Qur'anic Arabic

The vocabulary and grammar of the Qur’an has been hugely influential on classical Arabic prose and poetry and its impact on Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is hard to overstate. An understanding of Qur’anic Arabic is therefore an essential step towards unlocking the mysteries, intricacies and splendor of this ancient Semitic language; it also serves as a key to the classical language and to the religious, spiritual and cultural heritage of the Arab and Muslim world.

Based on Alan Jones’ Arabic Through the Qur’an, this is a 20 week programme of study open to undergraduates, MA/PhD students and members of the Muslim Staff Network (University of Leeds). The course combines focussed study of Qur’anic grammatical structures, vocabulary and Qur’an exegesis. Within weeks, students will be able to move beyond reliance on published translations of the Qur’an towards a direct understanding of the sacred text. The only prerequisite for this course is that students must be able to read the Arabic script. While there is no course fee, students are expected to purchase their own copy of Arabic Through the Qur’an. For more information contact Dr Mustapha Sheikh ([email protected]).

Teaching team:

Dr Mustapha Sheikh
Dr Adam Gargani
Dr Tajul Islam

Semester 1

• Nouns and Adjectives
• Plurals
• The Declension of Nouns
• Prepositions
• The First Person Singular Genitive Suffix
• Demonstratives
• Idafa 
• The Perfect Tense
• Pronominal suffixes

Semester 2

• The Dual
• Cardinal Numbers
• Derived Forms of the Verb
• The Imperfect
• Interrogatives
• The Subjunctive
• The Jussive