COEJ

The Council of European Jamaats – Eid Mubarak

This Newswire is Sponsored by:

Eid Mubarak from the President of CoEJ

Arabiq Online

1. What is Arabiq Online and what does it offer?

Arabiq Online is an online language school that specialises in delivering high-quality self-paced Quranic Arabic (hence the q in Arabiq) courses online.

2. What is Arabiq Online’s goal? What does it set out to achieve?

The main purpose and mission for Arabiq Online is to help fellow Muslim sisters connect to the Qur’an on a deeper level through the beautiful Arabic language. We know that so much of its meaning and beauty gets lost in translation, and there is no better way to truly understand God’s divine Word and benefit from this extraordinary book of guidance than by reading it in the language He chose to reveal it in.

3. What was your inspiration for setting up Arabiq Online?

Having learnt Arabic at university as a second language learner and struggling through heavy textbooks with unwieldy and complicated grammar rules, I realized that this solution is impractical and inaccessible for many who wish to learn. I then went on to teach Quranic Arabic to ladies in classroom settings for many years, but again, discovered that this is not a viable option for everyone, especially for busy working women who might have to juggle the demands of work, home and children alongside their learning. Therefore, I designed these courses specifically for busy women who want to learn Arabic for the sole purpose of understanding the Qur’an, and can do so from the comfort of their own homes, at a time and pace that suits them. This has also opened up the opportunity to learn for sisters who may be in a different location to the UK. We currently have students enrolled from over 17 countries including France, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Reunion, Canada, USA, Qatar, Norway, Australia and more.

4. Please explain how the courses are structured

The flagship course (Arabiq Online for Busy Women) consists of four Quests (i.e. levels) that are structured in such a way that by the end of the course, students are able to understand 85% of the Qur’an. Each of the Quests is designed as a manageable chunk of learning that allows for a significant level of attainment within the language. The content of each Quest is delivered through video lessons that can be watched at your own time, in your own time zone. When a student logs in to the site, they access their student dashboard where at a glance, they can see all the learning materials that are available to them, highlighting the lessons they have completed and those that are pending, and measuring their progress. Included in each lesson is a vocabulary presentation, and exercises that can be downloaded and printed, as well as flashcards and games to test your learning. I have found that this format is user-friendly and motivating, catering to different types of learners who may need an audio-visual element as well as optional printables, particularly for self-driven learning.

5. What are the various courses you currently have available?

Arabiq Online for Busy Women (Quests 1-4)
Arabiq Online for Busy Students (Quests 1-4): for high-school, college and university students
Qur’anic Gems short course
Surah al-Qadr short course

This Ramadhan, we launched a new Qur’anic Gems short course that is specifically designed for young people and their families, to discover the linguistic miracles that are contained within the Qur’an, and to help rekindle their relationship with the Qur’an. Teenagers who have taken this course have reported back that they were wowed by the linguistic gems that they learned about, and this course whetted their appetite to want to read and discover more of the Quran.

We also re-launched last year’s very popular Understanding Surah al-Qadr mini-course in time for the nights of Qadr, completely free of charge. Through a linguistic breakdown of the language, even without knowing Arabic, students could appreciate the beauty and significance of this wonderful Surah, and understand from the Quran itself, the grandeur and importance of Laylatul Qadr, and why it’s such a momentous event in our calendar.

6. What has the response been like so far from students who have completed any of the Quests of Arabiq Online’s main course?

Students who have taken the course have shared their experiences of how much it has changed their interaction with the Qur’an – that it has opened doors for them to be able to understand the root meanings of words, that they can finally see for themselves the linguistic beauty of the Qur’an without relying on translations, and that it has helped mothers explain the meanings of words and Surahs to their children. Many have said that they are able to apply their learning and see its relevance from the very first lesson. They enjoy taking their time with the Qur’an and deciphering its meanings as they read, and are able to understand much more of it. Sisters who are memorizing the Qur’an have reported that it’s made their memorization more effective and easier since they are understanding what they are learning and recalling. In addition, Qur’anic Arabic learning is also transferable to Du’as and many sisters have vouched that their experience of reading Ramadan du’as has been different and more rewarding because they can engross themselves in the du’as without having to keep checking the corresponding English translations.

7. What advice do you have for people who may be apprehensive about online learning?

We have an incredibly diverse range of students who have successfully completed Quest 1 and have moved onto Quest 2 and beyond, from the age of 16 to 75, so it really does not exclude anyone from learning and makes it accessible to all. The student dashboard is very user-friendly, even for non-tech-savvy people, and support is just a click away. Included in the course is a monthly live tutorial on Zoom where we go over some of the learning, and answer questions. The students get to meet and motivate each other, and share their tips. They also have access to their own Facebook group where they can interact with each other, ask questions about the content, and generally find a source of motivation and encouragement. I would advise aspiring students to make a firm intention to learn, but to be very clear about their goal and why they want to learn. Then to schedule their learning into their diaries (as they would an in-person course), and to be consistent with their learning in small manageable chunks.

8. What are your hopes and dreams for Arabiq Online?

With Allah’s tawfeeq and blessing, Arabiq Online aims to create many more courses around various themes in the Qur’an. There are also many more short courses in the pipeline Insha’Allah, in response to valuable feedback from students who have enjoyed the interactive and intuitive learning format. I would love for Arabiq Online to facilitate for all the women and youth in our communities to understand Quranic Arabic, just as they all learn to recite the Qur’an. My long-term goal Insha’Allah is to train graduates of Arabiq Online to be able to teach others in their communities so they retain their learning in the process, and spread the knowledge far and wide.