letter Baa in all 4 forms
 end middle beginning by itself

‫ـﺐ‬ ‫ـﺒ ـ‬ ‫ﺑـ‬ ‫ب‬

These are the vowels in the language

ِ‫ـ‬ َ‫ـ‬ ُ‫ـ‬

Kasra (E) Fat-ha (A) Damma (U)

ٍ‫ـ‬ ً‫ـ‬ ٌ‫ـ‬

2 Kasra (EN) 2 Fat-ha (AN) 2 Damma (UN)

‫ـِ ْﻲ‬ ‫ـﺎ‬ ‫ـُْﻮ‬

Yaa (EE) Aleph (AA) Waw (UU)

‫ـَ ْﻲ‬ ‫ـُْﻮ‬

Yaa Leen (EI) Waw Leen (AW)

The first letter of the Arabic alphabet is Aleph

Remember that all 29 letters in the alphabet are consonants... well, this is not exactly true for
Aleph. Aleph doesn’t have its own sound; it is used to stretch the short A vowel to form the long
AA vowel
This is how the Aleph looks in the four cases

end middle beginning of a word by itself

‫ـﺎ‬ ‫ـﺎ ـ‬ ‫اـ‬ ‫ا‬

Notice that the Aleph cannot connect to the letter after it. There will be a small gap between the
Aleph and the next letter
Aleph is one of 6 letters that cannot connect to the following letter. The other 5 will be
discussed later

The next letters of the Arabic alphabet are Baa, Taa and Thaa
We are grouping these letters together because the basic shape of the letters looks the same;
only the dots are different
Baa corresponds to the English B
Taa corresponds to the English T, but it’s softer
Thaa corresponds to the combination TH, as in “thank”
The 4 forms of these letters are the same; the only difference is the number and position of dots

end middle beginning by itself

‫ـﺐ‬ ‫ـﺒ ـ‬ ‫ﺑـ‬ ‫ب‬

‫ـﺖ‬ ‫ـﺘ ـ‬ ‫ﺗـ‬ ‫ت‬
‫ـﺚ‬ ‫ـﺜ ـ‬ ‫ﺛـ‬ ‫ث‬
The next letters are Jeem, Haa and Khaa
Jeem corresponds to the English J
Haa corresponds to the English H, but it’s much more throaty
Khaa corresponds to the combination KH
In writing, Jeem, Haa and Khaa each have the same body, as follows

end middle beginning by itself

‫ـﺞ‬ ‫ـﺠـ‬ ‫ﺟـ‬ ‫ج‬

‫ـﺢ‬ ‫ـﺤـ‬ ‫ﺣـ‬ ‫ح‬
‫ـﺦ‬ ‫ـﺨـ‬ ‫ﺧـ‬ ‫خ‬
The next letters of the alphabet are Daal and Dhaal
Daal sounds like the letter D in English, but softer
Dhaal sounds like the combination TH, as in “that”
This is how these two letters look in their 4 forms.
Notice that Daal and Dhaal do NOT connect to the following letter

end middle beginning by itself

‫ـﺪ‬ ‫ـﺪ ـ‬ ‫دـ‬ ‫د‬

‫ـﺬ‬ ‫ـﺬ ـ‬ ‫ذـ‬ ‫ذ‬
The next letters of the alphabet are Raa and Zeiy
Raa sounds somewhat like the letter R in English
Zeiy sounds like the letter Z in English
The name of the letter Zeiy is sometimes pronounced Zeiy (“Zaa-ee”) or even Zayen (“Zaa-yen”)
Raa and Zeiy have the same body
Raa and Zeiy do NOT connect to the following letter

end middle beginning by itself

‫ـﺮ‬ ‫ـﺮ ـ‬ ‫رـ‬ ‫ر‬

‫ـﺰ‬ ‫ـﺰ ـ‬ ‫زـ‬ ‫ز‬
The next letters of the alphabet are Seen and Sheen
Seen is equivalent to the letter S
Sheen is equivalent to the combination SH
Seen and Sheen look very similar except that Seen has no dots and Sheen has 3 dots on top

end middle beginning by itself

‫ـﺲ‬ ‫ـﺴـ‬ ‫ﺳـ‬ ‫س‬

‫ـﺶ‬ ‫ـﺸـ‬ ‫ﺷـ‬ ‫ش‬
The next letters of the Arabic alphabet are Saad and Daad
Saad sounds like the letter S, but it has more of a whistle
Daad sounds like the letter D, but much, much thicker and deeper sounding
Saad and Daad look very similar except that Saad has no dots and Daad has one dot on top

end middle beginning by itself

‫ـﺺ‬ ‫ـﺼـ‬ ‫ﺻـ‬ ‫ص‬

‫ـﺾ‬ ‫ـﻀـ‬ ‫ﺿـ‬ ‫ض‬
The next letters of the Arabic alphabet are Taa and Zaa
Taa is not the same as the one we saw earlier
It sounds like the letter T, but it is much, much thicker sounding
Zaa is not the same as the one we saw earlier
It sounds like the letter Z, but it is much, much thicker sounding
Taa and Zaa look very similar except that Taa has no dots and Zaa has one dot on top

end middle beginning by itself

 ‫ـﻂ‬ ‫ـﻄـ‬ ‫ﻃـ‬ ‫ط‬
‫ـﻆ‬ ‫ـﻈـ‬ ‫ﻇـ‬ ‫ظ‬
The next letters of the Arabic alphabet are Ein and Ghein
Ein doesn’t have an English equivalent; it is a very throat sound
Ghein sounds like the combination GH, like the noise when you gargle
Ein and Ghein look very similar except that Ein has no dots and Ghein has one dot on top

end middle beginning by itself

‫ـﻊ‬ ‫ـﻌـ‬ ‫ﻋـ‬ ‫ع‬

‫ـﻎ‬ ‫ـﻐـ‬ ‫ﻏـ‬ ‫غ‬
The next letters of the Arabic alphabet are Faa, Qaaf and Kaaf
Faa is equivalent to the English letter F
Qaaf is represented by the letter Q; it sounds like K except it’s more throaty
Kaaf is equivalent to the English letter K
This is what these letters look like in all 4 forms

end middle beginning by itself

‫ـﻒ‬ ‫ـﻔـ‬ ‫ﻓـ‬ ‫ف‬

‫ـﻖ‬ ‫ـﻘـ‬ ‫ﻗـ‬ ‫ق‬
‫ـﻚ‬ ‫ـﻜـ‬ ‫ﻛـ‬ ‫ك‬
The next letters of the Arabic alphabet are Laam, Meem and Noon
Laam is equivalent to the English letter L
Meem is equivalent to the English letter M
Noon is equivalent to the English letter N
This is what these letters look like in all 4 forms

end middle beginning by itself

‫ـﻞ‬ ‫ـﻠـ‬ ‫ﻟـ‬ ‫ل‬

 ‫ـﻢ‬ ‫ـﻤـ‬ ‫ﻣـ‬ ‫م‬
‫ـﻦ‬ ‫ـﻨ ـ‬ ‫ﻧـ‬ ‫ن‬
When Laam is followed by Aleph, the Aleph curves a bit, like this

‫ﻻ‬
Another speciality is the word Allah... which is written very uniquely, as follows
Aleph, Laam, Laam, Aleph, Haa (which we haven’t seen yet)

‫اﷲ‬
The rest of the letters of the Arabic alphabet are Waw, Haa, Hamza and Yaa
Waw is equivalent to the English letter W
Haa is equivalent to the English letter H, not to be confused with the Haa we saw earlier
Hamza is equivalent to the English letter A, as in “apple” (not considered a vowel, though)
Yaa is equivalent to the English letter Y
This is what these letters look like in all 4 forms

end middle beginning by itself

‫ـﻮ‬ ‫ـﻮـ‬ ‫وـ‬ ‫و‬

‫ـﻪ‬ ‫ـﻬـ‬ ‫ﻫـ‬ ‫ه‬
‫ءأإؤئ‬
‫ـﻲ‬ ‫ـﻴ ـ‬ ‫ﻳـ‬ ‫ي‬
Sometimes Haa is written with 2 dots on top; this is actually the letter Taa
This can only happen at the end of a word

end middle beginning by itself

‫ـﺔ‬ ‫ة‬
Writing Hamza is very complicated, so we’ll leave it for now
But essentially, it can be written by itself, on top of a Waw, on top of an Yaa, or on top or below
an Aleph
You will sometimes see Yaa without its dots; this is actually an Aleph
This can only happen at the end of a word

end middle beginning by itself

‫ـﻰ‬ ‫ى‬

ِ‫ـ‬ َ‫ـ‬ ُ‫ـ‬

Kasra (E) Fat-ha (A) Damma (U)

ٍ‫ـ‬ ً‫ـ‬ ٌ‫ـ‬

2 Kasra (EN) 2 Fat-ha (AN) 2 Damma (UN)

‫ـِ ْﻲ‬ ‫ـﺎ‬ ‫ـُْﻮ‬

Yaa (EE) Aleph (AA) Waw (UU)

‫ـَ ْﻲ‬ ‫ـُْﻮ‬

Yaa Leen (EI) Waw Leen (AW)

Arabic has 3 short vowels: U, A and E/I

These are marks that go on top or underneath a letter
If a letter has a vowel, it means that vowel comes after that letter

You can “double” these vowels; this will add the sound of the letter N at the end
This doubling can only happen at the end of a word

If a letter has no vowel after it, we put a special symbol on top of that letter to indicate this
This symbol is called a Sukoon
If there is a letter with a Sukoon and then the same letter in the same word again, the two
letters will be written as one and a special symbol will be placed on top of the letter
This symbol is called the Shadda
The vowel of the second letter is placed on top of underneath the Shadda, not on top of
underneath the letter itself
 ّ‫ـ‬ ْ‫ـ‬
Shadda (same letter twice) Sukoon (no vowel)

The letters Aleph, Waw and Yaa can act as long vowels
The Aleph stretches the Fat-ha vowel to form a long AA sound
The Waw stretches the Damma vowel to form a long OO sound
The Yaa stretches the Kasra vowel to form a long EE sound
So Aleph must always have a Fat-ha before it
Similarly if Waw is acting as a long vowel, it will have a Sukoon on it and a Damma before it
And if Yaa is acting as a long vowel, it will have a Sukoon on it and a Kasra before it

Waw and Yaa can also act as semi-vowels

Waw can form the semi-vowel AW / OW, as in “Howl”
Yaa can form the semi-vowel EI, as in Hussein
This will happen if they have a Sukoon on them and a Fat-ha before them
 !

General Conversation
Arabic Pronunciation Meaning
‫اﻟﺴﻼم ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ‬ as-salaam alaeikum peace be with you (formal greeting)

‫ﻛﻴﻒ ﺣﺎﻟﻚ؟‬ keifa haaluk how are things? (formal)

‫ازﻳﻚ‬ e-zayyak what's up? (informal)

‫اﳊﻤﺪ ﷲ‬ al-hamdu lillah praise God (formal answer)

‫أﻧﺎ ﲞﲑ‬ ana bi kheir I'm good (formal answer)

‫ ﻛﻞ ﲤﺎم‬/ ‫ﲤﺎم‬ tamaam / kullu tamaam everything's good (informal answer)

‫ﻗﻮﻳﺲ‬ q-wayyis fine / pretty good (informal answer)

‫ﺷﻮ أﺧﺒﺎر اﻟﻌﻤﻞ؟‬ shoo akhbaar al-amal how's work? (informal)

‫اﻟﺴﻼم ﻋﻠﻴﻜﻢ‬ as-salaam alaeikum peace be with you (formal goodbye)

‫ﻣﻊ اﻟﺴﻼﻣﺔ‬ ma'as-salaama bye (literally: with safety) (semi-formal)

‫ﺑﻌﺪﻳﻦ‬ ba'dein later (see you later) (informal)

‫ﰲ ﻣﺎ ﺑﻌﺪ‬ fee maa ba'd after/in a while (informal)

‫ﻣﻦ أﻳﻦ أﻧﺖ‬ min ayna anta where are you from? (formal)

‫وﻳﻦ‬/‫أﻧﺖ ﻣﻦ ﻓﲔ‬ anta min fein/wein where are you from? (informal)

‫ﻣﺎ اﻟﺴﺎﻋﺔ؟‬ mas-saa'a what time is it? (formal)

‫اﻟﺴﺎﻋﺔ ﻛﻢ؟‬ as-saa'at kam what time is it? (informal)

Travelling
Arabic Pronunciation Meaning
‫ﻣﻄﺎر‬ mataar airport

‫ﻃﻴﺎرة‬ tayyaara airplane

‫وﺻﻮل‬ wusool arrival

‫ﻣﻐﺎدرة‬ mughaadara departure

‫ﺎرك‬‫ا‬ al-majaarik customs

‫ﻣﺘﺎع‬ mataa' luggage

‫ﺟﻮاز اﻟﺴﻔﺮ‬ jawaaz as-safar passport

‫ﺗﺄﺷﲑة‬ ta'sheera visa

‫ﺗﺬﻛﺮة‬ tazkira flight ticket

‫ﻓﻨﺪق‬ funduq hotel

‫اﺳﺘﻘﺒﺎل‬ istiqbaal reception

‫ﻣﻔﺘﺎح‬ miftaah key

‫ﻏﺮﻓﺔ‬ ghurfa room

‫ﺻﺮاف‬ sarraaf currency exchange

Asking Questions
Arabic Pronunciation Meaning
‫؟‬... ‫ﻣﺎ‬ maa what is ...?

‫؟‬... ‫ﻣﻦ‬ man who is ...?

‫؟‬... ‫أﻳﻦ‬ ayna where is ...?

‫؟‬... ‫ﻣﱴ‬ mataa when is ...?

‫؟‬... ‫ﻛﻢ‬ kam how much is ...?

‫ﻛﻢ ﻫﺬا؟‬ kam haaza how much is this?

‫؟‬... ‫ﻛﻴﻒ‬ keifa how ...?

‫ﳌﺎذا؟‬ li maaza why

‫اﻟﺴﺎﻋﺔ اﶈﻠﻴﺔ‬ as-saa'al mahalliya the current time

Counting & Numbers

Arabic Pronunciation Meaning
‫واﺣﺪ‬ waahid 1

‫اﺛﻨﺎن‬ ithnaan / ithnein 2

‫ﺛﻼﺛﺔ‬ thalaatha 3

‫أرﺑﻌﺔ‬ arba'a 4
‫ﲬﺴﺔ‬ khamsa 5

‫ﺳﺘﺔ‬ sitta 6

‫ﺳﺒﻌﺔ‬ sab'a 7

‫ﲦﺎﻧﻴﺔ‬ thamaania 8

‫ﺗﺴﻌﺔ‬ tis'a 9

‫ﻋﺸﺮة‬ ashara 10

‫أﺣﺪ ﻋﺸﺮ‬ ahada ashar 11

‫اﺛﻨﺎ ﻋﺸﺮ‬ ithna ashar 12

‫ﺛﻼﺛﺔ ﻋﺸﺮ‬ thalaatha ashar 13

‫أرﺑﻌﺔ ﻋﺸﺮ‬ arba'a ashar 14

‫ ﻋﺸﺮ‬... ... ashar ...-teen

‫ﻋﺸﺮﻳﻦ‬ ishreen 20

‫ﺛﻼﺛﲔ‬ thalaatheen 30

‫أرﺑﻌﲔ‬ arba'een 40

‫ﲬﺴﲔ‬ khamseen 50

‫ﺳﺘﲔ‬ sitteen 60

‫ﺳﺒﻌﲔ‬ sab'een 70

‫ﲦﺎﻧﲔ‬ thamaaneen 80

‫ﺗﺴﻌﲔ‬ tis'een 90

‫ ﻣﺌﺔ‬/ ‫ﻣﺎﺋﺔ‬ mi-a 100

‫و‬ wa
wahid wa ishreen
and
(1 and 20 = 21)

Arabic Pronunciation Meaning

١ waahid 1

٢ ithnaan / ithnein 2

٣ thalaatha 3

٤ arba'a 4
٥ khamsa 5

٦ sitta 6

٧ sab'a 7

٨ thamaania 8

٩ tis'a 9

١٠ ashara 10

Other
Arabic Pronunciation Meaning
‫اﲰﻚ إﻳﻪ؟‬ ismak eh what's your name? (informal)

‫ﻣﻄﻌﻢ‬ mat'am restaurant

‫ﲪﺎم‬ hammaam bathroom

‫أﺟﺮة‬ ujra taxi

"

1 http://www.shariahprogram.ca/Arabic-alphabet.shtml
Description: A great series of lessons on learning to read and write Arabic from scratch. The lessons
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#
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As you may know, we are fortunate to have Mohtanick Jamil author a monthly newsletter delivered
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Scroll down to see the past issues of our newsletter, The Caravan Press.
 Issue 1

Popularity: lines and large loops. And Thuluth is arguably the most exaggerated of
Arabic is an official language in over 25 countries across North all the above major forms.
Africa and the Middle East, putting it in third place behind English and But it was major influence from other regions such as Persia
French. which gave even more outrageous exaggeration to the script, making it
Arabic is also one of the 5 official languages of the UN. the marvel that it is today.
It boasts between 300 and 400 million native speakers and
has over 1.2 billion people that can read its script. Liturgy:
This language was spoken in its classical form as early as 2 The two sources of Islamic scholarship are the holy Qur’an
millennia ago and remains vibrant in cultures spanning 2 continents as and the codified tradition of the prophet (PBUH). Both sources are in
well as in scholarly circles as the liturgical language the Arabic language. And the first generations of
of Islam. As such, Arabic has enjoyed countless disciples were also Arabs. As such, most of
millions of works of scholarship throughout the Islamic scholarship is done within the confines of
centuries. this language.
Arabic has also contributed to many other Moreover, history sees many Arabs
languages. It has given English, for instance, the obliging other Arabs to learn their own language
following familiar words: admiral, alcohol, algebra, and listing consequences for not taking the study
algorithm, almanac, apricot, arsenal, candy, seriously.
chemistry, coffee, cotton, gazelle, giraffe, hazard, The prophet (PBUH) himself mentioned:
lemon, lime, magazine, racket, safari, sofa, sugar, learn Arabic as you learn the [Islamic] obligations
syrup, zero and many others. and rites.
Several of the prophet’s (PBUH) disciples
Calligraphy: repeated this sentiment in other words. Imam Shafi’i, an Arab,
The Arabic script is a very mentioned once to his Arabic students: what scares me most is a
unique and magnificent form of art. student who refuses to learn Arabic grammar.... Imam Abu Hanifa is
Few other languages have ventured recorded to have said that he would have made learning Arabic (even
to take their calligraphy to this for native speakers) an obligation had he deemed it feasible.
extent, to the point where it
becomes art in its own right. The Secrets of Arabic:
The various forms of In most languages, it would be considered silly to ask certain
calligraphy are basically divided into grammar questions. For example, asking why the suffix ‘er’, as in
‘teacher’, is two letters, why these two letters in particular, why in the
6 types. Naskh is the simplest and
The phrase Bismillah by Hassan Musa order E then R and why at the end of the word. It’s silly to ask these.
most straightforward. Muhaqqaq But Arabic is an extraordinarily deep language and it answers
and Rayhani are also quite simple excepting that letter endings are questions just like these about its own grammar. These questions and
exaggerated and extended. Riqa and Tawqi are characterized by long answers are actually completely memorizing and are closely kept
secrets of the language. They will blow your mind away to the point
 Issue 2
where you will yearn to learn the language. Stay tuned for the next issue where we ask and answer one of these questions.

Introduction: And there are so many examples and manifestations of this

Arabic is an ancient language with secrets embedded in its secret even in everyday Arabic. We can write entire books on just this
grammar, vocabulary, etymology and everywhere else. It is like an old one secret. But let’s focus on one example.
castle with secret passageways that lead to splendid treasures. Example:
The language keeps these secrets very clandestine so very We can take almost any Arabic verb and add ST to the
few people know about them. But in this issue, we are going to share beginning of it. For example, we can add ST to the beginning of fa-hi-
one of those secrets with you. ma (to understand). The resulting word is pronounced is-taf-ha-ma (to
This one secret is just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine yourself ask a question).
learning these secrets more and more and being so enthralled with Adding ST to the beginning of an Arabic verb changes the
them that you feel like quitting your day job and studying the language meaning of the verb so that, instead of doing that action, now we are
full time. And this is something unique to this magnificent tongue. looking to do it. So fa-hi-ma means to understand, but is-taf-ha-ma
means to look for understanding, to seek understanding, to ask for
Remember the ER example: understanding, etc, etc. This is commonly translated as ‘to ask a
In a previous issue, recall that we talked about how silly it question’.
would be to ask questions regarding English affixes (suffixes and Notice how the ST indicates on seeking and the fa-ha-ma
prefixes), for example. indicates on understanding (in this example), just like how the letters ‘t
Take the ER that comes at the end of words like ‘teacher’ and e a c h’ indicate on teaching and the ER indicates on the one who does
turns the word ‘teach’ into the person who does the ‘teach’—ing. it.
Imagine how silly someone would sound if they asked why Now we can ask some seemingly silly questions like: why does
the ER was two letters, why it was these two letters in particular and it have to be two letters? Why ST and not anything else? Why ST and
not any others, why it was E then R as opposed to R then E or why the not TS? And why are they in the beginning instead of one in the
ER came at the end as opposed to the E in the beginning and the R at beginning and the other at the end, the other in the middle, one in the
the end or any other scheme. middle and the other at the end, etc, etc?
Asking this is not appropriate in any language. The answer will Let’s answer the last question: why is the Arabic affix ST at the
be that it just is the way it is. But in Arabic, we can ask these questions. beginning of a word?
And we will get amazing answers. To truly appreciate these answers, it To answer this, remember the secret we learned: the way a
would be great if we already spoke Arabic, but let’s dive into this word is structured in Arabic has a relationship with the word’s
anyways. meaning.
Now, when you look for understanding, what happens first,
The Structure of an Arabic Word is Related to its Meaning: the understanding or the looking? Obviously, first you seek the
This is the first secret of the Arabic language. The letters a understanding and then you have the understanding. So just like how
word contains, the order of the letters, the position of those letters, the seeking comes before the understanding in real life, so too does
etc, etc all have some relationship with what the word means. the ST come before the fa-ha-ma in the word.

Other Examples:
 Not impressed? Well stay tuned for the next issue where we
give another example that is even more spellbinding than this.
 Issue 3

Remember the Secret? bee buzzes its wings repeatedly in order to be able to fly, it doesn’t
Recall from a previous issue one of the basic secrets of the just move them once.
Arabic language: the structure of a word indicates on the meanings Now there’s another, very similar, word in the language which
and nuances of that word. is sar-sa-ra. This word means for a falcon to stridulate (chirp). Notice
We saw an example of this in the Arabic prefix ST. This prefix that there is a duplication in this word as well, but this duplication is of
is used on verbs to change the meaning such that, instead of doing the a different type. The duplication is on sar, which is not a single letter
action, we now look to do it. We asked why the ST comes at the like we saw in the case of sar-ra.
beginning of the word and the answer was incredible. When you look Now sar-sa-ra means for a falcon to chirp. And how does a
to do an action, first you do the looking and then you do the action. falcon chirp? It makes a few successive chirps, stops for a bit and
Since the ST affords the looking meaning and the rest of the word repeats the chirping.
affords the action, naturally the ST comes first. Amazing! You see how the duplication in sar-ra was highly localized on a
single letter, and how that occurred in concert with a duplication in
Another Application of the Secret: the meaning which was very quick and rushed. And how the
Another manifestation of this secret, apart from the duplication in the word sar-sa-ra was more spread out, and how that
positioning of letters, is the duplication of letters. When letters in a occurred in concert with a duplication in the meaning which was
word are duplicated (or come twice), this duplication in the word similarly spread out and occurred with pauses.
occurs in concert with a duplication in the meaning. What a magnificent language!
For example, the word qa-ta-a means to cut. Now, when you
cut something, you make one motion and the job is done. Another Other Beautiful Aspects of Arabic:
word in the language is qat-ta-a. This word means to chop, mince or We can’t share anymore secrets with you today. There are
dice. Now, when you chop something, you don’t just cut it in one jaw-dropping secrets just waiting to be discovered and splendid
motion; you apply repeated cuts until the thing is finely minced. So bounties waiting to be seen, but you’ll have to get there yourself
notice how the duplication of the letter T in the word occurred in before you can enjoy the fruits and truly appreciate them.
concert with a duplication (or multiplication) in the meaning. But we can share some other interesting aspects of Arabic
Incredible! without requiring deep knowledge of the language. One of the things
people love hearing most about Arabic is the numerous amount of
An Incredible Example of this Application: words it provides for a single meaning. For example, there are over
But the language actually goes even deeper than this. It takes half a dozen words in the Arabic language for fear. Each one is slightly
into consideration the type of duplication. This type of duplication, different in its connotations and nuances and discussing these
then, occurs in concert with a similar type of duplication in the differences is something full of great pleasure and fun.
meaning. In the next issue, we’ll take a look at the different words for
Let’s take the word sar-ra as an example. This word means for fear in Arabic and how they differ from each other. In doing this, we’ll
a bee to buzz. Notice that there is a duplication in this word on the R. discover just how accurate, clear and deep this tongue is.
And notice further that there is also a duplication in the meaning; a
 Issue 4

Synonymy: one’s job means the fear of what that implies by way of lack of income
There is a rule in Arabic which states that no two words or and so forth.
grammatical structures are the same. If you do have two seemingly Taq-wa is another word. This is the fear, again, not of a thing,
synonymous words or structures, you can bet that there will be some but of the consequences of a thing. For instance, if someone has taq-
difference between them, no matter how minute it may be. wa of God, he fears the consequences of his own actions.
This is part of the beauty of this language. It has words and Another word is khu-shoo. This is not the feeling of fear, but
expressions that serve such accurate purposes. It has a reservoir of the manifestation of fear on one’s outer appearance. For example,
vocabulary from which we can pick and choose in order to formulate when someone is given some frightening news, their eyes show that
our speech so that it is extremely clear, accurate and descriptive. they are afraid. This expression is known as khu-shoo.
There are words in Arabic that would take entire paragraphs to explain Now hazr means to have a type of fear that gives you extra
in other languages. strength and allows you to physically escape immediate danger.
Every shade of human emotion, every nuance of an event, Row is a shock; the initial terror that you feel when you are
every style of action – all these things have dedicated words which are startled.
readily available. This is why the Qur’an has honoured this tongue with Wa-jal is a very deeply piercing fear that starts to take over
the title Lisanin Arabyin Mubin (a clear, Arabic language). your thoughts. Related to this is rub, which means to fear something
to the extent that it causes you to lose your senses. Rub is often used
An Example: when you fear someone as opposed to something. Similarly, wa-jaf is
Let’s take the English word fear. English has a few synonyms the fear that makes your heart pound and makes you wring your
for this, such as terror, horrification and others. Notice, now, that not hands out of discontent
all of these can be used interchangeably. For instance, you wouldn’t Finally, Ra-hab is the fear of disappointing someone. And Ish-
say ‘his terror of getting fired motivated him to do a great job.’ This faaq is the fear on behalf of someone else, as a mother fears for her
shows that there are slight differences between these words and children.
they’re not entirely synonymous. Now let’s compare some of these using a single example. The
Unlike in English, in Arabic these differences serve a very khawf of losing your job is the fear that it might happen. The wa-jas is
noble purpose: synonyms are used to highlight different aspects of one the fear you get when you overhear someone mention your poor
thing. We’ll see an example of this towards the end of the article. performance to the boss. The khash-ya is the fear of not having an
The word khawf is perhaps the most common word for fear in income. The taq-wa is the fear that motivates you to do a good job to
Arabic. Khawf is where you fear the occurrence of some upcoming avoid being fired. The hazr is the fear that makes you play dirty tricks
event. It also implies that the thing being feared is (typically) to avoid/dodge being fired. The wa-jal is when the fear of being fired is
something physical. This word is used for the fear of one’s life, the fear all you think about. The rub is the fear you have of your boss calling
of robbery, etc. you into his office. The wa-jaf is the fear that makes your heart pound
Another word is wa-jas. This is fear which is based on hearing when you’re listening to him speak to you. The ra-hab is the fear of
some bad news. For example, when a student overhears his teacher disappointing your family because of being fired. The ish-faaq is the
saying to another teacher that he is close to failing, he feels wa-jas. fear of not being able to provide for them upon being fired.
Another word is khash-ya. Khash-ya is the fear of, not a thing, Depending on which word you use, you can draw attention to
but the implications of a thing. For instance, the khash-ya of losing various aspects of a thing. Isn’t it beautiful?
 Issue 5

One Meaning, Many Words: One Word, Many Meanings:

In our last issue we saw how the Arabic word for fear, Khawf, Similar to the concept of one meaning having many words
had about a dozen synonyms. Khawf isn't the only word with so many that can express it is the concept of one word having many different
synonyms; Arabic is replete with such synonymy where a single meanings.
meaning can be expressed using dozens, and even hundreds, of words. Arabic has several words that have more than one meaning.
A common lore among Arabs is that there are 999 words in Not only do they have more than one, in fact they have several. The
the language for Camel. Whether true or not, this is definitely word Ein is the most popularly quoted example for this.
believable given the language's richness and beauty. Ein has over a dozen meanings, some of which are: eye, the
Synonyms exist in Arabic to show something from slightly essence of a thing, the entirety of a thing, the most important part of a
different angles, express emotions in slightly various shades, and so thing, the part of a thing which is currently present, sentinel, spring
on. For example, the word Heart can be translated into Arabic as Qalb (water), knee, non-destructive rain that lasts five or more days, corner,
or as Fu'aad. the sun, sun's ray, ready money, gold, a slight imbalance on a scale,
The word Qalb comes from the root Q-L-B which means to Dinar, seven DInars... and that's just the beginning!
flip, whereas the word Fu'aad comes from the root F-A-D which means In the Qur'an, the word Ein is most commonly used to mean
to become ignited and such. The heart is sometimes referred to as 'eye' and 'spring'.
Qalb because a person's emotions, opinions and overall mood can There is a special group of words in Arabic that not only have
change from one to another in a split second. And sometimes the multiple meanings, but multiple contradictory meanings. In other
heart is referred to as Fu'aad in situations of intense emotion because words, a single word with opposite meanings.
such emotions resemble a blaze. An example of such a word is Baa'a, which usually means to
In fact, Allah (SWT) uses both of these words together in a sell but can mean to buy. Similarly, Raba'a can mean to take residence
commonly quoted verse of the Qur'an (28:10): as well as to travel far by foot. And the word Akhfaa usually means to
hide, but can mean to expose; Allah (SWT) says:
‫رﺑَﻄْﻨﺎ َﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫ت ﻟَﺘُْﺒ ِﺪ ْي ﺑِِﻪ ﻟَ ْﻮﻻ أَن‬
ْ ‫ﻛﺎد‬َ ‫م ُﻣ ْﻮﺳﻰ ٰﻓ ِﺮﻏﺎً إِ ْن‬ُ‫َﺻﺒَ َﺢ ﻓُﺆ ُاد أ‬
ْ ‫﴿ َوأ‬
ِِ ِ ِ ﴾ ‫ُﺧ ِﻔْﻴﻬﺎ‬
ْ ‫َﻛﺎد أ‬
ِ
ُ ‫ﺎﻋ َﺔ ءاﺗﻴَﺔٌ أ‬
َ ‫اﻟﺴ‬ ِ
ّ ‫ن‬ ‫﴿ إ‬
﴾‫ﲔ‬ َ ْ ‫ﻗَـ ْﻠﺒِﻬﺎ ﻟﺘَ ُﻜ ْﻮ َن ﻣ َﻦ اﻟْ ُﻤ ْﺆﻣﻨ‬ Verily the Hour is coming. I am nigh to expose it.
And the heart of the mother of Moses became void. She was nigh to
expose Moses had We not strengthen her heart that she may be One Word, Deep Meanings:
among the believers. Finally, a single word in Arabic can have a meaning so deep
that it would require full sentences or even paragraphs to explain in
In the first usage, the word Fu'aad is being employed because almost any other language. And this is not something rare or isolated.
a strong emotion is being depicted. And in the second case, the word Just to get an idea of this, let's take the word Nafasha as an example.
Qalb is being employed because changing of an emotion or state of This means: for a herd of goats or sheep to graze in an open field
heart is being depicted. during twilight hours or night without the supervision of the shepherd.
 Issue 6

c
Arabic Poetry: "As-Suyoofu Shuhoodun" by Hayyaan b. Rabi a At-Taa'i:
To the Arab of pre-Islamic and Islamic times, poetry was much
more than what we think of it today. Not only was it a form of
entertainment and art, but it was also used for practical purposes such
‫ﺲ اﳊَ ِﺪﻳْ ُﺪ‬ ِ ِ ِ
َ ‫ﺪ إذا ﻟُﺒ‬ ‫َذ ُوْو ﺟ‬ ‫ن ﻗَـ ْﻮِﻣ ْﻲ‬ َ‫ﻟََﻘ ْﺪ َﻋﻠِ َﻢ اﻟ َﻘﺒﺎﺋِ ُﻞ أ‬
as elegy, psychological warfare and even communication across Indeed all the tribes have come to know that my people
enormous distances. Are abundantly keen when the metal is adorned
The greatest honour for the deceased - and indeed a form of
ِ
ْ ‫إِذا‬
‫اﺳﺘَـ َﻌَﺮ اﻟﺘَﻨﺎﻓُـ ُﺮ َواﻟﻨَ َﺸْﻴ ُﺪ‬ ِ
‫اﰲ‬
ْ ‫ﻼس اﻟ َﻘﻮ‬ ْ ‫َوأَﻧّﺎ ﻧ ْﻌ َﻢ أ‬
ُ ‫َﺣ‬
immortality - would be continued elegy. The famous poetess Khansaa
is well-known for honouring her deceased brother with poetry.
Wars and debates would be won and lost at the hands of And what magnificent saddles we are for rhythm and rhyme
poets who would lampoon their enemy tribes and honour their own When lampooning and hymnody come ablaze
tribe. Hassaan b. Thaabit did this for the prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Communication across great distances would be achieved
‫ف ﻟَﻨﺎ ُﺷ ُﻬ ْﻮ ُد‬
ُ ‫اﻟﺴﻴُـ ْﻮ‬
ُ ‫ﱄ َو‬

َ ‫ﺗـُ َﻮ‬ ‫ب اﳌـ ْﻠﺤﺎءَ َﺣ ّﱴ‬‫ﻀ ِﺮ‬
ْ َ‫َوأَﻧّﺎ ﻧ‬
through poetry. When sending messengers was not feasible, Arabs
would craft poems embedded with a message. The poems would then And that we strike down the battalions until
َ ُ
travel through word of mouth from tribe to tribe and eventually to the They are subdued, and the swords are our witnesses
recipient. It was how Zaid, the adopted son of the Prophet (PBUH),
found his birth parents. This is a short Hamasi poem by a man named Hayyaan bin
c
It's no wonder, then, how rich our understanding is on this Rabi a in which he lauds his tribe, the Bani Tay.
critical Arabian meme and just how much of it has been codified and He starts in the first couplet by claiming that they are eager to
preserved. fight when metal is adorned. By this he means when armour is worn
and battles ensue. This is clearly in praise of their courage.
The Hamasa Collection: He then continues to the second couplet where he claims that
The Hamasa is perhaps the single most famous anthology. they are saddles of rhyme. By this he means that they are well versed
Compiled in the 9th century by the renowned litterateur Abu in poetry. This is when lampooning and hymnody come ablaze, by
Tammam, it contains poems from various pre-Islamic poets on topics which he means when poets get together to praise and insult each
of heroism and chivalry. other in metric form.
The Hamasa is such a supreme compilation, in fact, that its And finally in the third couplet he returns back to the
poems are used as literary proof and it is considered one of the highest battlefield and claims that his tribe strikes down their enemy forces to
authorities on the Arabic language. which the swords themselves are witness. This, of course, is in praise
A poet whose poetry is featured in the Hamasa is known as a of their valour and bravery and heroism.
Hamasi. Often you will find in books of grammar that a Hamasi said
such-and-such. It is sufficient just to mentioned that someone is a Access to These Legendary Poems
Hamasi; that gives them all the credibility in the world! It is such a fantastic feeling to read, translate and interpret
And it is a great honour and advanced rite to study the these ancient and magnificent pieces. They are at the highest levels of
Hamasa poems. So let us engage in this rite, too. Arabic, but to access them, one must command the basics first.
 Issue 7

!
Introduction:
Although it's almost definitely fictional, the story of Majnun Layla emphatically refuses all suitors in fits of rage, but her father is
and Layla has been one of the most captivating and inspiring love adamant and she is eventually married off.
stories of all time and it is a prize of Arabic literature. Upon news of her impending matrimony, the moonstruck
Every man, woman and child in the Middle East is told a Qays goes completely insane. He loses his mind and takes to the
version of this tale at one point in their life. And despite their age, deserts and jungles, living half-naked with animals and forgetting the
nationality and creed, everyone with a beating heart shares a moment civilities of life.
of sympathy over this tragic and heart-warming story. Qays' father attempts to bring him back to his senses; he
But it is far from just another simple legend of love. The story takes him on a pilgrimage to Mecca. But Qays' madness only deepens
of Majnun and Layla has been interpreted as a religious and spiritual and deteriorates. He slams his fists against the Ka'ba and prays for his
allegory. It has been used as a pedagogical tool for centuries and love for Layla to grow more and more passionate.
continues to inspire people all over the world. It has inspired hundreds Now known as Majnun (madman), he spends the rest of his
of versions in various languages, countless poems, songs, dramas, life wandering aimlessly, composing poetry for his lost love.
operas and, in modern day, films as well. It remains one of the most People run into Majnun from time to time and record
prominent backbones of Arabic literature and perhaps the single most whatever they can of his passionate poetry. And to this day, the poetry
popular narrative to emerge from the Middle East. of Majnun these passersby have written down remains to be some of
The story can be traced as far back as the late 600's. The the greatest works of all time. Filled with intense passions and deep
number of versions of the legend grew to over a hundred as it spread emotions, it never fails to inspire the love-struck centuries later.
west through Africa and east to India and beyond. And each version of
the story is wildly different from the rest. Even details such as the A Sample of Majnun Layla Poems:
characters' true names are different. The story may be fictional, but the poems "Qays" wrote are
Below is one version of this tale: definitely not. These are the pearls of Arabic literature. It's not so
much the story as it is these passionate and emotional pearls of love
The Story of Majnun and Layla: that sink into the hearts of people and make even Romeo and Juliet
Once upon a time, a powerful man of wealth and honour is look like enemies!
unable to have a son. He beseeches Allah constantly for a handsome Below is a snippet from a Majnun Layla poem said to be
boy until Allah finally grants him his wish. The new father, incredibly written by Qays bin Mulawwah. Something very noticeable in all his
ecstatic and grateful, names his newborn son Qays bin Mulawwah. poems is the oft repeated name, Layla. It is said in Arabic that if you
As per his father's hopes, Qays grows into a boy of love something, you keep repeating its name and rarely do you use a
magnificent beauty. pronoun to refer to it.
At a tender age, the boy meets a beautiful girl named Layla
and the two fall madly in love. They are inseparable and their affection
towards each other goes unnoticed by no one.
Qays, however, eventually learns that Layla's father
disapproves of their love and has already begun looking for suitors for
Layla.
 ِ ِ
‫ﺐ اﳌ َـﺪا ِوﻳـﺎ‬
َ ‫ﺖ اﻟﻄَﺒِ ْـﻴ‬
ُ ‫ـﲏ ُﻛْﻨ‬
ْ
ِ َ‫ﻓَـﻴَﺎ ﻟَْﻴﺘ‬ َ ْ‫ﻳـَ ُﻘ ْـﻮﻟُ ْـﻮ َن ﻟَْﻴﻠﻰ ﺑِﺎﻟﻌ َـﺮاق َﻣ ِﺮﻳ‬
ٌ‫ـﻀـﺔ‬
ُ They say Layla has taken ill in Iraq
Oh, woe, how I wish I was a doctor able to cure!

‫َو ُﺣ ْﺮﻗَـﺔُ ﻟَْﻴﻠﻰ ﰲ اﻟ ُﻔ َـﺆ ِاد َﻛ َـﻤﺎ ِﻫﻴـﺎ‬ ‫ﺎب اﺑْ ُـﻦ ﺑِْﻨـﺘِﻬﺎ‬
َ ‫ﺎب ﺑـَﻨُـ ْﻮ ﻟَْﻴﻠﻰ َو َﺷ‬
َ ‫ﻓَ َﺸ‬
The sons of Layla have grown old and so has her grandson
Yet the flame for Layla is still kindling in my heart as it has always been

‫ي َﺣـﺎﻓِﻴـﺎ‬ ِِ ِ
َ َ‫ـﺎرةُ ﺑـَْﻴـﺖ اﷲ ر ْﺟﻼ‬
ِ
َ َ‫زﻳ‬ ‫ـﺨـ ْﻠ َﻮٍة‬
َ ِ‫ﺖ ﻟَْﻴﻠﻰ ﺑ‬
ِ ِ
ُ ‫ـﻲ ﻟَﺌ ْـﻦ ﻻَﻗ ْـﻴ‬ َ‫َﻋﻠ‬
If only I could meet Layla privately
I would vow a pilgrimage to the house of God, my feet bear

‫ْﻨـﺘَﻬﺎ ﻟِﻴـﺎ‬‫ ْـﻲ ﺑِ َﻌْﻴـﻨَـْﻴـﻬﺎ َﻛ َﻤﺎ َزﻳـ‬‫ﻓَ ِﺰﻧ‬

‫ت ﻟَْﻴﻠﻰ ِﻫ َﻲ اﳌﲎ‬ َ ‫ب إِ ْذ‬
َ ‫ ْـﺮ‬‫ﺻـﻴ‬  ‫ﻓَـﻴَﺎ َر‬
ُ
O my Lord, since you have made Layla my lifeblood
So make me beautiful in her eyes, too, as you have made her to me

‫ﺖ اﻟ َـﺪ َو ِاﻫﻴـﺎ‬ ِ
ُ ‫ ْـﻲ ﺑِـﻠَْﻴﻠﻰ ﻗَ ْﺪ ﻟَﻘْﻴ‬‫ﻓَِﺈﻧ‬ ‫ـﻲ َوأ َْﻫـﻠَـﻬﺎ‬ َ‫ـﻀﻬﺎ إِﻟ‬
ْ ‫ ﻓَـﺒَـﻐ‬‫َوإِﻻ‬
Else you might as well make her and her family hateful to me
For, in Layla, I have surely met my destruction

The above was just a short five couplets. And, honestly, the
English translation doesn't do justice to the powerful Arabic verses.
Arabic books of Adab are filled with these poems and
commentary upon commentary. The story of Majnun and Layla may be
stooped in mystery and questions, but it must have been something
that inspired all this. It must have been some passion that wrote these
poems. Whatever it was - whoever it was - their words have echoed
through time and have carved a place in Arabic literature for all to
enjoy.
 Issue 8

" " #
Introduction: These stories run the gamut from comedies, to love stories, to
The legend of One Thousand and One Nights takes place over tragedies, to poetry, to adventures and heroism, to thrillers and
1,500 years ago during the rule of the Sassanid empire. It begins with horrors, to satires and far beyond.
the Persian king Shahryar, who discovers the unfaithfulness of his They are filled with actual scenes mixed with make-believe
brother's wife and, subsequently, the unfaithfulness of his own wife. geographies; historical facts dowsed in legendry and fantasy; real
Having witnessed the scandals of two women in his very own people mingled with mythical heroes, genies, mermaids and aliens.
family, Shahryar develops a distrust towards all women. So the king The stories are well known for their literary beauty and
begins to marry woman after woman but he has each new bride interesting features. In particular, the epic is replete with the concept
executed the day after their wedding, before she has an opportunity of a story within a story; it is a device employed continually by
to dishonour him. Scheherazade to ensure her ongoing survival. We often find stories
Like this the king marries all the women until there is no virgin within stories, and even stories within stories within stories.
left for him to wed. The grand vizier, in charge of supplying the virgins, The epic is so rich and captivating, in fact, that it is not only
finally runs out and has none to offer. None except, of course, his very the most famous anthology of literature in the Middle East and Asia,
own daughter, Scheherazade. but it plays an enormous role even in Western culture.
Against her father's wishes, Scheherazade offers herself as It is from One Thousand and One Nights where the story of
the final bride of the pugnacious king. But being the cunning and Sinbad comes. We follow Sinbad on seven voyages across the seas and
intelligent vizier's daughter that she is, she has a trick up her sleeve. are taken to magical places along the way. We meet man-eating
On the night of their wedding, Scheherazade begins to tell the monsters, giant elephant-eating snakes and men that turn into birds
king an engaging tale that swallows his attention and engulfs his once a month.
imagination. With the king on the edge of his seat and hanging onto It is also from here where we get the story of Aladdin. Largely
her every word, the sophisticated new bride reaches a cliff-hanger... popularized by Disney in the 1990s, this story tells of sorcerers and
but she does not finish her story; instead she promises to finish it the emperors and magic and the journey of a young boy from poverty to
following night. vast riches. It is also the source, to a large extent, of the Western
Intent on hearing the story to its end, the king is reluctantly understanding of genies.
forced to postpone the execution of his latest bride. Among the epic of One Thousand and One Nights is also the
But each night, Scheherazade completes the previous tale, famous story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. This is a tale of one
only to begin a new one and offer an excuse not to complete it until honest man pitted against a barrage of forty ruthless thieves with
the subsequent night. And like this, one thousand and one such nights access to a cave of magic and wondrous treasures. And it is from this
(more than two and a half years) go by and the bride remains living story that we get the passphrase "open sesame" (Arabic: "‫ "اﻓﺘﺢ ﻳﺎ ﲰﺴﻢ‬/
and well. "iftaH ya simsim").
So famous are the One Thousand and One Nights throughout
The Stories of Scheherazade: the world, in fact, that there is no one who hasn't heard at least one
The story of Shahryar and his cunning bride, Scheherazade, tale form the epic in some form or other. It has inspired translations in
serves only as a backdrop. It is really the stories of Scheherazade various languages, high-budget movies, musicals and so much more.
themselves that make up what we know as One Thousand and One The stories remain to be a rich source of folklore for many cultures.
Nights.
Origin of the Stories:
The epic of One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of
stories from Persian, Arab and North African cultures during a period
of time between the 8th and 13th centuries during the Islamic/Arab
golden age. As such, it is probably one of the most important
anthologies in the entire world.
Compiled by various authors throughout the centuries, it has
no fixed or authoritative form; various versions exist. The oldest
manuscripts found date back to 9th century Syria, but even these only
contain approximately 300 tales and it is asserted that the epic was an
ever-evolving work to which new stories were added by various
authors as the centuries went by.
Today, the epic exists as a ten volume set of 1,001 tales.
Translations exist in many languages, including several in English -
among them is one by the well-known E.W. Lane - and the collection is
readily available for purchase as well as free download.
It goes without saying that every serious student of Arabic
language and Arabic culture ought to become intimately familiar with
one of the most influential literary works to emerge from the Middle
East. To understand it is to understand Arabic and its influence. To
deny is to fail to penetrate the surface of this beautiful language.

You can access many of the stories of the epic from Al-Hakawait:
http://www.al-hakawati.net/english/Stories_Tales/lailaindex.asp