Attempting Arabic

So of course the Quran is in Arabic - and also of course, I don't know Arabic - as many Reverts will not at first.

Arabic is not something you can just pick up and 'do'.

For those fortunate enough to know it - it gives extra insight and understanding of the Quran, of Khutbas or lectures that may be in Arabic, of other books and texts that detail Islamic knowledge etc.

Understanding Arabic well, is a huge advantage when it comes to gaining knowledge.

Even being able to read the Quran comes with lots of reward, whether you understand the meaning or not - gaining good deeds per letter read. The Quran is in Arabic. There are many translations - but if you have ever read a translated book, it is not quite the same right? It can feel slightly off. As such the Quran is in Arabic, and if you want to get a real understanding for the meaning and depth, Arabic understanding and reading is needed.

Learning Arabic was not a the top of my list when it came to expanding my knowledge of Islam. And despite what I like to think, I am still not prioritising it enough. But small steps are better than no steps.

I did have some books to work through - like children's work books, but I ended up teaching myself via some apps - like these ones:

Quran Start App

Quranic

Quranly

I learnt the basics as far as I knew - and practiced basic letter recognition. Learnt to read short words and then slightly longer, then lines, etc.

Definitely not smooth, and likely not completely accurate. For a start, I can't roll my 'r' sounds at all, and the Ein letter is not too easy either. Beyond that I'm sure there are a few rules that I hadn't quite grasped, but we are encouraged to do what we can. I learnt and was told by friends that those who find it extra hard (like when learning) will get extra reward for their efforts. Unsure exactly how this goes, but perhaps that means that if I find it hard enough that a Juz (1/30 portion of the Quran) takes me a few hours perhaps this gives me the reward of the time and effort read as well as the letters.

Even now, I feel like I'm very much at the beginning of this part of the learning journey. I started some 1-1 lessons with someone online and they have been super helpful, and my teacher is very kind and patient. Even better still the lessons are 'free sponsored' because I am a Revert. So when I talked about the advantages and disadvantages of coming to the religion late, this is definitely one of the advantages. That, and even just 'the time that we are living in'... Sounding like an old man now...

But it is true, we have so much access to global information anytime anywhere. In a lecture I saw recently the teacher expressed their own opinion which was approx:

If for a noticeable period of time a Muslim today claims they didn't know, they were ignorant to something - not something small and specific - then I see that as a choice, because with the level of access to information we have these days, you are choosing ignorance

Not an exact quote, but there abouts. And to an extent I kind of agree. Obviously take away any reasonable excuse. And people have more time than others, or more focus. But to an extent how can I not try to learn something like Arabic, at the very least how to read it, without understanding. It is such an important aspect of the religion.

So I learnt how to read as best I could. Then in Ramadan I started reading the Quran. I had read bits before, but I started the whole quran. Many people will try to read the Quran completely in the month, or if they can, more times. I had no such goal starting out. There are over 6000 verses in the Quran, and I remember one of my apps challenging me to read the longest of them all chapter 2 verse 282. This verse alone took me 50 something minutes the first time. This is because I was reading the English, reading the transliteration, word by word and then reading the Arabic, sometimes going back to check. So it was far from flowing, and the app had each of the texts separate, not in line, so there was scrolling involved too.

However, I tried really really hard, I read for quite a few hours every day and realised part way through if i just tried maybe 25% harder than that - I might actually finish it.

Honestly it was exhausting, I was never a fast reader even if English, I have learnt to prefer audio books. Reading with my eyes just takes so long. As a kid I was in the extra reading and spelling classes, I would constantly fight my mum when doing 'reading' homework from school. So even from a young age it was hard. English was always my weaker topic. And when I got to Uni age, computers were doing the hard bits for me. If I had grown up with AI like it is today, I have no idea.

I would read until my eyes could no longer focus, walk around a bit and then read again. Of course in Ramadan you're fasting too so that gave me a bit more time in the day, reading on my lunch breaks, and reading on my commute (if on the train). Likewise - often you have lower energy.

And some how, I still feel a little baffled, I managed to finish it. I read most of it in English and Arabic, and then at the end I read some bits just in the Arabic, when I was extra tired. Alhamdulilah.

I was and am still kind of proud - and also slightly anxious that I have set the bar for the next Ramadan.

I still have all the screenshots from the app - showing me on the final verse 6235/6236, of the well done you completed the challenge page with the time taken, the verses and the 'possible' Hasanat.

Looking back at this now makes me kind of miss it - but I remember how hard it was. There were days that I was unable to read due to travel, or work, or a headache. But it took me 65 Hours 54 mins of actual reading time. Added to this was short breaks and, 'oh i'll get a drink' and things like that.

If we say 66 hours and divide by 30 days, then that makes 2.2 hours a day average. Which doesn't seem like much, especially when you try to consider all Allah has done for us. But it was definitely harder than it sounds. I had travel, and work, and praying, and night prayers at the Masjid (in which they also read, sometimes a whole Juz - insha'Allah I will get the reward from that also). So time was far more limited. With days I couldn't read and breaks needed - it was in all likelihood a longer commitment than the app says.

I remember listening to talks and podcasts, where people would say you can do a Juz in 30 mins. Even just yesterday I watched another talk that said this - maybe even 20 mins. These talks explained how the Sahabah (companions of the Prophet pbuh) would treat the Quran, completing it every 30 days at an absolute minimum - some/many doing so in 3 days at a time, approx 10 Juz a day.

In pure, raw reading time, it took my about 2.2 hours - so 2 hours 12 mins. So 4-5 times slower than these talks explained. Likely a good chunk slower than that with breaks etc.

But all the same - I did what I could.

I have learnt whilst re-learning during my 1-1 sessions - that there are things I have since forgotten, and things that I failed to fully understand back then. I have been trying to read - even a tiny tiny bit, each day.

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Take up good deeds only as much as you are able, for the best deeds are those done regularly even if they are few.”

Source: Sunan Ibn Mājah 4240

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani

عن أبي هريرة قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اكْلَفُوا مِنْ الْعَمَلِ مَا تُطِيقُونَ فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الْعَمَلِ أَدْوَمُهُ وَإِنْ قَلَّ

4240 سنن ابن ماجه كتاب الزهد باب المداومة على العمل

3437 المحدث الألباني خلاصة حكم المحدث صحيح في صحيح ابن ماجه

https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2015/09/14/best-deeds-regular-small/

And whilst I might have maintained my pace, by learning how to read more accurately, I have perhaps slowed, or at least not sped up. But I am grateful to be able to read a little better at least.

For those interested - here is a list on wiki of the main letters - and how they look at different points in a word

A short video that pronounces them for you

And here is an example of something that I hadn't quite grasped when I was teaching myself - only to start really getting it now I am being taught -

Both Hamza Wasl and Hamza Qat -

(those who have never looked at Arabic - probably skip this one, unless you are prepared to not (likely) fully understand)

In the future I want to learn how to actually understand it - and read with understanding - and ideally speak and listen with understanding. Perhaps even write one day insha'Allah. I intend to do an online course with AMAU - so hopefully that goes well insh'Allah.