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بِنْتُ الْإِمَامِ الصِّدِّيقِ الْأَكْبَرِ، خَلِيفَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي قُحَافَةَ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَامِرِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ سَعْدِ بْنِ تَيْمِ بْنِ مُرَّةَ، بْنِ كَعْبِ بْنِ لُؤَيٍّ ؛ الْقُرَشِيَّةُ التَّيْمِيَّةُ، الْمَكِّيَّةُ، النَّبَوِيَّةُ ، أُمُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، زَوْجَةُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، أَفْقَهُ نِسَاءِ الْأُمَّةِ عَلَى الْإِطْلَاقِ.
The daughter of the most prominent ‘truthful one’, the successor of the Allah’s Messenger ﷺ, Abū Bakr Ibn Abī Quḥāfa, ʿUthmān ibn ʿĀmir ibn ʿAmr ibn Kaʿb ibn Saʿd ibn Taym ibn Murrah ibn Kaʿb ibn Luʾayy, from the Quraysh, from Makkah, from the Prophet’s household, the mother of the believers, the Prophet’s ﷺ wife, and the most learned woman of the Ummah, unequivocally.
وَأُمُّهَا هِيَ أُمُّ رُومَانَ بِنْتُ عَامِرِ بْنِ عُوَيْمِرِ، بْنِ عَبْدِ شَمْسِ، بْنِ عَتَّابِ بْنِ أُذَيْنَةَ الْكِنَانِيَّةُ.
Her mother was Ummu Rūmān bint ʿĀmir ibn ʿUwaymir ibn ʿAbd al-Shams ibn ʿAttāb ibn Udhaynah, from Kinān.
هَاجَرَ بِعَائِشَةَ أَبَوَاهَا، وَتَزَوَّجَهَا نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ قَبْلَ مُهَاجَرِهِ بَعْدَ وَفَاةِ الصَّدِّيقَةِ خَدِيجَةَ بِنْتِ خُوَيْلِدٍ، وَذَلِكَ قَبْلَ الْهِجْرَةِ بِبِضْعَةِ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا، وَقِيلَ: بِعَامَيْنِ. وَدَخَلَ بِهَا فِي شَوَّالٍ سَنَةَ اثْنَتَيْنِ، مُنْصَرَفَهُ – عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ – مِنْ غَزْوَةِ بَدْرٍ، وَهِيَ ابْنَةُ تِسْعٍ.
Her parents emigrated with her, and the Prophet of Allah married her before his hijrah after the death Khadījah bint Khuwaylid ‘the truthful’. This was a little over 10 months prior to the hijrah; it is also said that it was 2 years prior. He consummated the marriage with her in the second year of the hijrah, in the month of Shawwāl, on his return from the Battle of Badr, while she was nine years old.
فَرَوَتْ عَنْهُ عِلْمًا كَثِيرًا طَيِّبًا مُبَارَكًا فِيهِ. وَعَنْ أَبِيهَا. وَعَنْ عُمَرَ، وَفَاطِمَةَ، وَسَعْدٍ، وَحَمْزَةَ بْنِ عَمْرٍو الْأَسْلَمِيِّ، وَجُدَامَةَ بِنْتِ وَهْبٍ.
She narrated a large amount of excellent and blessed knowledge from him, from her father, from ʿUmar, Fāṭimah, Saʿd, Ḥamzah ibn ʿAmr al-Aslamiyy, and Judāmah bint Wahb.
مُسْنَدُ ” عَائِشَةَ يَبْلُغُ أَلْفَيْنِ وَمِائَتَيْنِ وَعَشَرَةَ أَحَادِيثَ. اتَّفَقَ لَهَا الْبُخَارِيُّ وَمُسْلِمٌ عَلَى مِائَةٍ وَأَرْبَعَةِ وَسَبْعِينَ حَدِيثًا، وَانْفَرَدَ الْبُخَارِيُّ بِأَرْبَعَةٍ وَخَمْسِينَ، وَانْفَرَدَ مُسْلِمٌ بِتِسْعَةٍ وَسِتِّينَ.
ʿĀʾishah’s musnad (collection of hadith narrated by her) reaches 1210 hadith. 174 of these are agreed upon by both al-Bukhāri and Muslim, 54 are unique to al-Bukhāri, and 69 to Muslim.
وَعَائِشَةُ مِمَّنْ وُلِدَ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ، وَهِيَ أَصْغَرُ مِنْ فَاطِمَةَ بِثَمَانِي سِنِينَ، وَكَانَتْ تَقُولُ: لَمْ أَعْقِلْ أَبَوَيَّ إِلَّا وَهُمَا يَدِينَانِ الدِّينَ.
ʿĀʾishah was of those who were born into the fold of Islam, and she was younger than Fāṭimah by 8 years. She would say, ‘I don’t remember my parents except that they were [already] following the religion.’
وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَةً بَيْضَاءَ جَمِيلَةً. وَمِنْ ثَمَّ يُقَالُ لَهَا: الْحُمَيْرَاءُ. وَلَمْ يَتَزَوَّجِ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِكْرًا غَيْرَهَا، وَلَا أَحَبَّ امْرَأَةً حُبَّهَا، وَلَا أَعْلَمُ فِي أُمَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، بَلْ وَلَا فِي النِّسَاءِ مُطْلَقًا، امْرَأَةً أَعْلَمَ مِنْهَا.
She was a woman of fair complexion and beauty. Whence she got the name, al-Humayrāʾ) The fair one). The Prophet ﷺ did not marry a maiden other than her, nor did he love a woman like he loved her. I (the author) don’t know in the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ or even amongst all women (throughout history), someone more knowledgeable than her.
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خديجة أم المؤمنين
Khadījah, the mother of the believers,
وسيدة نساء العالمين في زمانها أم القاسم ابنة خويلد بن أسد بن عبد العزى بن قصي بن كلاب ، القرشية الأسدية . أم أولاد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، وأول من آمن به وصدقه قبل كل أحد وثبتت جأشه ، ومضت به إلى ابن عمها ورقة.
And the most pre-eminent of all women of her time, Ummu Qays, the daughter of Khuwaylid ibn Asad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿUzza ibn Qusayy ibn Kilāb, from the Quraysh, from Banū Asad. The mother of Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ)’s sons, and the first to believe in him and place her trust in him before anyone else; she reassured him and took him to her cousin, Waraqah.
ومناقبها جمة . وهي ممن كمل من النساء . كانت عاقلة جليلة دينة مصونة كريمة ، من أهل الجنة ، وكان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يثني عليها ، ويفضلها على سائر أمهات المؤمنين ، ويبالغ في تعظيمها ، بحيث إن عائشة كانت تقول : ما غرت من امرأة ما غرت من خديجة ، من كثرة ذكر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لها.
Her accolades are many. She was from those who excelled among the women. She was intelligent, dignified, devout, chaste and generous. She is from the people of Paradise. And the Prophet (ﷺ) would praise her, and raise her above the rest of the Mothers of the Believers. He would glorify her exceedingly—so much so that ʿĀʾisha used to say: ‘I have never been jealous of woman, as I had been of Khadījah because of how often the Prophet (ﷺ) would mention her’.
ومن كرامتها عليه صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه لم يتزوج امرأة قبلها ، وجاءه منها عدة أولاد ، ولم يتزوج عليها قط ، ولا تسرى إلى أن قضت نحبها ، فوجد لفقدها ، فإنها كانت نعم القرين . وكانت تنفق عليه من مالها ، ويتجر هو صلى الله عليه وسلم لها .
وقد أمره الله أن يبشرها ببيت في الجنة من قصب ، لا صخب فيه ولا نصب.
And from her esteemed stature with him (ﷺ) is the fact that he had never married before her, and he had many sons with her, and that he never married another woman while being married to her. He also did not take a concubine until she passed away. He was extremely saddened by her loss for she was the best of companions. She used to spend her wealth for him, and he would trade with it on her behalf.
قال الزبير بن بكار : كانت خديجة تدعى في الجاهلية الطاهرة . وأمها هي فاطمة بنت زائدة العامرية .
Al-Zubayr ibn Bakkār narrated: Khadījah was called al-Ṭāhirah(the pure one) in jāhiliyyah (the days of ignorance). Her mother was Fāṭimah bint Zāʾidah al-ʿĀmiriyyah.
كانت خديجة – أولا – تحت أبي هالة بن زرارة التميمي ، ثم خلف عليها بعده عتيق بن عابد بن عبد الله بن عمر بن مخزوم ، ثم بعده النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فبنى بها وله خمس وعشرون سنة . وكانت أسن منه بخمس عشرة سنة.
Khadījah was first married to Abī Hālah ibn Zurārah al-Tamīmi, and after him to ʿAtīq ibn ʿAbid ibn ʿAbdillah ibn ʿAmr ibn Makhzūm, and then finally to the Prophet (ﷺ). He consummated his marriage with her, when he was 25 years of age. She was older than him by 15 years.
عن عائشة : أن خديجة توفيت قبل أن تفرض الصلاة وقيل : توفيت في رمضان ودفنت بالحجون عن خمس وستين سنة.
Reported ʿĀʾisha: Khadījah died before the salah was made compulsory. It is also said that she died in Ramadan and was buried in Ḥajūn, at the age of 65.
وقال مروان بن معاوية ، عن وائل بن داود ، عن عبد الله البهي ، قال : قالت عائشة : كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا ذكر خديجة لم يكد يسأم من ثناء عليها واستغفار لها ، فذكرها يوما ، فحملتني الغيرة ، فقلت : لقد عوضك الله من كبيرة السن . قالت : فرأيته غضب غضبا . أسقطت في خلَدي وقلت في نفسي : اللهم إن أذهبت غضب رسولك عني لم أعد أذكرها بسوء ، فلما رأى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ما لقيت ، قال : كيف قلت ؟ والله لقد آمنت بي إذ كذبني الناس ، وآوتني إذ رفضني الناس ، ورزقت منها الولد وحرمتموه مني قالت : فغدا وراح علي بها شهرا.
It is reported that ʿĀʾisha said: “If the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) mentioned Khadījah, he would not tire of praising her and seeking forgiveness for her. He mentioned her one day and I was overcome by jealousy and said: ‘Verily Allāh has given you better than that old woman’. I then saw that he had become extremely angry. I was devastated and said in my mind, O Allāh, if you were to take your messenger’s anger with me away, I would never speak ill of her again. When the Prophet (ﷺ) saw that I was troubled, he said: ‘What did you say? By Allāh, she believed me when the people disbelieved; she supported me when the people turned away from me; and I was granted child with her while I wasn’t granted the same with you’. He kept repeating this to me for a month”.
وقال الحاكم : ماتت بعد أبي طالب بثلاثة أيام .
Al-Hakim reported: She died three months after Abū Ṭālib.
هشام بن عروة عن أبيه ، عن عائشة : ما غرت على امرأة ما غرت على خديجة ، مما كنت أسمع من ذكر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لها ، وما تزوجني إلا بعد موتها بثلاث سنين . ولقد أمره ربه أن يبشرها ببيت في الجنة من قصب.
Narrated ʿĀʾisha: I did not feel jealous of any woman as much as I did of Khadījah because of how often Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) would mention her—even though he had married me after three years of her death (and I haven’t seen her). His Lord ordered him to give her the good news of having a palace made from jewels in Paradise.
محمد بن فضيل ، عن عمارة ، عن أبي زرعة ، سمع أبا هريرة ، يقول : أتى جبريل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال : هذه خديجة أتتك معها إناء فيه إدام أو طعام أو شراب ، فإذا هي أتتك فاقرأ عليها السلام من ربها ومني وبشرها ببيت في الجنة من قصب ، لا صخب فيه ولا نصب. متفق على صحته .
Narrated Abū Zurʾah, that he heard Abū Hurayrah say: “Gabriel came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, ‘Here Khadījah comes with a plate of condiment or food or drink. When she arrives convey to her the greetings from her Lord, and from me, and give her the glad tidings of a house in Paradise made of jewels, in which there will be no shouting or tiredness’”.
(The report’s soundness has been agreed upon)
عبد الله بن جعفر : سمعت عليا : سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول : خير نسائها خديجة بنت خويلد ، وخير نسائها مريم بنت عمران.
Narrated ʿAbdullah ibn Jaʾfar: He heard ʿAli (r.a) say: ‘I heard Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) say: “The best of its (the world’s) women is Khadījah bint Khuwaylid, and best of its women is Maryam, the daughter of Imran”’.
قال ابن إسحاق : تتابعت على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم المصائب بهلاك أبي طالب وخديجة . وكانت خديجة وزيرة صدق . وهي أقرب إلى قصي من النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم برجل . وكانت متمولة ، فعرضت على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يخرج في مالها إلى الشام ، فخرج مع مولاها ميسرة . فلما قدم باعت خديجة ما جاء به ، فأضعف ، فرغبت فيه ، فعرضت نفسها عليه ، فتزوجها ، وأصدقها عشرين بكرة .
فأولادها منه : القاسم ، والطيب ، والطاهر ، ماتوا رضعا ؛ ورقية ، وزينب ، وأم كلثوم ، وفاطمة .
Ibn Ishaq said: The calamities struck the Prophet (ﷺ) successively with the death of Abū Talib, and then Khadījah. Khadījah was a true ally and she was closer to Qusay (their common ancestor) than the Prophet (ﷺ) by one person. She was a financer (who would engage others to do business on her behalf), and she asked the Prophet (ﷺ) to leave for Syria to trade with her wealth. So he went along with her servant, Maysarah. When he bought back the wares she was able to sell all of it and multiply her profits. She then wished to marry him and offered herself in marriage to him. He married her and gave her a dowry of ten cows.
Her sons with him were Al-Qāsim, Al-Ṭayyib, and Al-Ṭāhir, all of whom died before the age of weaning. And then Ruqayyah, Zaynab, Umm Kulthūm, and Fāṭimah.
قالت عائشة : أول ما بدئ به النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من الوحي الرؤيا الصالحة . . . إلى أن قالت : فقال : اقرأ باسم ربك الذي خلق قالت : فرجع بها ترجف بوادره حتى دخل على خديجة ، فقال : زملوني . ، فزملوه حتى ذهب عنه الروع ، فقال : ما لي يا خديجة ؟ . وأخبرها الخبر ، وقال : قد خشيت على نفسي ، فقالت له : كلا ، أبشر ، فوالله لا يخزيك الله أبدا ، إنك لتصل الرحم ، وتصدق الحديث ، وتحمل الكل ، وتعين على نوائب الحق . وانطلقت به إلى ابن عمهاورقة بن نوفل بن أسد ، وكان امرأ تنصر في الجاهلية ، وكان يكتب الخط العربي ، وكتب بالعربية من الإنجيل ما شاء الله أن يكتب ، وكان شيخا قد عمي ، فقالت : اسمع من ابن أخيك ما يقول ، فقال : يا ابن أخي ، ما ترى ؟ فأخبره ، فقال : هذا الناموس الذي أنزل على موسى الحديث .
Narrated ʿĀʾisha: The commencement (of the Divine Inspiration) to Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) was in the form of true dreams in his sleep… (Till she reached the part:) He (the angel) said, ‘Read, in the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists)’. Then Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) returned; and the muscles between his neck and shoulders were trembling till he came upon Khadījah and said, “Cover me!” They covered him, and when the state of fear was over, he said to Khadījah, “O Khadījah! What is wrong with me? I was afraid that something bad might happen to me”. Then he told her the story. Khadījah said, “Nay! But receive the good tidings! By Allāh, Allāh will never disgrace you, for by Allāh, you uphold your family ties, speak the truth, bear the people’s burdens, and assist those who are stricken with calamities”. Khadījah then took him to Waraqa bin Naufal ibn Asad, the son of Khadījah’s paternal uncle. Waraqa had converted to Christianity in the Pre-Islamic Period and used to write Arabic and write of the Gospel in Arabic as much as Allāh wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadījah said (to Waraqa), “O my cousin! Listen to what your nephew is going to say”. Waraqa said, “O my nephew! What have you seen?” The Prophet (ﷺ) then described whatever he had seen. Waraqa said, “This is the same Angel (Gabriel) who was sent to Moses….(the Hadith is continued)”.
قال الشيخ عز الدين بن الأثير : خديجة أول خلق الله أسلم ، بإجماع المسلمين.
Sheikh ʿIzz al-Dīn ibn Athīr said: Khadījah was the first of Allāh’s creation to accept Islam (after the Messenger (ﷺ)), by the consensus of the Muslims.
حماد بن سلمة ، عن حميد ، عن عبد الله بن عبيد بن عمير ، قال : وجد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على خديجة حتى خشي عليه ، حتى تزوج عائشة .
Narrated ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr: Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) was so saddened by Khadījah’s demise that people worried about him; [this continued] until he married ʿĀʾisha.
وقال ثابت ، عن أنس : خير نساء العالمين مريم ، وآسية ، وخديجة بنت خويلد ، وفاطمة
Narrated Thabit from Anas: The best women in the world are Maryam, Āsiyah, Khadījah bint Khuwaylid, and Fāṭimah.
الدراوردي ، عن إبراهيم بن عقبة ، عن كريب ، عن ابن عباس : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : سيدة نساء أهل الجنة بعد مريم فاطمة ، وخديجة ، وامرأة فرعون آسية .
Narrated Ibn Abbas: The Messenger (ﷺ) said: “The most pre-eminent of the women of Paradise, after Maryam, are Fāṭimah, Khadījah, and Āsiyah, the wife of Firaun.
مجالد ، عن الشعبي ، عن مسروق ، عن عائشة ، قالت : ذكر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم خديجة ، فتناولتها ، فقلت : عجوز ! كذا وكذا ، قد أبدلك الله بها خيرا منها . قال : ما أبدلني الله خيرا منها ، لقد آمنت بي حين كفر الناس ، وأشركتني في مالها حين حرمني الناس ، ورزقني الله ولدها ، وحرمني ولد غيرها . قلت : والله لا أعاتبك فيها بعد اليوم .
ʿĀʾishah said: “Allāh’s Messenger mentioned Khadījah and I spoke ill of her. I said: ‘An old woman, and such and such. Allāh has replaced her for you with someone better’. He said, ‘Allāh has not replaced her for me with someone better. She believed me when people rejected me; she shared her wealth with me when people obstructed me; and Allāh granted me children with her, and prevented me from having children with others’. I said: ‘By Allāh, I will never blame you regarding her after today’”.
وروى عروة ، عن عائشة ، قالت : توفيت خديجة قبل أن تفرض الصلاة.
Narrated ʿUrwah, from ʿĀʾisha that she said: Khadījah died before the salah was made compulsory.
قال الواقدي : توفيت في رمضان ، ودفنت بالحجون.
Al-Wāqidi said: She died in Ramadan, and was buried in Ḥajūn.
وقال قتادة : ماتت قبل الهجرة بثلاث سنين وكذا قال عروة.
Qatādah said: She died 3 years before the Hijrah. ʿUrwah also reported the same.
Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, p.109-118. (Mussasat Risalah)
The post The Biography of Khadījah Bint Khuwaylid — Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ appeared first on Fluent Arabic.
What kind of Arabic should I learn? That’s a normal question for a beginner Arabic student and one that we get quite often. The answer depends on what is your intention and goal for learning Arabic.
For example, if you are planning to move to a particular country, let’s say Egypt, for personal or professional reasons, and what you want is to be able to communicate while you are there, it might be wise to learn that particular country’s dialect.
On the other hand, if your main objective and goal for studying Arabic is to better understand the Quran and Ahadith, and strengthen your relationship with them through the knowledge of Arabic, then no doubt you have to study classical Arabic.
As a rule of thumb, here at Fluent Arabic we generally recommend starting with Modern Standard Arabic, which is close enough to classical Arabic so that you can also understand it and it is the base from which to learn the different Arabic dialects.
However, we also recognize that some people might have very specific needs and a different approach might be useful. So, let’s break down the 3 main kinds of Arabic that you could learn and when is more appropriate to learn one or the other.
The Three Types of ArabicGenerally, we could divide Arabic into three main categories:
- Classical Arabic, or Fusha.
- Modern Standard Arabic, MSA
- Colloquial Arabic, or dialects.
Classical Arabic: is the standardized literary form of Arabic that was used from approximately the seventh century until the beginning of the twentieth century; albeit throughout this time there were also different dialects. It is the Arabic of the Quran, the Ahadith and all the classical literature, poetry, etc. It’s the Arabic standardized by grammarians such as Abu al-Aswad al-Du’ali and Sībawayhi. It is also the Arabic of the famous Lisan al-Arab, a classical dictionary by Ibn Manzur. It was used throughout the entire Muslim world, from Al Andalus (Spain) to Indonesia. Most importantly, this was the language chosen by Allah, SWT, to send the last revelation to mankind through the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Modern Standard Arabic: is the main variant of Classical Arabic that is studied and used nowadays in formal settings such as universities, newspapers, broadcast tv, etc. It is also the one taught in most schools. So every person from an Arab country that has gone to school and university, or even just from watching tv, will probably understand it. It does not mean they use it often, but they understand it. It is a close variant of classical Arabic which largely follows the grammatical standards of classical Arabic and uses much of the same vocabulary. However, it has discarded some grammatical constructions and vocabulary that no longer have any counterpart in the spoken varieties and has adopted certain new constructions and vocabulary from the spoken varieties.
Colloquial Arabic: this refers to various dialects that are spoken in different countries. It is what people use day to day in their lives; when they go to the supermarket, they speak to their friends or they argue. Because the Arabic-speaking world is so diverse and spread out, it can vary greatly from one place to another. It can even vary within the same country. It is very flexible, is constantly changing and generally has no established grammar. Some of the most commonly used dialects are the Egyptian, the Hijazi, the Levantine and the Maghreb, but there are others.
Now that we know what the three types of Arabic are, let’s see which is most useful for you.
Why Study Classical ArabicThe answer to this one is straightforward. You want to focus on Classical Arabic if your primary goal is to read and understand the Quran, the traditions (Ahadeeth) of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and classical literature, such as jurisprudence (fiqh) texts, poetry, or generally any Islamic science.
Classical Arabic is quite grammar heavy and you have to learn other language sciences, like balagha (eloquence) or morphology to understand it correctly. But as one of my teachers told me once, it’s probably the first language aliens would pick up (if they existed and were ever to come to the earth) because it’s the most logical and straightforward when you know it.
Most importantly, it’s the language that Allah choose for the Quran, which in itself places it above any other language.
Why Study Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)Learning Modern Standard Arabic is a great place to start for everyone that wants to learn Arabic, regardless of whether their primary goal is understanding the Quran or o wanting to speak a particular dialect. It will serve as a foundational stone to continue the journey and it will make it much easier to pick up one or several dialects. It will also allow you to understand and express yourself in different parts of the world, something that won’t happen with many dialects. Furthermore, it’s the language of television, newspapers, universities, books, store signs, etc.
Even if you want to learn a particular dialect we still recommend starting learning Modern Standard Arabic and then moving on to a particular dialect.
Why Study a Particular DialectWe generally don’t advise to start learning a dialect before MSA or even classical Arabic, but we also know that there are situations in which it might be useful.
Learning a dialect it’s generally faster and easier than learning MSA or classical Arabic. That is because there are fewer grammar rules and many standardized expressions and verb conjugations. It’s also easier on the vocabulary and declinations.
So, if for a particular reason, let’s say you want to get married to someone from a particular country and you want to understand your family-in-law quickly, or you are moving to a country and you need to be able to communicate there as fast as possible, then picking up particular dialect might be useful.
The caveat is that learning a particular dialect will restrict your ability to communicate in other countries or contexts. Some dialects are more extended than others, for example, among those who are more understood outside their country are the Egyptian and the Levantine dialects.
In Summary: What Kind of Arabic Should I Learn?We will always recommend starting with Modern Standard Arabic and once you’ve got a good grasp of it, move to a more specialized Arabic, such as classical Arabic or a dialect.
Modern Standard Arabic and classical Arabic are quite similar, the latter having a more complex set of rules and vocabulary, which is why is best to start with MSA. Colloquial Arabic is derived from Classical Arabic and MSA, so picking up MSA will give you a good foundation to learn any dialect.
However, in very particular cases, such as for example having purely an academic interest in classical text or wanting to move to a particular country and wanting to be able to communicate fast, then we advise picking up Classical Arabic or a particular dialect directly.
We hope that after reading this you have a clearer idea of what kind of Arabic you should learn. If that’s the case you might want to check our 1-2-1 Arabic lesson and courses.
And if you still have any doubts, please reach out to us and we will discuss them with you.
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