New Classical Arabic and al-Ajrumiyyah Resources

The other day I just happened to find that Yan Taru is planning to publish a translation of the Classical Arabic grammar text al-Ajrumiyyah, with publication currently scheduled for sometime in 2006, insha'llah.

Until recently, the only introductory book on Arabic grammar in English based at least somewhat on al-Ajrumiyyah was Michael Mumisa's Introducing Arabic—at least as far as I know. However, I recently came across a thirty-seven-page document entited Towards Introduction of the Arabic Language to English Speakers by Adherence to the Ajrumiyyah, by Abu Amina Afdhal. Although I haven't read it, an initial glance seems to indicate that it's full of useful information. In regards to Michael Mumisa's text, I do have a copy of this book and have found it to be a very useful reference—and probably the best organized and most detailed summary of Arabic grammar rules to be found in non-comprehensive Arabic grammar texts in English. Some sample pages from this little gem of a book can be found here.

Also in regards to the al-Ajrumiyyah text (matn), which is actually a didactic poem written to facilitate memorization, in their upcoming Spring Semester SunniPath.com plans to offer a course entitled Matn al-Ajurrumiyya Explained. During this course, which costs US$250, students will "systematically read the classical Arabic primer al-Ajurrumiyya." As the course information explains, al-Ajrumiyyah is "an extremely brief summary of the most important rules of Arabic grammar. Students who complete the text will have a "map" that they can use to navigate the language. Over the course of thirteen weeks, this course will cover the entire text of the Ajurumiyya. Because a solid grounding in Arabic grammar is a prerequisite for understanding the Quran and tafsir literature, the main aim of this course is to be a first step towards the independent navigation of the classical texts of Arabic grammar and also to gain practical exposure to grammatical analyses of Qur’anic verses and Arabic sentences." I've always wanted to study this text with a qualified teacher so I certainly plan to sign up...

For those seeking more detailed treatment of Classical Arabic grammar in English, probably the most reputable reference is W. Wright's A Grammar of the Arabic Language (commonly referred to simply as "Wright's Arabic Grammar"), which I've heard being recommended by such notables as Sidi Hamza Yusuf and Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller. This is a an extremely detailed two volume exposition of the rules of Arabic grammar, which was actually translated from a 19th century German text. The good news—since until recently the book was out of print—is that both volumes have been scanned and converted into Adobe Acrobat .pdf files. So those of you who don't want to spring for a hard copy, Volume I can be found here [12.8 MB] and Volume II can be downloaded from here [28.0 MB].

I should also mention that The Islamic Texts Society recently published Arabic Through the Qur’an, by Alan Jones, which is an outstanding introductory book on Classical Arabic. It's available in both paperback and hardcover editions.

Also, The Guiding Helper site has a 129 page introduction to al-Ajrumiyyah in Spanish [1,657KB Adobe Acrobat file] which some may find beneficial. This text, entitled La Aŷurrumiyya: Tratado Introductorio de Gramática Árabe, can be found here.

Finally, I now recall that last year I uploaded some audio files of lessons on al-Ajrumiyyah by Shaykh Suhaib Webb. These lessons can be downloaded using the following links:

• Lesson 1 [Size: 3.2 MB, Duration: 0:13:36]
  
• Lesson 2 [Size: 15.2 MB, Duration: 1:03:02]
  
• Lesson 3 [Size: 13.1 MB, Duration: 0:54:22]
  
• Lesson 4 [Size: 15.5 MB, Duration: 1:04:17]
  

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An Islamic Inscription from the Year 24 A.H.

The Islamic-Awareness.org site recently posted an article which includes a photograph of and information on a fascinating early Islamic inscription which reads, "I, Zuhayr, wrote [this] at the time `Umar died in the year four and twenty," which can be found here:

The Earliest Dated Kufic Inscription From Qā` al-Mu`tadil, 24 A.H.

Several weeks ago they posted an article on the Tombstone of `Abāssa Bint Juraij, from 71 A.H., which can be found here. This is an interesting inscription that mentions the name of Prophet Muhammad—salla Allahu 'alayhi wa salam, the phrase "Ahl al-Islām" and a long form of the shahadah (Islamic testification of faith) as well. It's interesting that Patricia Crone and Michael Cook (Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World, 1977, Cambridge University Press) chose to ignore this inscription in order to maintain their flimsy revisionist history speculatoins, such as the assertion that the word "Islam" was first used only in the eighth century CE! Ah, they plot but Allah is the best of plotters...

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