The Arabic Reader

al-Salām ‘alaykum and welcome to The Arabic Reader (al-Qāri’ al-ʿArabī/القارئ العربيّ), a new class (as of November 2024) at Middle Ground taught by Imam Marc Manley. It is a continuation of his Arabic class/system entitled, Facilitating the Learning of Arabic for Devotional Studies (Taysīr Ta’allum al-Lughah al-ʿArabiyyah li al-Dirāsah al-Taʿabbudiyyah/تَيْسِيْرُ تَعَلُّمِ اللُّغَةِ العَرَبِيَّةِ لِلدِّراسَةِ التَّعَبُّدِيَّةِ).

On this page you will be able to find all the relevant info related to the class, times, dates, scheduling changes, etc., so please bookmark this page and check back frequently for any and all updates. Unless otherwise noted, this class will be primarily taught in-person.

To register for The Arabic Reader please send an email to contact@muslimcenter.

Session One

Date: Sunday, November 3rd, 2024, 11am (this includes the change for daylight savings time!). Please arrive on time so we can promptly start class.

Here’s the full video of Session One.

Session One (11/3/2024)

And for a short preview, see Imam Marc Manley explain the meaning of “ṣalāh/صلاة” depending on its context and the subject:

Does God Pray Like We Do?

Reading Materials for Session One:

al-Naḥuw al-Arabī (النحو العربي للسامرائي) pages 5 – 7 (Intro/Muqaddimah) [PDF].

al-Naḥuw al-Arabī (النحو العربي للسامرائي) pages 8 – 19 (Speech/Kalām) [PDF].

The Risālah of Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī (Intro/Muqaddimah) [PDF].

Audio file for the Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī reading:

Also available on YouTube:

Session Two

Date: Sunday, November 10th, 2024, 12pm (this includes the change for daylight savings time!). This week we’re starting at 12pm to accommodate the seniors program which will end around 11:30am, in shā’ Allāh. Please arrive on time so we can promptly start class.

We’ll continue this week, in shā’ Allāh, by reading and reviewing last week’s material as well as looking at one new additional piece.

Here’s the full video of Session Two.

Reading Materials for Session Two:

Vocabulary (click here).

al-Suhaylī – On the Meaning of Saying Ṣalāh on Muḥammad ﷺ From Natā’ij al-Fikr by Abū al-Qāsim al-Suhaylī (في معنى الصلاة على محمد) [PDF].

Audio file for On the Meaning of Saying Ṣalāh on Muḥammad ‎ﷺ:

Reading Comprehension (فقراتٌ وتمارينُ للاحتفاظ بالمفردات) [PDF].

Audio file for Reading Comprehension (فقراتٌ وتمارينُ للاحتفاظ بالمفردات):

Also available on YouTube:

Additional Resources

  • Arabic to Arabic dictionary: almaany.com (we’ll go over in class next session how to use this particular resource).
  • English to Arabic dictionary: Hans Wehr.