Online Arabic Distance Learning Course - March 27, 2010

Arabic occupies a very special and beloved position in the soul of the Ummah. It is the language in which the Qur’an was revealed, and in which the majority of Islamic scholarship is conducted. It is both the language in which we pray to our Creator and the gateway to knowledge that enables us to properly fulfill our duties as Muslims.

Thus, it is a great honor that the Shariah Program is re-offering a 2-year, part-time program moderately paced for university students and working professionals. The course focuses on the sciences related to the Arabic language using a classical approach, emphasizing Sarf (Arabic Morphology) and Nahw (Arabic Syntax).

The Virtual Classroom:

The Arabic Distance Learning Program uses PalTalk's Premium Netcast, coupled with real-time web audio/video conferencing which delivers a near-live experience. The virtual classroom has all the aspects of live instruction, from the comfort of your home, at the convenience of your busy schedule.

Two-Year Foundations Program:

Following our March 2009 launch of the new "self-paced" structure for the Two Year Foundations Program, we have decided to begin re-recording all the lectures from scratch in a non-classroom setting. The content is the same, but the delivery-time is cut in half. Instead of 5 hours of pre-recorded material per week, it is now cut down to 2.5-3 hours. Supplemented with detailed notes, slides, a whole new series of charts, and an extremely active student message board, these concise audio recordings will form the basis for your systematic accumulation of knowledge. We encourage you to listen to the entire first week's material available on our Audio Samples Page.

New Students:

Beginning March 27, 2010, new students will be given 2 full hours of live instruction per week (see schedule below), and continuing in this '2-3 hours pre-recorded' + '2 hours live' format for the majority of the first year. As the course progresses, dependence on the recordings will be slightly reduced, and the live hours will be increased proportionately. The live instruction component for new students is to ensure that aspects of our teaching methodology, which involve direct student/teacher interaction, are not neglected. See below for the Saturday and Tuesday class timings.

Revised 'Foundations Program' 2010

Benefits of the new "self-paced" structure:

Upon registration, students will receive access to:

Click here for further details regarding the curriculum of our Foundations Program in classical Arabic.

The registration details for the Online Arabic Distance Learning Program are listed below.

Distance Learning Program - Registration Window

We are hereby announcing rolling admission to the Arabic Course itself. Essentially new students can sign up and register at any time throughout the year. The weekly live tutorials, however, will only re-start twice a year. The most recent start was on October 2009, and the next is upcoming in late March 2010. Those who are contemplating signing-up now, have 2 options:

1. Sign up and begin listening to the material with the intention of catching up to the class which began in early October. This is accompanied by detailed class notes, PowerPoint slides, and access to the Arabic Learning Forum, which collectively parallel the audio material. With this option you will need to catch up with the class which has started on October 3, by listening to the recorded lectures. You will simultaneously begin attending the weekly live classes. The catch-up load is about 30 hours of audio as of this update (May 1st).

2. Sign up now and begin listening to the audios at your own pace, in anticipation of the March 2010 re-starting of the live classes. The bulk of your learning experience will be through our archives and via our interactive student message boards. The live tutorials focus on reading practice by students themselves, and verb table recitation practice. This is the component of the course wherein students are able to participate in real-time. These live tutorials are not a series of lectures! Considering there is no lecture given in the live tutorials, there will be minimal overlap with the recordings. Thus signing up now, and attending the live tutorials several months later is a viable option.

In summary, those who are interested can begin learning the language by registering at any time during the year. Keeping in mind that the live tutorials, which encourage independent Arabic reading and translation, will only restart every 6 months. The most recent start was on October 3, 2009, and the next is upcoming in late March 2010.

Distance Learning Program - Live Tutorial Timings

Classes can be accessed immediately upon registration. Live weekly tutorials will be scheduled as follows:


Most Recent: Saturday October 3, 2009


Upcoming: March 27, 2010

There will be two weekly tutorial sessions and each session will run for approximately 1 hour, in addition to around-the-clock support at our message boards.

Saturday morning: 8:15 am – 9:15 am (EST)
Tuesday evening: 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm (EST)
Tuesday evening: 5:00 pm – 5:30 pm (EST) (earlier session for International students)
Timings are in Eastern Standard Time.

All efforts are being made to accommodate students who live in different time zones across North America. In consideration of international students, an earlier Tuesday evening session is being offered. This half hour class will cover the same content as the later 1 hour session. The number of students attending it will generally be much less, allowing one hours material to be covered in half the time.

Total hours of Instruction time will be approx. 8hrs/month. In later stages of the program, live hours per week will increase to 3, and ultimately 4, as much time will be spent on students reading vowel-less text. Dependence on pre-recorded audio will be reduced proportionately at that time.

Class Fees

Regular Class Fees: $50 USD per month. Students are required to prepay for 4 months at a time. Total cost for the first 4 months of the program is $200 + $55 (for textbooks and class materials).

The entire first weeks material has been placed on our Audio Samples Page. This is very representative of the kind of pre-recorded instruction you will receive upon registration. We encourage all interested students to carefully listen to and view that sample content. Thereafter, $200 USD will be required every four months for continued access to all audio archives and other supporting content.

Class Materials

Beginner's package

Upon registration, Students will have the option of ordering Mail-out packages directly from us. This will be done at the message board once your account is created and validated. The cost for these books will be in addition to the course fees mentioned above. Alternatively, students may purchase the books from local bookstores or online from other vendors. As a final option, high quality scans of all pertinent books will be provided to those who prefer to take that route

1. Fundamentals of Classical Arabic, by Shaikh Husain Sattar
2. Syed Abul Hasan Ali al-Nadawi’s Stories of the Prophets Part 1
3. Syed Abul Hasan Ali al-Nadawi’s Stories of the Prophets Part 2
4. Syed Abul Hasan Ali al-Nadawi’s Stories of the Prophets Part 3
5. Syed Abul Hasan Ali al-Nadawi’s Stories of the Prophets Part 4
6. Original Arabic text of Imam al-Zarnuji’s Instruction of the Student (Talim al-Muta’allim)

A one-time cost for the beginners Student Mail-out package is US $40 USD + shipping and handling (approx. $15 for North America, $30 International).

Distance Learning Audio Solution

Premium PalTalk Netcast

The Online Arabic class employs PalTalk’s Premium Secure Classroom to facilitate a fast and reliable internet communications solution for our students. It is a free and easy to use program that allows people from different locations to become a part of our vibrant community. With PalTalk, students enrolled in the North American, European, Australian and the Asian Subcontinent classes can learn traditional Arabic sciences first-hand from a qualified sheikh in the comfort of their homes. We have purchased a group license that supports a capacity of 100 students.

Click to download PalTalk NOW!

Group Study Sessions

Our virtual class is no different from an actual class as it allows students to receive the material and communicate their questions in real-time. We strongly believe in providing our students a real classroom environment by fully utilizing the virtual capabilities available to us. Our students can make use of our secure classroom to conduct their own group study sessions where they can collaborate to practice and discuss the course material among themselves.

System Requirements:

• Windows 98/ME/NT4/2000/XP/2003
• Intel Pentium™ 166MHz Processor with 16MB of RAM or better
• Internet connection (28.8kbps Modem or better)
• Full-Duplex sound card required (for Audio)
• Speakers
• All students must have a good-quality, working microphone so they can actively participate in the class. Class participation is an absolute necessity for enhancing the students’ learning and relating their understanding of the course material to the instructor.
• We strongly recommend high-speed cable modem or DSL connection since both the audio and PowerPoint presentation material will be broadcast through the Internet.
• All peripherals and system checks should be made prior to the commencement of the class. Due to time constraints of covering the relevant course syllabus, it is not possible for the instructor to spend time dealing with technical issues in the class.

Please visit the FAQ section on our website for further details.

Course Instructor

Insha-allah, the classes will be taught by the program founder and head course Instructor Mufti Yusuf Mullan. Please visit our website for sample audio material and for Mufti Yusuf Mullan's biography. Please feel free to e-mail us at classicalarabic@gmail.com (or call (647) 225-2546) for any further questions.

Now formally registering for the Online Arabic Foundations Program (March 27, 2010)