Early Islamic Texts:
An Intermediate-Advanced Arabic Course
Sign up below for the Spring Term! Registration closes April 4th.
Course Description
This course is for all Arabic students who have wanted to start reading the Qur’an, hadith and other classical Islamic texts, but who don’t know where to start. We know how intimidating it can be to make the transition from “textbook Arabic” to reading authentic texts, which is why we designed this course based on years of experience in helping students to navigate this transition.
“Early Islamic Texts” seeks to provide a first encounter with some of the foundational texts of the Islamic tradition. Through a carefully chosen selection of texts of gradually increasing difficulty, the course aims to build up the confidence of students to read Qur’an, hadith, and other texts from the Islamic tradition in the original Arabic.
In this course, we will read a selection of some of the foundational texts of Islam, including:
- Selected surahs of the Qur’an
- Prophetic hadith
- Sira narratives
- The Farewell Sermon
- Other texts from Early Islamic history
There will be two sections of this course: the first section will be taught in Arabic for students who would like to practice their spoken Arabic. In the second section, class discussion will be in English, but we will of course still be reading the texts in their original Arabic.
The course’s focus is primarily linguistic, and aims to develop the ability of students to read and understand Classical Arabic texts on their own. Discussion will naturally include religious and historical elements in these texts, but the course is open to people of all faith backgrounds and no particular sectarian interpretation will be imposed.
Details
- Cost: $99
- Arabic section meets Sundays, 12 pm – 1 pm EST
- English section meets Sundays, 1 pm – 2 pm EST
- Class meets once a week for 10 sessions
- Class begins April 6th
- Recording available for students who can’t attend live.
- Course materials will be provided by instructor
Prerequisites
Two years of Modern Standard Arabic / four semesters at university level
For students who have learned Arabic through the Madinah Arabic books, you should be ready for this course after completing Book 8, or possibly Book 6.
Instructors
Shadi Alhayouk holds a degree in Arabic Language and Literature from the University of Damascus and a Master’s Degree in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language. In his nearly 20-year career as a teacher of Arabic, he has taught at some of the most prestigious intensive Arabic programs, including the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad (CASA) and the Arabic Flagship Program.
Brian Powell is a translator and scholar of Classical Arabic and Persian literature. He is the author of the