Learn Arabic from Qur'aan to read and perceive Qur'aan.

Qur'aan is the Guide and the "Vehicle" that drives to the destination.

Encouraging facts:

1. Grand Qur'aan is made easy to understand and comprehend by transcribing it in Arabic-the language of our Guide Lord Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam and related to Arabian Peninsula. [19:97;44:58;54:17,22,32 and 40] We should trust Allah's proclamation.

2. A very small part of limitless vocabulary of Arabic is used in Qur'aan.

3. The prerequisite to read a book in foreign language is to learn grammar of that language. Learning grammar of Arabic from Qur'aan does not involve rote memorization which is otherwise a disadvantage of Grammar-Based Approach.

4. The Rules are precise and few in volume in relation to the text of Qur'aan.

Pre-qualification for learning Arabic from Qur'aan

 (a) One can recite just three Ayah of Qur'aan by recalling from memory and by reading the written text.

 (b) Determined resolve that we will not be like majority of readers who are passive and mute recipients of ideas gleaned from the printed page.

 (c) We will use auditory and visual faculties simultaneously while studying Qur'aan on computer screen. We will listen and watch syllables of text by moving the gaze in smooth pursuit. This is the basic requirement for attaining the purpose of reading.  

Read, Reading:

"It is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning in written text. Reading comprehension is defined as the level of understanding of a text. This understanding comes from the interaction between the words that are written. Proficient reading depends on the ability to recognize words quickly and effortlessly. If word recognition is difficult, readers use too much of their processing capacity to read individual words, which interferes with their ability to comprehend what is read."

Reading involves visual fixation on successive locations across the page or screen. Fixation or visual fixation is the maintaining of the visual gaze on a single location. Reading is an intensive process in which the eye quickly moves to assimilate text. Very little is actually seen accurately. It is necessary to understand visual perception and eye movement in order to understand the reading process. [Visual perception is the ability to interpret the surrounding environment by processing information that is contained in visible light. Eye movement in reading involves visual processing of words.  Eyes do not move continuously along a line of text, but make short rapid movements (saccades) intermingled with short stops (fixations).] Visual fixation is never perfectly steady: Fixation eye movement occurs involuntarily. A key technique in studying how individuals read text is eye tracking. Humans also do not appear to fixate on every word in a text, but instead fixate to some words while apparently filling in the missing information using context. The notable exception is being in smooth pursuit.

Grand Qur'aan has informed about those people who use their gaze in smooth pursuit of the text scattered on the page:

·         And the sincere allegiants of Ar'Reh'maan are they who when reminded by mentioning the Aa'ya'at-Verbal Unitary Passages of their Sustainer Lord conveying information and knowledge

·         did not behave-react upon them in a state of deafness and blindness. [25:73]

Deafness is related to listening in which ear's audibility plays the major role and blindness apparently relates to visual faculty for which eyes play a role as seeing instrument. Grand Qur'aan tells us that by following the tradition of such people we should utilize both these faculties simultaneously to quickly grasp and understand Arabic language and comprehend what has been said in its Aa'ya'at. We will soon find that for non-natives the act of seeing the Arabic text plays a major role in making the process of learning easy and rapid.

Kindly read the scientific information in on line encyclopedias about the processes involved in reading a text whereby one will realize and be convinced about proclamation of Qur'aan having been made easy using Arabic language. Around the fixation point of gaze only four to five letters are seen with 100% acuity. The words of Qur'aan mostly comprise up to five letters. Where the word comprises more than five the syllable system of Arabic helps retain 100% acuity at every fixation point of gaze.

Humans also do not appear to fixate on every word in a text. The notable exception is being in smooth pursuit. Smooth pursuit eye movements allow the eyes to closely follow a moving object. It is one of two ways that visual humans can voluntarily shift gaze, the other being saccadic eye movements. Arabic Text of Qur'aan is the only that facilitates humans in smooth pursuit of its moving text. Interestingly the words of Arabic are also like moving objects on the page. Consonants are followed by "moves"-حَرَكَاْتٌ  [three Short vowels] facilitating the reader for smooth pursuit.

Conditionality:

We undertake that we will follow the instructions of Qur'aan about its manners of reading, the most primary is:

 Therefore, you people read that much text of the Qur'aan which has become self convenient-facilitating [having listened recitation]. [Ref 73:20]

      We read the definition of reading that it is a process to derive meaning in written text. The objective of reading is to attain and perceive the thought and idea conveyed therein. The Verb "you people read" emanates from Root "ق ر ء" and also the Qur'aan. The basic perception infolded in the Root is to collect a thing at one point, compilation, and the process of gathering. It thus changes the scattered-separated-spread position of a thing into a collective whole. When we carry out this process with regard to letters-alphabet-syllables of a language-written material it produces and yields the product,  written reading material collected together and placed in one receptacle; it is the opposite of a shredded-scattered state. Thus this word defines reading as a process of squeezing the scattered text over the line/lines into a single focal point to distinctly perceive the idea/thought/message of it.

     It might seem a strange phenomenon that another word made from this Root also occurs in the Grand Qur'aan which denotes multiple discharges of menstruation. One may wonder what menstruation has to do with Root "ق ر ء" while other words are conveying perception of a compilation of written text and reading it. We might understand the delicacies and subtleties of Arabic language if we enquire what menstruation are and what physical relationship does it have with the basic perception of Root? Menstruation is breaking of the spread lining [endometrium] of the uterus which gets colleted together and is discharged. Arabic Roots in their perception in fact enfold all the physical realities relating both to matter and life. It is a language of precision and scientific realties about matter and life relating to the semantic field a word refers is infolded in it.

Lesson-1

Parts of Speech

The text of languages is typically divided into three categories:

1. Word

2. Phrase

3. Sentence

Grand Qur'aan is unique in all aspects related to books. It is in perfect sequence, corresponding and consistent with ground realities and perceptions of human beings. The first six words of Grand Qur'aan reproduced above show sequence of components of a text; Word, Phrase and then a sentence. We will try learning Grammar [Morphology and Syntax] following pedagogical-teaching strategy of Grand Qur'aan on need to know basis and later try understanding semantics  gradually [how meaning in language is created by the use and interrelationships of words, phrases, and sentences]. The most encouraging and amazing particularity of Arabic of Qur'aan is that we will be able to visually recognize the words, phrases, and sentences also. This is what is termed "Parsing" of the text.

1. Word

The "Word" is defined in dictionaries as, "A sound or a combination of sounds, or its representation in writing or printing that symbolizes and communicates a meaning and may consist of a single morpheme or of a combination of morphemes.” In Arabic language the Word is called-. ٱلْكَلِمَة It is defined as an expression formulated for a singular meaning. We live in the world of Words. We first listen words, thereby we copy-speak-articulate same words. Listening facilitates learning to read the written words, whereby we attain ability to reproduce-copy it with our own hands. Word is divided into three categories that are mutually exclusive and embrace all words in the language:

(a)  حَرفٌ   plural حروف -Particles:

This category is defined as those words that do not impart a meaning on their own. Roughly speaking, this is equivalent to what we know in English as prepositions, conjunctions, articles, interjections and other particles. Since they do not impart a meaning on their own, they are understood only when other words are mentioned along with them. In fact, their very purpose is to expose certain attributes in the words around them. Hence, any word that does not impart a meaning on its own accord, rather it helps expose attributes of other words, is a Particle. If this is not the case, then the word is either a Noun or a Verb.

(b)  اِسمٌ   plural. أسماء Noun:

      This category is defined as those words that impart a single meaning on their own and do not need help of another word to explain its meanings. They do not afford a tense. This is equivalent to what we know in English as nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs. In default state, they are always in "Nominative" case, which is reflected by the vowel sign ـُُ or the same sign doubled ـُـُ, ٌ   on the last consonant of the word.

(c)  فعل   plural أفعال Verb:

      This category is defined as those words that impart a single meaning on their own describing some work, action, activity or state and afford a tense, i.e. past, present or future. This is exactly what is known in English as Verbs.

1.  Particle-حَرفٌ

Just recognize and know few Particles and you recognize almost all Nouns of Grand Qur'aan, merely by seeing the text.

(i) حُرُوفُ الْجَرِّ: [Particles of attraction] Prepositions or Genitive Particles.

   [a] Inseparable Prepositions; they consist of one consonant with its vowel.

[b] Separable Prepositions. 

    The First Word of Grand Qur'aan starts with a حَرفٌ-Prefixed Particle بـِ with its suffixed object Noun. It is termed as Preposition. Like English, in Arabic also the Prepositions are indeclinable words that introduce the object of a prepositional phrase. Indeclinable words are words that have only one possible form. Particles do not follow the template system and hence they do not have patterns. They are what they are and they must be memorized as they are. However, please relax since they are not much in number and initially just a dozen needs to be remembered. In semantic terms the preposition functions to illustrate a logical, temporal, or spatial relationship between the object of the prepositional phrase and the other components of the sentence.

     The importance of the role of the Particles in Arabic text is reflected by the fact that the Grand Qur'aan begins with a particle. The First word is . Its first part is a Particle بـِ . It comprises of consonant ب of Arabic Alphabet and under it is a small stroke which is a vowel sign [ـِ]. This short vowel sign is termed in Urdu as زير . The Particle بـِ  which is inseparable meaning it is always a prefix is termed amongst the category of Particles as حرف الجر -Preposition.  It exercises influence and affects the attached noun by changing its default nominative state to genitive state. The noun, which was originally having on its last consonant either sign ـُُ, ٌ  ,ـُـُ , is changed by this Prefixed Particle-Preposition  بـِ to have this sign at its end single or double [ـِ]. 

     The prefixed Particle بـِ along with the attached noun is called in Arabic and Urdu, جار و مجرور and in English it is called Prepositional Phrase. Let us repeat it orally with slightly loud voice:

جار و مجرور   

بـِ حرف الجر + اِسم مَجرُور

 بـِ Inseparable Preposition + Noun-Genitive [Object noun of Preposition  بـِ ]         

      Like learning driving, in which the first step is to know and recognize the steering, accelerator, brake and clutch of vehicle, the first step in learning Arabic of Qur'aan and its grammar is to recognize and differentiate just three categories of Words of its text, i.e. Particle, Noun and Verb.  The Grand Qur'aan is perhaps the only book of the Universes whose language Arabic and its grammar can be learnt in such manner that everything gets stored and saved in the Non-Declarative memory whereby at later stages the brain will automatically decode the grammar, like one's native language while listening or reading the Qur'aan. The only requirement as indicated in the Qur'aan is that we simultaneously use the faculty of listening and watching the constructs-builds-design-shape of words. By this our brain will automatically keep a duplicate copy of the data in the Non-Declarative memory while retaining "master folder" in the main memory as was done by our brain while we learnt driving a vehicle or native language in the age of infancy.

       means and denotes "beginning is with name/code". Ponder for a while on the first information given in Qur'aan. Learning and knowledge begins with the name-code-noun. Nothing is saved in human memory unless its name-code-verbal mirroring of an object is known or is assigned to it. Let us first learn simple method of recognizing the Nouns in the Qur'aan. Recall that Allah the Exalted had also first taught the Nouns-Names of the existing objects to our First Father and the First Human being Adam Alahissalam  [Refer 2:31].

     بـِ Inseparable Preposition is prefixed ONLY with a Noun. The last consonant of the attached noun has vowel sign [ـِ]. This particle  بـِ will grant us the ability to visually recognize the Nouns in Qur'aan. Let us put our finger on the text of Qur'aan and move it forward while carefully watching the words to detect a word having in its beginning Preposition  بـِ and a vowel sign [ـِ] at the end of word. We got it. Like  let us repeat orally with slightly loud voice:

جار و مجرور   

بـِ حرف الجر + اِسم مَجرُور

 بـِ Inseparable Preposition + Noun-Genitive [Object noun of Preposition] 

      If we see the word after truncating بـِ we see and we can authoritatively without consulting or referring a dictionary tell that this word is certainly a Noun.

     The other Inseparable Prepositions are: [We need not use them for recognizing Nouns by sight]

       (1) تَـ, Prefixed Particle-Preposition-used for swearing, it occurs only in this Phrase: By Allah the Exalted.

         (2) لِـ Prefixed Particle-Preposition denoting exclusivity, for;  Prepositional Phrase, meaning "exclusively for Allah the Exalted".

         (3) This is not conjoined with the following word. When used as Preposition it is placed as near to its Object Noun as possible. It is for swearing.

[b] Separable Prepositions.

Most frequently used are: ,   [],  .  ,. These are always followed by a word which is Noun in genitive case and both words constitute indivisible grammatical unit as Prepositional Phrase. We remember four prepositions and this gives us the skill to instantly recognize a word as Noun.  ... ..........----- .......  ----- ---.   We must realize and express our gratitude to Allah the Exalted  that by  remembering just five Prepositions بـِ ;; ;; we can recognize half of the text of Qur'aan merely by seeing  since Arabic speech  and text of Qur'aan comprises of Particles, Nouns and Verbs.

Lesson-2

NOUNS in the Grand Qur'aan-Visual Recognition

              اِسمٌ  * plural. أسماء Noun:

     This category is defined as those words that impart a single meaning on their own and do not need help of another word to explain its meanings. They do not afford a tense. This is equivalent to what we know in English as nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs.

     Please devote some time for practicing recognizing the Nouns in the Qur'aan by sight with the help of Prepositions and below mentioned Visual signs typical to Nouns before we proceed to know their sub-classifications and other relevant information like gender, plurality etc. Once we acquire the skill of recognizing Nouns by sight it will facilitate us quickly acquire the skill to recognize by sight the different Phrases in the text of Qur'aan which is the second category of Text.

                Peculiar features of Nouns:

    1- They verbally mirror the image or perception of an existing reality; a tangible, physical thing having dimensions, or an abstract idea/thought/perception. The primary meanings, perception and functions of a Noun as are prevalent in English Grammar and Composition are with little modifications also applicable to Nouns of Arabic; "The part of speech (or word class) that is used to name or identify a person, place, thing, quality, or action. Adjective: nominal. Most nouns have both a singular and plural form, can be preceded by an article and/or one or more adjectives, and can serve as the head of a noun phrase". "A noun can function as a subject, direct object, indirect object, complement, appositive, or object of a preposition. In addition, nouns sometimes modify other nouns to form compound nouns".** .

    2- The information is attributed to a noun as subject/topic [مبتدأ] of initiating discussion/discourse/conversation. Similarly, noun is used for attribution to another word, it is then the predicate-[خبر]. The Noun, which is either Subject [مبتدأ] or Predicate [خبر], it will always be in Nominative state-indicators ـُُ  or ـُـُ, .

     3.  The Definite Article is entered upon the Noun. This enables visual recognition of a Noun in the text of Qur'aan. Please glance the List of All Nouns in the Grand Qur'aan which are prefixed with Definite Article, [1780 Nouns-recurrence: 7436 about 10% of Miscellany]. Please orally repeat this peculiar feature about Nouns of Arabic a couple of times, whereby it will get entrenched in the Non Declarative memory of brain. Please remember that learning a Language is actually acquiring a skill, which becomes easy when we do exercise like acquiring any other skill, say driving.

     4.  The Noun may have "Nunation", reflected by double short vowel signs at the end of the word. This is yet another facility for visual recognition of Nouns in the text of Qur'aan. Just glance through the list [here] repeating orally this peculiar feature of Nouns for couple of times. It will enable its storage in non-declarative memory for ever, whereby we will effortlessly recognize such nouns which will enhance our reading proficiency.

    5. Yet another visual identification mark of a Noun is that it does not end with a Jezm, while a verb does. For example seeing these words - ending with a Jezm, we will instantly know that these are NOT nouns but are verbs

   6. Annexation- The Noun can have the state of Jarr/genitive. Nouns are annexed in Prepositional, Possessive and Adjectival Phrases. This affords us a visual tool for recognition of the Nouns of Qur'aan. The Object Noun of Preposition and Second Noun of Possessive Phrase will always be genitive, reflected by vowel sign [ـِ] beneath the last consonant.

  7. However, please remember that a declinable Noun might have [ـِ] Genitive Ending [إِعْرَابُ] if it is a Subordinate in the sentence to a Noun in genitive state. When a word is influenced indirectly, it is called the تَابِع and the word it mimics is called the مَتْبُوْع. The Subordinate Nouns are; (1) the Adjective, (2) Apposition with a Particle, (3) Emphasis, (4) Explicative Apposition, (5) Equivalent Apposition.

      Lesson-3

         فعل  (c)  plural أفعال Verb:    

      This category is defined as those words that impart a single meaning on their own describing some work, action, activity, or state and afford a tense that is past, present or future. This is exactly what is known in English as Verbs.

We have learnt Particles by memorization and have learnt to recognize with their help the Nouns in Qur'aan and also by some other visible signs. Since there are only three categories of a Word we should be able to recognize the Verb automatically-effortlessly when we adjudge it not as Particle or Noun. However, further visible signs to recognize a Verb are:

(1) Lam : Referred as Lam-al-Jahd. It is a Jussive Particle used to negate the past tense verb. It negates the Past Tense Verb in meanings while utilizing the present-tense in Jussive Mood: [Ref 2:6] Just memorize this Particle, and you will recognize 366 Verbs in Qur'aan.

(2) Particle : This Particle is Subjunctive Particle. The Verb followed by it is Imperfect verb in Subjunctive Mood. Just remember this Particle and we will instantly recognize 104 verbs in Qur'aan; [Ref 2:24]

(3) -: This Particle is Subjunctive Particle. ----

(4) Particle -: It is a Particle that precedes only a Verb; ; [Ref 2:60; 2:65] Just memorize this Particle, and you will recognize 406 Verbs in Qur'aan.

(5) Feminine Ta; Words ending with ت-تْ are Feminine Verbs ...---

(6) اْ: We are interested in acquiring skill to effortlessly recognize and differentiate the words in the text. This Aleph with a circle on top at the end of words like  ---- should also be kept in memory as marker sign for verbs. It is called الألف-فارقة--it distinguishes the two words signifying that the preceding Waw is integral part of the preceding word.

(4) Heavy Noon:

With regard to meanings and tense, a verb is of three types:

(1) الماضي : It indicates the occurrence of an action in the past tense, . It is referred as Perfect in English. There are fourteen word-forms [صيغة] of the Perfect verbs.

(2) المضارع : It indicates the occurrence of an action in the present and/or future tense. Its near-equivalent in English is Imperfect verb. , . There are fourteen word-forms [صيغة] of the Imperfect verbs.

(3) الأمرُ : Imperative- a command-request/prayer, . It can be considered as modification of the Imperfect verb.

The Perfect and Imperative verbs are "mabni" [مَبْنِي], which means that they do not undergo any change. But the Imperfect verb is "murab" [مُعْرَبٌ] which means that it undergoes changes to indicate its function in the sentences.

Like the nouns that have three cases, nominative, accusative and genitive; the imperfect verb also has three case endings which are termed in English as "Moods". These are (1) [مرفوع] Indicative Mood; (2) [منصوب ] Subjunctive Mood; and (3) [مجزوم] Jussive Mood.

Recap:

1. We need only to memorize few Prepositions like  بـِ ;; ;; to effortlessly recognize Nouns while watching text.

2. We merely need to memorize that in the beginning and Tanwin-doubled vowel sign in the End are indicators for Noun. We should also memorize that Jezm is not the ending of a Noun.

3. We need to memorize Particles ------- and remember that the word after it is a Verb. Moreover word ending with feminine marker ت-تْ  is a verb.

Please remember above three points and do an exercise by putting finger on the text and move gaze smoothly forward. Firstly identify few nouns and then next time do it for recognizing verbs. This will give you the skill to effortlessly recognize three parts of the entire text of Qur'aan in just one or two hours. Having attained this skill do pay reverence to the Elevated Messenger and prostrate for Allah the Exalted.  

  [After these exercises just go through any English grammar book about Preposition and Prepositional Phrases. The same will you find later on as relevant to Arabic Prepositional Phrases-In simplest terms, prepositional phrases consist of a preposition and an object of a preposition. Prepositions are indeclinable words that introduce the object of a prepositional phrase. Indeclinable words are words that have only one possible form. For example, below is a preposition, but belows or belowing are not possible forms of below.

   6. Annexation- The Noun can have the state of Jarr/genitive. Nouns are annexed in Prepositional, Possessive and Adjectival Phrases. This affords us a visual tool for recognition of the Nouns of Qur'aan. The Object Noun of Preposition and Second Noun of Possessive Phrase will always be genitive reflected by vowel sign [ـِ] beneath the last consonant.

  7. However, please remember that a declinable Noun might have [ـِ] Genitive Ending [إِعْرَابُ] if it is a Subordinate in the sentence to a Noun in genitive state. When a word is influenced indirectly, it is called the تَابِع and the word it mimics is called the مَتْبُوْع. The Subordinate Nouns are; (1) the Adjective, (2) Apposition with a Particle, (3) Emphasis, (4) Explicative Apposition, (5) Equivalent Apposition.