Intentions

Moving into post-Ramadhan, some of us aspire to develop a deeper relationship with the Quran, by learning Arabic. But where do you start?

In the next few posts or so, I will be sharing my experience from learning arabic overseas. Regardless if you want to study locally or venturing overseas for greater exposure, I hope I can help you in making a decision
With the increase of Arabic language centres, you are spoilt for choice. Some guarantee that you will understand the Quran within a certain timeframe (yeah right) and others with properly structured curriculum that will take you from one level to the next (sounds better). It all depends on your intention - why are you learning this and for what purpose?

I once poured my heart out to an ustaz on how much Arabic I have forgotten since returning home. He allayed my fears and told me that I should learn Arabic to get closer to the Quran. For conversations, I can use colloquial Arabic and people can still understand. While that may be true, the perfectionist in me still could not get over the fact that my vocabulary is slipping away. When learning a new language, you have to keep practicing and use it as much and as often as possible.

For conversational purposes (Level of difficulty: Foundation)

Where to go?

Al-Markaz (Website/Facebook)

As-Souq (Website/Facebook

Proficient Language Centre (Facebook)

Have a better understanding and greater appreciation of the Quran (Level of difficulty: Intermediate/Advanced,)

You have no intention to learn conversational Arabic and want to dive straight into Quran? Sure, though it is not something I would recommend.

The first Arabic lesson I attended was Quran Arabic. Everything was about Arabic grammar. So of course I struggled to grasp the concepts, let along maintain a clean attendance.

I believe the basics of any language starts with vocabulary. When you have enough in your word bank, you can form sentences and apply grammatical rules. Finally, the peak of the language is rhetoric and poetry. I discovered this is taught to students who only have the basics in vocabulary and grammar - which I disagree. Only when you have crystallize the two learning areas in the language, can you proceed to attempt the most challenging part.

Where to go?

AspireInstitute (Website/Facebook)
(Website) - http://aspireinstitute.com/al3c2014
(Facebook) - https://www.facebook.com/AspireInstitute.co

At-Tartil (Website/Facebook)
(Website) - http://www.attartil.com
(Facebook) - https://www.facebook.com/attartil

You can learn Arabic from any one of the centres above. However, if you are looking to go through a full cultural and language exposure, then an immersion experience in the middle east is best for you. However, the middle east political landscape is ever changing. Insyaallah in the next post, I will share with you on the best locations for a cultural exposure.