It is a dream of many Muslims who are not native Arab speakers to be able to understand the book of Allah in its revealed language; Arabic. Yet, many Muslims either struggle to learn the language or believe it’s not possible for them to understand the Quran in Arabic.
In this article, we will explore three common misconceptions around learning Quranic Arabic that will help you overcome the barriers holding you back from understanding the revealed message in the beauty of its original language.
>>> Understand the Quran in as little as 10 minutes/day. Click here to learn more
The three of the most common misconceptions are:
- Arabic is one of the hardest languages to learn.
- You have to learn how to speak Arabic before you can understand the Quran.
- It is best to learn Arabic from a native Arabic speaker.
Let’s now clarify these misconceptions one by one.
Fact #1: Arabic is NOT a hard language to learn
Many people are terrified by the “complexities” of Arabic and grammar, perceiving it as too difficult to learn. But the truth is, there are no “hard” or “easy” languages. Arabic isn’t any harder or easier to learn than Italian or Xhosa or Mandarin.
The only language that is difficult to learn is the language that you don’t want to learn. Your ability to learn a language has nothing to do with if the language is “hard” or “easy”. It also has nothing to do with whether you have a “natural talent” to learn languages. Learning a language simply boils down to your desire and effort.
If you truly desire to understand the Quran, and you are willing to put in the effort, then you can learn Arabic!
Related: Is it important for Muslims to learn Arabic language?
Fact #2: You can understand the Quran without knowing how to speak Arabic!
Many people think they need to know how to speak Arabic first before they can understand the Quran. But did you know that Arabic is a language with many different dialects?
An Egyptian speaking Arabic and a Moroccan speaking Arabic actually won’t understand each other well because their dialects are so different! Similarly, the language used in the Quran is very different to spoken dialects. Learning to speak Arabic is thus not a prerequisite you need to master before you are “ready to tackle” Quranic Arabic.
You can dive straight into learning Quranic Arabic without any “foundation” in speaking Arabic!
Fact #3: You don’t have to learn Arabic from a native speaker
This applies to any language, not just Arabic. Learning a language from native speakers can be very helpful when it comes to mastering the right pronunciations or nuances in slangs. But many native speakers don’t know how to teach grammar or teach language acquisition because they have learnt their mother tongue intrinsically.
Often, the best teacher is someone who is trained to teach language acquisition, or someone who has had to learn the language himself or herself — or better yet — someone who falls into both these categories.
Related: App for Memorizing Quran
So don’t feel like you have to travel to the Middle East to learn Arabic from native speakers. You can learn to understand the Quran in Arabic from home!
Recent Comments