Sister Sadaf was speaking to me in this chapter as I am one of many students who struggle with learning Arabiyyah.
Before I go into her explanation, which I am sure quite a number of us are already aware of in our own pursuit of knowledge, she explains how the knowledge of Arabic to read the Qur’an is the best way to understand it. Knowing the root meanings, how words are used, and what they are trying to convey within the context of the verse being read, would make your heart quiver in fear, love, trepidation or in mercy as the case may be.
She reminds us how much the Qur’an is such a treasure.
There’s a part that I want to read directly from the book because I don’t think there’s any other way to capture it better. She says, “For the one who diligently seeks,the Qur’an can provide any or all of the following priceless blessings:
– Knowledge
– Insight
– Understanding of reality versus illusion
– The ability to identify causes of day-to-day situations and human reactions to them
– A variety of psychologica, behavioural traits displayed by people in any era
– A deep grasp of the concepts of life, death, and the afterlife.”
The Qur’an details numerous historical events, accompanied by dialogue with real people that we will never meet now, (May Allah make it easy for us to meet them on the Day of Qiyamah and in Jannah). … last but not the least, is the immense enjoyment of communicating with Allah, through a relaxed, beautified, and deliberate recitation of His spoken word.
These are but a few of the treasure chests that is the glorious Qur’an.It’s a beautiful way of looking at Allah’s words.
And then she tries to explain her experiences with Arabic grammar, and to be fair, reading her experiences made me think of my experiences. I have been in and out of class, disappearing three times, I think, and keep going back looking for easier ways. I think the most important thing is remembering – because sometimes we get so caught up with learning the language and writing exams and trying to memorise poetry- we forget why we started in the first place. Why do we go to school? So, we can emerge and do something with it. It’s more the goal that drives our doing, right? So why are we here? Because we want to be able to connect with Allah’s words. She says that’s what has kept her going, knowing that there are secrets in this book that she can unlock. That I can unlock. That you can unlock.
Allahu Akbar!
Instead of thinking about how I want to memorise these words or complex concepts, because, SubhanAllah, Arabic can be scary, instead, approach your studies with sincerity of purpose. You are learning to earn Allah’s pleasure by speaking to him with no interpreter, book of tafsir etc.
Sister Sadaaf takes her time to explain how much meaning one gets from understanding how a vowel can change a word from a noun to a verb that can cause aneureka moment as you read. Instant understanding. It’s like reading a book and understanding the meaning of a particular word, and you just drop it because of the intense feelings that have been transmitted as you understand, truly understand, what is being communicated.
If you’re struggling to learn Arabiyyah or are yet to start, here are her tips:
1. Renew your intention. Come to the Qur’an knowing that you are trying to learn this language for Allah, not for anything else.
2. Don’t worry about the conjugation tables and the exams. If as you learn, you can apply what you learn to the Qur’an as you read it, Alhamdulillah, that’s what you were always aiming for in the first place. Instead of struggling to memorise grammatical concepts, terms and their definitions, it’s all right if you forget them once in a while. Just try to tie them to what you’re reading in the Qur’an. That’s the beauty.
3. I think the most important thing to put here is, to consider your pursuit of knowledge a blessed activity worthy of a great reward.
May Allah bless sister Sadaaf and may He help us to renew our intentions in learning Arabiyyah, the language of the Qur’an and Jannah, so that we can truly have a conversation with our Lord always. Ameen.
