ABOUT US

What is Lissan Arabi?

“Lissan Arabi” is a 2-year Arabic Foundation Studies program that has been developed to accommodate the growing interest within the Memphis Muslim Community to learn the language of the Qur’an. The program focuses on teaching the Arabic language not only through recognizing and reading the Arabic alphabets & words, but also through Grammar, morphology, & understanding.

The program is structured in a way to overcome the traditional Arabic classes offered in the Masajid that lasts only a month or so before getting buried through the absence of clear objectives & the lack of commitment.

While studying the Arabic language overseas or in a full time Arabic institute is a very enriching experience, it is very difficult for most people in our community to relocate to study the language.

From this aspect, we thought about providing a high quality, structured program to accommodate the individuals in the community that have busy schedule, working or studying full-time beside the other responsibilities.

The program which emphasizes on Classical Arabic is designed to take students with no more than basic recognition of the Arabic alphabet and turn them into being able to independently read and comprehend classical Islamic texts. In a systematic manner, the program quickly moves through the essentials of both Arabic Grammar and Morphology required in order to decipher the manuals. Carefully chosen texts in various Islamic disciplines are introduced gradually into the program to maximize the deciphering capabilities of students.

We ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’Alaa to make this project a sincere effort for his sake & a beneficial program to help all of us to have a better understanding of the Qur’an & Islamic sciences, as there is no doubt among scholars that learning Arabic is the key to achieve a better understanding of our religion.

What does “Lissan Arabi” mean?

The word “Lissan” in Arabic means tongue & the word “Arabi” means Arabic, so the two words together means “An Arabic Tongue”. Our inspiration for calling the program “Lissan Arabi” comes from two sources:

The first source is the Qur’an which in three occasions tells us that it has been revealed in a clear “Lissan Arabi” (Arabic tongue). Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’laa said in the Qur’an:

{لِسَانُ الَّذِي يُلْحِدُونَ إِلَيْهِ أَعْجَمِيٌّ وَهَذَا لِسَانٌ عَرَبِيٌّ مُبِينٌ}(16:103)

{The tongue of the one they refer to is foreign, and this Qur’an is [in] a clear Arabic language} (16:103)

The second source is the monumental Arabic lexicon by Ibn Mandhur that bears the title, “Lisan al-‘Arab”. By naming his work “Lisan al-‘Arab” the author is actually saying that it contains the Tongue or Language of the Arabs.

These two sources represent the two main areas the program seeks to focus on:

(1) The Arabic language as the language of the Qur’an as well as the language of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to whom the Qur'an (Allah's Final Revelation to the World) was revealed.

(2) The Arabic language as a language spoken by millions of millions of people around the globe.

Why be interested?

• Do you want to go beyond the introductory classes offered for a few weeks?
• Do you crave a serious program with an organized curriculum, with textbooks, punctual, regular sessions, a clear path and a beginning and end-goal?
• Have you been raised here and can't access courses in foreign languages?
• Do you constantly dream of going overseas for Arabic Education but don't have the time & money to do so? If you answer YES to any of these questions then you should seriously consider this program.