Lahore University of Management Sciences

REL 2XX: Introduction to Qur’ānic Arabic

Summer 2020
Instructor Asif Iftikhar
Office Room G-0076 (near A-11 in the Academic Block)
Office Hours TBA
Email asif.iftikhar@lums.edu.pk
Extension 2194

COURSE BASICS

Credit Hours

Lecture(s) Nbr of Lec(s) 2 Duration One Hour Fifty

per week Minutes

Recitation/Lab Nbr of Lec(s) -- Duration --

(per week) per week

Tutorial (per Nbr of Lec(s) -- Duration --

week) per week

COURSE DISTRIBUTION

Core No

Elective Free elective

Open for Student All

Category

Close for Student None

Category
COURSE DESCRIPTION

The main objective of this course is to introduce students to elementary Qur’ānic Arabic.
However, it is also intended that, at the end of the course, students be in a position to use the
same skill to speak standard, formal Arabic in ordinary, day-to-day situations at an
introductory level. Furthermore, they be able to use Arabic dictionaries to read texts and have
enough base to develop their skills further in this language on their own. Although, primarily,
Grammar-translation method shall be used, aspects of Situational Language Teaching (SLT)
are also part of the teaching-learning approach. Texts in focus for reading will include
selections from the Qur’ān, Ḥ adīth and other classical and modern sources. There will also be
those in the context of day-to-day situations.

COURSE PREREQUISITE(S)

Familiarity with Arabic or Urdu alphabet

COURSE OBJECTIVES

It is expected that at the end of the course the students will be able to:

• Read and understand Qur’ānic/ḥadīth texts at a basic level with the help of a
dictionary
• Read simple Arabic texts (formal) and converse in the language in ordinary, day-
to-day situations at a very basic level.
• Understand the basic terms and concepts in the syntax and morphology of
Qur’ānic and standard Arabic
• Study Arabic further at intermediate/upper intermediate levels.

GRADING BREAKUP AND POLICY

Attendance 5%
Assignment/Class Participation 15%
Quizzes 20%
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam 35%
TEXTS AND READINGS

Primary

Faynan, Rafi’el-Imad, The Essential Arabic: A Learner’s Practical Guide. New Delhi: al-
Risala, 1998. . [Abbrev. herein as F.]
Iftikhar, Asif. An Introductory Textbook of Qur’ānic Arabic (unpublished). Lahore: al-
Mawrid, 2009. [Abbrev. herein as Ifti]
H. Megally, Fuad & M. Mansoor, Durus fi’l-’Arabiyyah. The Linguaphone Institute Ltd.,
London, 1978. [Abbrev. herein as MM]
Thackston, W.M. An Introduction to Koranic and Classical Arabic. Maryland: IBEX
Publishers, 1994. [Abbrev. herein as T.]

Supplementary

Additional handouts given by the instructor (additional notes on grammar; selections from
modern and classical texts).
The Ḥadīth (Selections)
The Qur’ān (Selections)

Reference

Ba’albaki, Rohi. al-Mawrid: Arabic-English. Lebanon: Maktabah Lubnan, n.d.

Ba’albaki, Muneer. al-Mawrid: English-Arabic.
Prence, John. A Dictionary and Glossary of the Kor’ān (Italy: 1898; Karachi: Daarul-Ishaat,
1998).
Wehr, Hans. A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (Arabic-English). 4th Ed. NY: Spoken
Languages Services, 1979.
Other Dictionaries

MODULES SESSIONS
I Basic grammar, conversation practice, exposure to selections from 1-12
classical texts, and vocabulary building
II Midterm Exam 13
III Advanced grammar, conversation practice, text reading with 14-28
grammatical analyses, exposure to selections from classical and
modern literature, literary analyses, and vocabulary building