ARABIC COURSES AND TRADITIONAL ISLAMIC STUDIES

The Toronto Shariah Program offers, for the first time in North America, Arabic language courses, online Arabic classes, and Arabic language intensives. Traditional courses of instruction in Classical Arabic and the Shariah sciences aimed at English speakers. Using classical texts in their original Arabic, and based on the proven Dars Nizami curriculum in use at madrassas worldwide, the 2 year course is aimed at anybody desiring an in-depth study of Islam and its heritage. For upcoming Arabic language courses including details about our highly popular Toronto based weekend courses, visit our updated Weekend Arabic page. Online Arabic Lessons will also be offered from early March 2008. For Arabic Course Reviews from students who studied in Yemen, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, please visit the Arabic Course Testimonials section.

COURSE CONTENT

The Arabic classes commence with an unparalleled introduction to classical Arabic, Islamic Arabic, and Qur'anic Arabic. While mastering the principles of Arabic grammar, Arabic Morphology, and later Arabic Balagha (rhetoric), students also receive thorough instruction in the other Islamic sciences of Fiqh, Tafsir and Hadith studies, from highly-quapfied, traditional, western-born scholars. Through these Arabic lessons and online Arabic courses, they will learn the language of the sacred Qur'an and the Islamic Shariah, allowing them to practice their deen correctly and opening the doors to more advanced study.

ARABIC LANGUAGE - COURSE FORMAT

The part-time format: 2 sessions of 3.5 hours each on weekends at our Toronto based location or live over the internet (for students not residing in the GTA), allows university students to learn the Arabic language like never before. People working full-time jobs can also participate in the online Arabic lessons, giving them an opportunity to learn that which was previously only available to a tiny few who were able to go abroad to study.

ARABIC LANGUAGE - COURSE CURRICULUM

The curriculum is modified slightly from the standard Dars Nizami in view of the expected audience, and is pursued at a stepped-up, intensive level, with some additions and deletions. The teaching format in the Arabic language classes emphasizes oral recitation at the beginning of each class to ensure comprehension, and verify that the material has been mastered before moving on. This interactive teaching method employed in traditional Islamic education ensures that nobody falls behind in the lessons and allows a rapid progression through the course material.

LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION & ARABIC TEXTS

Although the language of instruction is English, the texts employed are all studied in their original Arabic language. Thus the emphasis in the initial 5 months is on mastering the fundamentals of Arabic grammar, Arabic morphology and Arabic vocabulary that is needed to understand the texts. Only then does the course move on to lessons in Fiqh, Aqidah, Hadith, Tafseer and other Shariah sciences which make up traditional Islamic education.

ARABIC LANGUAGE - COURSE REVIEWS

As you will read in the testimonials section from students who pursued traditional Islamic education in Yemen and Syria and who have enrolled in this program, this is an opportunity to seize as they themselves can't believe what they had traveled all over the world to learn is being offered right here in Toronto... in a very formal, structured and dedicated format.