14. SELF-LEARN AL-QUR'AN ARABIC (VOCAB BUILDER)

 

 

Assalamualaikum Readers, do you remember both of these ayats?

Al-Qamar (54:17)

Yusuf (12:2)

On this page, In shaa' Allah, the Writer will share a very simple method to help those interested in building their al-Qur'an Arabic vocabulary (vocab). After a few years of trying to build up the al-Qur'an Arabic vocab to Malay (the writer's native language), the writer could only remember, perhaps, less than one per cent of the translated al-Qur'an verses he recites in his daily al-Qur'an reading session.

The writer had this problem probably because he continued to recite the normal way, i.e. read the al-Qur'an first and then look at the translation, the Tafseer, and that was it. Despite learning techniques to translate the Qur'an (19 Quick Guide - this is the best technique that the writer has learned) and night classes to understand the Arabic kalima (الكامة)  comprising Noun (الإِسْم), Verb (الفِعْلُ), and Particle (الحَرْفُ),  these classes help the writer to figure out whether the kalima is singular, plural, dual, indefinite, definite, etc. which are also important to identify the type of kalima BUT still from the writer's own experience, he needs to build the vocab the old ways, using the pen (القَلَمِ), i.e. using the pen to write  (refer surah 68-Al-Qalam) to learn. Nevertheless, those extra techniques do help the writer to understand the Arabic Qur'an language structure better. The writer does admit knowing techniques without applying them; those techniques could quickly disappear from memory when you speak once in a while, and when people ask, you know Arabic? and your standard reply is, " Oh! I have previously attended Arabic classes") But without practising or making use of them on a daily basis, teaching others, or being steadfast in teaching yourself, whatever you learned will slowly go away from your memory. 

This thought always crossed the writer's mind before he started writing this blog (many years ago), quote  "Apart from his native language (Malay), he can also speak fluent English and a third language Mandarin (fair), has a degree BUT somehow still generally unable to build his Arabic vocab". This statement always lingers in the writer's mind, "How to answer Allah, if this question is asked? "How come you can speak English and a third language Mandarin, and have a degree (these are all worldly things)  but is unable to spend time and effort, learning al Qur'an Arabic? There are short surah and intermittent verses that; Al-Alhamdulillah, the writer, remembers but, at the same time, unable to remember most of the meanings in the writer's native language?". Last two-plus years, the writer decided to test whether the same method that he used to learn Mandarin is also effective in learning al Qur'an Arabic.

Looking back on his diploma college days, he spent almost every evening (no sports/games) writing romanized Mandarin pronunciations and translations, coupled with practicing writing Chinese characters for two and a half years, which yielded him a UiTM Best Mandarin student award in 1976. With Allah's guidance, the writer applies this similar method to build his al Qur'an Arabic vocal on daily basis, usually after his fajr prayer.

Alhamdulillah, after trying consistently and surely, on daily basis (In shaa' Allah) for more than two-plus years now, the writer confirmed that the same learning method actually works for learning al Qur'an Arabic. His own self as a reference, the writer starts writing this page last month, so others, who faced similar issues, could benefit and self-experience how easy to build up one's al Qur'an Arabic vocabulary as promised by Allah in Surah 54:17 above.  Readers, try it! You have nothing to lose but a lot to gain. Don't be caught in what Allah says, in Surah al-Asr below.

Al-Asr (103:1-2)

The writer's Arabic vocab increases on daily basis, but the writer does admit that the most challenging task is "time management" and "memory retention capability". If one can overcome these two challenges, anything else, In shaa' Allah, it would be an easy task. The latter can be easily overcome by continuously memorizing al Qur'an's selected verses and repeating them but without istiqamah (permitting no deviation or remaining steadfast), avoiding procrastinating (skip practicing), as this attitude will make it more difficult to memorize or build your Arabic vocab.

It is always good; in fact, it is the ideal learning process, for one to attend formal Arabic Qur'an translation classes. Now learning online is a good alternative where you can interact with the teacher, but if time is your enemy, try to explore this method that the writer will be sharing on this blog page. It may work for you too, as it has been working well for the writer. Most importantly, to make it a success, again, the writer would like to stress,  ..istiqamah!  Practise! write and continue to write. Make it your daily routine without fail. It will come a time when you skip one lesson, and you will feel something is not complete for the day.

                                                                                                                                            Before we start this lesson, let's find out a bit about the al-Qur'an. Although there are different opinions about the number of verses or words (some say 80%) in the al-Qur'an, based on statistical calculation, the number of verses (ayat) in the al-Quran is 6,236 verses, 157,935 words and  5,277 non-repeating words. The statistic recorded that 96.55% of the words in the al Quran are repeated words. The writer raised this point because anything that involves repetition is actually unconscious memorizing. We continuously tell our brain, that the meaning of "this particular Arabic word", for example, ( قَالَ ) and translated as .." say"... is repeated words (454 times) in the al Qur'an. Click the link statistics, and you will find more about repeated words.

Again, before we start the lesson, we need to do some preparation first. Let's explore!

A. PREPARATION

(a) Buy a copy of al-Qur'an.

A copy of Rasmi (official) Uthmani Qur'an with the recommended size of least the equivalent of an A4 paper (as per the picture) size of about 11" x 8.2" (including cover or larger), which the Writer believes can be easily purchased at any Islamic book store or via online. Please ensure the said copy does not have any translation. It should be totally Arabic.

Example-1

In Malaysia, we can purchase it at about RM12-20 (including delivery cost) via Shopee Malaysia (an online web store) and at any religious book store. In the US, you can buy it at Furqaanbookstore. (Maybe others can share online stores where we can order the al-Quran online). Most importantly, you must get the al-Qur'an where there is enough space in between the verses since what you have to do is to write in PENCIL the word-by-word translation on above of each ayat. If the Quran is too small (which the writer does not recommend), you have to write using small letters.

When writing, in our hearts, we must NOT think that we are defacing the al-Qur'an but instead, to learn and remember the translation of the ayat. This learning method will take a long time and for every round of 30 juz, you need to buy a new al-Qur'an, of the same size, so you can start from the beginning. It's a continuous learning process.

(b) A copy of the English International Standard Al-Qur'an

It will be good for you to maintain or buy a copy of English translated al Quran based on the International Standard translation version. 

Example-2

If you cannot afford to buy one, you can also refer to the website  Noble Quran or Noble Quran Legacy or any other website which you find suitable for you.

Example-3

     http://legacy.quran.com                                                        http://quran.com 

Note: The legacy.quran.com website does not have a Quranic recitation option. 

(c) A copy of the al-Qur'an translated into your own language.

Buy a copy of the word-by-word translation of the al-Qur'an in your own language (if you are not an English-speaking origin). Usually, one will be more comfortable remembering translation in his own language. The writer would like to suggest, purchasing two (2) different translator copies of the al-Quran in your own language because, at times, the translation of one Qur'an can be slightly different from the "translation or word usage" of the other, although the meaning may be the same. 

Example-4

Note: The above examples, are only available in the Malay language

(d) Download the application al-Quran word-by-word (Al-Quran - Tafsir & By Word) by Greentech Apps Foundation.

This application can be downloaded from the Android PlayStore or iPhone (Mac App Store). This application provides a word-by-word translation in multi-languages. Choose the language suited to your requirement.

The writer prefers the Qur'an apps from Greentech because you not only get the word-by-word translation but also the "root word" and Tafseer (with a bit of taddabur).

Example-5

                Playstore

WHY THE NEED FOR MORE THAN ONE QUR'AN AS A REFERENCE?

Why does the writer suggest maintaining the four (4 types) of al-Qur'an mentioned above? The reason is, you may later face choosing between a translation that you don't easily understand versus a simple translation that is more suitable according to your understanding. The writer is not sure about Qur'an in other languages but if you were to look at the English versions, for example, the International English Standard version Qur'an and the translation Qur'an by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, where the latter uses a slightly higher English standard, which may be difficult for some to understand. But if you feel only one translated Qur'an is enough for you, continue with the one you feel most comfortable with. 

The Arabic language of the Qur'an is unique, you will get one meaning in your own language (the writer saw this in the Malay translation) but there are two or more Arabic words that are different,  although the translated meaning (even in English) is the same.

When necessary, to make sure you don't misunderstand the actual translation,  do refer to the International Standard English al-Qur'an translation (the most accurate and simple translation in my opinion) to confirm whether the translated version (e.g. in other than Arabic) matches with the English translations.

B. THE LEARNING PROCESS

Step 1

1. Start with surah al-Fatihah until the end of 30 juz al-Qur'an. Once you completed your 30 juz cycle (604 pages), do not use the same al-Qur'an that has been written by you. If the Qur'an is still in good condition (I doubt it if you finally completed the lesson after more than three years), store it in a "good way".

2. You start your first lesson the most important thing you need to do, is to decide the number of lines you plan to recite daily. It's either one-third (1/3), half (1/2), or one (1) page and stick to that decision. Make it your daily routine, if you want to see the fast result. Nevertheless, the writer recommended that:-

(a) Read a half (1/2) page daily BUT if you can read more, make sure not more than one (1) page. For younger ages probably you can try one page. Personally, half a page will suffice.

(b) If time does not permit, just read at least one-third (1/3) of the page. From the writer's own experience, working on a half (1/2) page of about 7-8 lines (If you really focus), may take about 30 minutes to complete the exercise. What is most important, you MUST do this exercise EVERY DAY. 

(c) When to do the exercise, it's for you to decide. Reading surah Al-Muzzammil (73:4), the best time to learn is before Fajr but once you decide, make it a fixed schedule to avoid clashes with your other activities. The writer chooses after the Fajr prayer.

(d) After reciting on your own, to verify your reading and tajwid (if necessary), play the al-Qur'an application (installed on your handphone) and check what you have recited, matches with the application. With all honesty, most are worried about reciting "tajwid" as this is the common trend (to some, continuous learning tajwid from young to old) instead of learning al-Qur'an Arabic.

(e) After listening to the al-Qur'an recitation, revert to the first word and start writing the translation.

(f) Use a sharp edge pencil and make sure you have a good sharpener as you will be using a lot of pencils (would like to suggest that you buy a box of pencils and an eraser) as when you write, you need to ensure, the pencil edge is sharp. 

3. Start writing the translation from your chosen "main source" as a reference.  

Example 6 (how the writing is done!)

If you think the space above the ayat is too narrow or you do not want to write on top of each ayat you can reuse the same Qur'an once you have completed your first 30 juz of this technique, you can instead write in an exercise book, which the Writer is also doing (actually both style) which will help you (a) learn to write and improve your Arabic writing, and (b) solidify your memoization and reinforce what you have learned. As I mentioned earlier, by rewriting the ayat of the al Qur'an, you engage in active repetition which will strengthen your memory and reinforce your understating of the verses.

Example 7

Note: If you can go the extra mile, look for a good al Qur'an tafseer book or online tafseer, which you think is good for you to understand more. For me, I like to use this online tafseer website as another source of reference. Click here: https://celiktafsir.net/2017/12/30/saba-ayat-23-27/   (to get a translation, if you are using Google, on the top right of your screen, there are 3 lateral dots, click it, and choose your preferred language.

Coming back to our topic, in writing the translation, if you find the translation is not very clear (not to your understanding), look at the general (mafhum) Tafseer so you can understand. You can also look at other sources as recommended earlier. Example issues of different translations are as follows:

Translation Differences -1

Please see the word جَبَّارِينَ translated as " very strong and mighty" (in Malay translation), but the English translation is  "..tyrannic strength ". The translation of “very strong and mighty ” is different from “tyrannic strength” because the subject in the verse may not be a tyrant or cruel. Ensure correct translation is used, so as to avoid misinterpreting the actual meaning of the ayat. That is one reason why you should refer to the three-worded root word of the al-Qur'an as one of the ways to understand the actual translation of the ayat. The writer recommends you download the Quran Dictionary (asiminux) from the Play Store as a reference too.

Translation Difference-2

(a) Due to limited space between the lines, write as simple as possible (most important you understand what you wrote);

(b) whenever there are "repeated words" that you have already remembered, continue to write their meaning. Every time you write the meaning, it helps to strengthen your memory. Even an al-Hafiz (those who practice memorizing the full verses in the al-Qur'an), normally repeats at least 60 times each line what they need to remember but for this method, there is no need to repeat. Doing the exercise daily and continuously writing the translation, is an automatic repeating process. In shaa' Allah, eventually, the translation will stay in your memory.

Why not go the extra mile?

As you start doing the exercise, you will find "common repeating words" (mostly الحَرْفُ that you want to quickly remember. The writer would suggest you use an exercise book to write these common repeating words so as to further your memory. Some examples

(i) Write the commonly repeated ayat e.g. إِنَّ (indeed), and الَّذِينَ (those who), etc

(ii) also write, if you find an Arabic word that is also spoken in your own language. For example, the Arabic Qur'an word عَقِبَةُ  (the end result) or in Malay (akibat - end result because you do something not according to certain requirements - can be good or bad). Other common Malay words, like "Malaikat" (angel), أعْمَلُ  ("amal" or practice/work), and the like. The main purpose is that this will help you to remember better. Some al-Qur'an religious teachers said that there are a few thousand Arabic similar words found in the "Malay" language. The writer is yet to confirm it as he is still in process of compiling similar words. 

(iii) While you are doing your exercises, you will see ayat about "du'a" (prayer) from the al-Qur'an. Copy and paste into Microsoft Word so you can use it when needed. For example:

Example 8

The above example short "du'a" can be recited while you are doing your sujud. Short and meaningful.

4. A good practice, maybe every day (for those of you who have time) or once every two to three weeks, is to do a “Quick View” (QV) on a specific line of sentences for a "Memory Recall" (MR) exercise. Under the QV method, you select any line of the surah of the al-Qur'an that you feel comfortable reading at a glance, look at the sentence by word and test your memory to determine whether you can fully translate the ayat. This way, we can measure our actual memory level.

Example-9

Note: Try to remember and translate the meaning.

The next day before you commence your next lesson, you need to do another MR session of the previous lesson. Take note this session is important, so you must make an effort to do it.

5. From experience (not everyone is the same), after the 9th surah, you can remember the translation of many words that you didn't remember before (my estimate, for those of you over 50 years old) maybe 1-3%. Imagine if the Qur'an has 6,236 (common total), 3% is 187 verses. Those who still have a good memory, maybe more. If not at that level, do not feel despair. Continue with the lesson, the most important learning is encouraged in Islam.

Example-10

The above table is just an assumption

Note: The writer had to admit that, as age catches up, if you can practise just one line (Baris) per day, it's already good. But spend more time exploring Tafseer study, attending classes, etc. (updated 21-Sep-24)

Other studies say that almost 80% of the verses of the Quran are repeated words. The only difference is maybe some words are repeated 10x and some are repeated more than 1,600 times e.g. below

Example-11

Example from Arabic Unlocked.

6.  If you have completed 30 juz, start again from al-Fatiha (Surah 1), until you feel you can translate the whole Qur'an. The writer is not sure how long it will take to do this training, but for sure we must ask for God's help us remain steadfast. Pray more so that God strengthens our memory (refer to "dua" under item 7)

7. Last but not least, do daily dua as you need Allah's help to achieve success.

al-Imran (3:8)

Ta-ha (20:114)

The dua is in blue.

Hadith

Thaa-Ha (20:114)

Building a Strong Quranic Memory: Daily Practice Is Key

• Consistency is Key: Your memory thrives on daily engagement. Even reviewing just one-third page strengthens your recall over time. Skipping a day intentionally can lead to a habit of neglecting your practice.

• Don't Let Distractions Win: Resist the urge to skip practice. If an urgent matter truly arises, consider doing a "Memory Recall" exercise instead.

• The Power of Steadfastness (Istiqamah): With perseverance, even a missed day will leave a void. You'll likely feel a sense of longing, a reminder of the importance of your daily routine.

Self-Assessment and Continuous Improvement

• Evaluate Your Progress: After completing 30 juz (sections), assess your understanding. How much have you achieved in terms of overall percentage? 100%, 80%, or just 30% or much less than that? Irrespective of the percentage you achieved, repeat the translation process from the beginning, i.e. back to "Surah Al-Fatiha". Continue to do the exercise, as practice makes perfect.

• Aim for a high level of comprehension, but remember, progress takes time. Don't be discouraged by a lower score.

• Embrace Repetition: Regardless of your initial score, repeat the translation process from the beginning. Repetition reinforces understanding and strengthens memory.

• Review and Reflect: After daily translation exercises, take time to review what you learned before closing the Quran. The next day, begin by revisiting the previous day's material. Consistent review strengthens retention.

Invitation to Practice and Share

We encourage you to try this method and dedicate some time to daily practice. With dedication, you'll build a strong foundation in Quranic Arabic. This method isn't new, and many Muslims worldwide have benefited from similar practices. Feel free to share your experiences and achievements in the comments below – let's learn and grow together on this journey!

May Allah guide all of you.

PLEASE...

ONLY ALLAH KNOWS THE BEST

alqamar5417.blogspot.com

10 Sept 2022
Updated: 3 June 2024

Note:  

Last week, I watched a video speech by former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad about his early student days in Singapore. He admitted that he wasn't a top student but discovered a powerful memory technique: repetition. By repeatedly reading the material ten times, he could vividly at times, recall the "image of the book page and contents" during exams. This highlights the effectiveness of repetition as a strategy for enhancing memory. 21-Sep-24