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2010 Toronto-based Summer Intensive. Start-date: June 21, 2010.

Summer Arabic Courses

As the language in which the sacred Quran was revealed, and in which the majority of Islamic scholarship is conducted, Arabic occupies a very special and beloved position in the very soul of the Ummah. It is both the language in which we pray to our Creator and the gateway to the knowledge that enables us to properly fulfill our duties as Muslims. Thus it is a great honor that The Toronto Shariah Program is blessed to re-offer this summer a two month “Arabic Intensive Program” in the sciences related to the Arabic language using a classical approach emphasizing Sarf (Arabic Morphology) and Nahw (Arabic Syntax), with a view towards further study using source materials in their original Arabic.

Target Audience

Although anybody is welcome to join, the intensive nature and timeframe are particularly aimed at university and high-school graduates who have the summer months off, and wish to take this opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the Arabic language via a methodology used by scholars for centuries. The general goal is to get the students up to the level where they can begin study of classical texts in their original Arabic with a qualified teacher. In particular, students finishing this program should be able to join the regular Shariah Program that commenced on March 27, 2010, and continue studying until full proficiency, insha Allah.

Arabic Course Content and Methodology

The majority of the time will be spent on Nahw and Sarf and reading/vocabulary sessions, with a small (20%) component comprising of Tafsir and Hadith studies. The teaching methodology emphasizes class participation and oral recitation of what is learnt in order to truly master the subject matter and ensure that nobody falls behind.

In the advanced stages of the program, having taken the students through two of the five levels of Sayid Abul Hasan Ali an-Nadwi’s ‘Stories of the Prophets’, students will have the opportunity to read and decipher certain classical Arabic texts in their original Arabic. Needless to say, ALL the concepts discussed in the grammar and morphology lessons will be thoroughly reinforced through the medium of these reading sessions. In addition to this, many principles of ‘balaagha’ will be introduced at the basic level.

Materials covered include:

Nahw (Arabic Grammar)

  • The 3 types of words: Ism, Fi'il, Harf and their sub-categories
  • Very clear introduction to grammatical states
  • The 4 cases (Raf', Nasb, Jarr, Jazm)
  • Jumla Ismiyyah and Jumla Fi'liyyah
  • Declinable and Indeclinable (Mu'rab and Mabni) nouns and verbs
  • The 22 positions of nouns in a sentence
  • Sentence analysis ('Irab)
  • The governing agents and their effects
  • 16 types of Mu'rab nouns and their 9 methods of reflection.
  • Nawaasikh al-Ibtidaa (agents which cancel the Ismiyyah sentence such as:
  • Kaana and its sisters
  • Inna and its sisters
  • The 'Laa' of class negation
  • The absolute noun (maf'ool mutlaq)
  • The vocative (al-Munada)

Sarf (Arabic Morphology)

  • Verb conjugation: Past (Maadi), Present/Future (Mudhari') in Jazm, Nasb, Raf', active/passive (Ma'roof/Majhool), Nun of emphasis (heavy/ light), 'Amr and Nahi
  • Derived nouns such as:
  • the active and passive participles, the noun of instrument, the dharf of place and time and the superlative
  • Triliteral verbs (base/ increased), Quadriliteral verbs (base/ increased)
  • Irregular verbs (mahmooz, mithal, ajwaf, naqis)
  • The 5 regulations that govern the mahmooz
  • The 25 rules of weak letters

Registration

Interested applicants are required to submit a $200 CAD deposit to secure their seat. This amount will later be applied to their total course fees. Please Contact Us with any questions. Space is very limited (18-24 seats total) and applicants are encouraged to apply immediately. All applicants for the 2010 Summer Intensive are being provided with premium access to all content (audio recordings, notes and slides) on our message-board free of charge for two months. This will help you prepare before attending the intensive and maximize your benefit, Allah willing. Please Click here to proceed to the registration instructions page.

Course Content: 80% Sarf and Nahw. 20% Tafsir and Hadith Studies.

Arabic Course for Brothers

Start date: Monday, June 21, 2010
Duration: 2 months
Timing: 9am to 1:30pm Mon-Thu (16-20 hrs/wk)
Location: The 2010 Intensive Program is being held at the Instructor's residence (Mavis Rd. and 401, Mississauga)
Cost: CAD $350 per month. Students will be required to pay a $200 deposit in order to secure their seat. The remaining balance will be due once the classes have begun. Thus a further payment of $500 will be due after the first week of class. However, nobody will be turned away due to inability to pay.

Arabic Course for Sisters

Start date: Monday, June 21, 2010
Duration: 2 months
Timing: 9am to 1:30pm Mon-Thu (16-20 hrs/wk)
Location: The 2010 Intensive Program is being held at the Instructor's residence (Mavis Rd. and 401, Mississauga)
Cost: CAD $350 per month. Students will be required to pay a $200 deposit in order to secure their seat. The remaining balance will be due once the classes have begun. Thus a further payment of $500 will be due after the first week of class. However, nobody will be turned away due to inability to pay.

Arabic Course Evaluations

I started my undergrad at harvard in the NELC department learning arabic, and a few years later went to the toronto Shariah Program for a 6-month arabic learning intensive. There is NO comparison.

here's the difference: in the Al Kitaab method that most universities follow, the approach to language learning is very random. Each unit/lesson starts with a word list that you learn, then you see those words in some sentences, then you learn some grammar rules that were in those sentences. The vocab is not what a student of deen really needs (there's little religious vocab), and it's not what someone who wants to communicate with arabs really needs (because it's not colloquial). So to be honest, I see it as being totally useless unless one's interest is just to read the news or listen to political speeches in arabic.

Contrast that with the traditional, time-tested way that developed of teaching arabic to non-arabs as islam spread to non-arab countries. This is what the Shariah Program in toronto uses and I TOTALLY WHOLE-HEARTEDLY (not shouting, just gushing) recommend it to anyone who wants to learn to read arabic in general (for any purpose whether news/religious books/etc) as well as anyone who primarily wants to learn arabic for future religious studies. It is a totally cohesive, top-down method of teaching arabic. The early classes are just about explaining the language, eg: " 'Lafz (لفظ( refers to every sound that comes out of the human mouth. Sound can be meaningful or non-meaningful. If it is meaningful, it can be a single meaning (one word) or a compound meaning. If it is one word, it is either an ism(~noun), a fi3l(~verb), or a harf(~preposition). If it is a verb, it is either maadi (past tense), mudari3 (present), amr (command), or nahy (negation). etc.etc." - creating a tree diagram so every possible word type in arabic is broken down and you understand exactly how the language fits together.

Because of that, in one day of class I learned more than I learned in an entire _year_ of harvard al kitaab-style arabic. Read More…



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