Al Arabiyya Baina Yadaik information

[Zacheriya]

salaam,

Has anyone completed/know anything about this course? I know its three books with a lot of emphasis on spoken arabic.

But does anyone know to what level doing this course (with teachers) will take you to?

jazakhallah khair for any information

[arabicarabic]

salams
The course has been developed by the Language department at King Saud university in Saudi Arabia. Its a good course but i wouldnt recommend it unless you have either a private teacher or are using it in a class setting. I really dont believe going over it on your own is going to help much, especially if you're at the beginning level.

[Zacheriya]

salams
The course has been developed by the Language department at King Saud university in Saudi Arabia. Its a good course but i wouldnt recommend it unless you have either a private teacher or are using it in a class setting. I really dont believe going over it on your own is going to help much, especially if you're at the beginning level.

salaam,

jz for your reply, I was actually surprised noone else here knew anything about the course.

The course on offer here is to study with an experienced teacher in a classroom setting 3-4 times a week.

What would you say are the advantages and disadvantages with this series?

jz again

[arabicarabic]

well that all depends on what your goals are. If you are a student living and studying in an arabic speaking country there are a lot of advantages to the course. (Mainly being, the course deals with pretty current and real life situations)
Now there's an issue if you are native english speaker studying arabic in the west i really found the course to be boring (from both a teacher and student point of view, i know because i teach arabic and teaching students a bunch of information which they will never use in their lives can be pretty frustrating) You really should have your goals clear before you embark on the arabic learning process.
here's a couple q's for you to help you decide what your goals and capabilities are:
Do you live in an english speaking country?
How much time a week can you set aside to study arabic?
What skills do you really need to learn? (reading, writing, speaking, understanding)

[Zacheriya]

salaam,

Yes I live in an English speaking country. I was told that most of grammar is actually covered by the end of the three books and in addition, unlike some of the other courses, it places emphasis on the spoken side which is also one of my aims since it is not feasible for me to go to an arabic country at this moment in time.

Would you agree with the above regarding the grammar/spoken elements covered?

[arabicarabic]

salams
the course is excellent for grammer and speaking. But as you mentioned most of the useful grammer is found towards the middle and the end of the course. But as i mentioned earlier, i found a lot of students getting bored with the course because it doesnt help them meet their goals with regards to arabic in a timely manner. Now if your goals were to understand the quran and normal everyday "muslim" terminology i would suggest a different route. But if your goals are to learn the arabic language in its entirety i would suggest going over the course with a group of students, and then polishing off your arabic with a trip to an arabic speaking country.

[Zacheriya]

salams
the course is excellent for grammer and speaking. But as you mentioned most of the useful grammer is found towards the middle and the end of the course. But as i mentioned earlier, i found a lot of students getting bored with the course because it doesnt help them meet their goals with regards to arabic in a timely manner. Now if your goals were to understand the quran and normal everyday "muslim" terminology i would suggest a different route. But if your goals are to learn the arabic language in its entirety i would suggest going over the course with a group of students, and then polishing off your arabic with a trip to an arabic speaking country.

Could you explain what you mean by the course not being able to help students meet their goals with regards to arabic in a timely manner?

Which route would you suggest then to study the Quran and 'muslim' terminology?

[arabicarabic]

salams
sorry for the late response but for some reason i didnt see your reply until recently.

You said:
"Could you explain what you mean by the course not being able to help students meet their goals with regards to arabic in a timely manner?"

I replied:
The main goals that most english speaking muslims have with regards to learning arabic is
(In order of most important to least)
1. They want to understand the Quran/Hadeeth
2. They want to be able to understand Islamic texts (other islamic books)
3. They want to be able to understand Islamic lectures/khutbahs
4. They want to be fluent in arabic conversations
5. They want to achieve a basic level of writing skill.
6.They want to be able to write articles/ khutbahs/ books in arabic.

Now chances are you have at least one of those goals up there. And most probably your main goal in learning arabic is being able to understand the quran and hadeeth at a basic level. Now if your goals are different than what's listed up there then dont pay any attention to what i'm about to tell you.

Now go through book number one and take a look at the lessons. How many of them deal with quranic vocabulary? I'm not saying the course doesnt teach quranic vocabulary or that it doesnt teach standard arabic. But what i am saying is compared to all the vocabulary you will be learning how much of it do you actually need? i mean do you really need to learn how to say "pharmacist" in arabic? Or what about "grocery store"? Here's another question, do you need to learn how to write in arabic? If your answer is "no" to any of these questions then why do you want to spend a huge amount of time and money learning skills and vocabulary you dont need? Do you remember any of the spanish or french you took in high school? I don’t. And here's why... most of the skills i learned (reading, writing, speaking) i didnt need. Because if i needed them i would have practiced what i learned and i never would have forgotten them.
The biggest mistake in terms of learning arabic in my opinion is that most people get enthusiastic in the beginning and and put goals that are unrealistic. I mean if you are a working adult i'm sure you dont have too much free time on your hands, so why spend whatever free time you do have learning skills you will probably not use or most likely will forget? And the two biggest skills that I feel are unnecessary to learn are writing and speaking in arabic.
So am i saying dont learn arabic and dont understand the quran? NO of course not. All i'm saying is make a realistic list of your goals and cut out whatever is unnecessary.
I'll give you some more tips on how to set up your arabic goals and how to achieve them in the future. I'll be finishing my last exam on saturday. So until then.... salams

[arabicarabic]

sorry about all the responses but my internet connection was acting up and i pressed the send button a bunch of times. again sorry.

[roberta]

asselamu `aleykum wa rahmatullah,

I'm using this book in my private lessons with my teacher. I think it's a good series -- it has some really solid points, but if you're looking to have that sorta really fast learning of Arabic grammar and speedy, increased comprehension of Qur'an and ahadith, then this isn't the best place to start. It's the type of book to be part of a structured curriculum with a certain timeline and a goal of overall Arabic skills...if you just want to read and understand more and more every day, you'll need something with more structured grammar examples and explanations right off the bat IMO.

selams

[Sunni_Student786]

salams
.... And the two biggest skills that I feel are unnecessary to learn are writing and speaking in arabic.
...

I agree with you wholeheartedly.

True, learning how to writing and speak can help further reinforce your knowledge of Arabic reading, just like teaching someone something can help the teacher himself/herself learn whilst doing so, however, it is not fundamentally necessary, in my opinion at least.

Wa'salaam.

[arabicarabic]

salams
.... And the two biggest skills that I feel are unnecessary to learn are writing and speaking in arabic.
...

Of course when i made this statement i was speaking about the average everyday muslim living in the west who doesnt have the time and resources to study arabic full time.

[Barakah22]

I studied a bit of the 1st volume with a private teacher and it's great for conversation. I didn't get to complete it as my teacher had to leave the country. I am now looking to buy the books and study with a friend as I do know basic Arabic. Does anyone know where I can get it from? I am in South Africa

[Haaji_Abubakr]

I studied a bit of the 1st volume with a private teacher and it's great for conversation. I didn't get to complete it as my teacher had to leave the country. I am now looking to buy the books and study with a friend as I do know basic Arabic. Does anyone know where I can get it from? I am in South Africa

As salaamu alaykum,

http://www.onlineislamicstore.com/b9101.html

This is the book the Fajr center in Cairo also uses. I'm currently studying from Alif Baa and the Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya because that's what's required at the University, but I'll also be studying bain al yadaik in Cairo this summer insha Allah.

[Barakah22]

jazaakallahu khair brother :-)