Quranic Arabic course online: understand the Quran in Arabic
Murouj Academy's Quranic Arabic course teaches children and adults the Arabic of the Quran: its vocabulary, its grammar and the meaning of the surahs you recite. Classes are live and one-to-one with native Arab teachers, at your level, and your first class is a free trial.
Quranic Arabic Course at a glance
- Format
- Live one-to-one online classes. Murouj Academy never runs group classes.
- Who it's for
- Children, teens and adults who want to understand the Quran, from beginners to advanced learners
- Level
- Beginner, intermediate and advanced
- Focus
- The Arabic of the Quran: vocabulary, grammar and the meaning of the surahs you recite
- Starting point
- Your teacher checks your level in the free trial class. If you cannot read Arabic letters yet, you start there.
- Lesson length
- 30, 45 or 60 minutes
- Classes per week
- 2, 3, 4 or 5
- Teachers
- Native Arab teachers, for whom Arabic is a first language, including ijazah holders
- Teacher matching
- Female teachers for women and girls, male teachers for men; parents choose for children
- Outcome
- Understand the words and sentences of the Quran you recite, at the level you aim for
- Free trial
- One free trial class with your teacher
What is Quranic Arabic?
Quranic Arabic is the Arabic of the Quran, the classical Arabic in which it was revealed. It shares its alphabet, its grammar system and most of its core vocabulary with Modern Standard Arabic, so it is the same language, studied with the Quran as the text.
In this course your teacher takes you through the words, roots and sentence patterns you meet in the Quran, beginning with the surahs you already recite. Every class is one-to-one with a native Arab teacher, and the first class is a free trial.
Quranic Arabic, Tajweed or Arabic classes: which one?
The three courses answer three different needs. Pick the one that matches your goal, and your teacher will confirm it in the free trial class.
| Quranic Arabic | Tajweed Classes | Learn Arabic Online | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The question | What do these words and sentences mean? | How do I pronounce and recite them correctly? | How do I read, write and speak Arabic? |
| The focus | Quranic vocabulary, roots and grammar | The rules of tajweed, taught in order | Modern Standard Arabic, or Arabic for the Quran |
| You leave with | Understanding of the Quran you recite | Correct, rule-based recitation | Arabic you can read, write and speak |
Many students combine them: Tajweed classes for how the Quran sounds, and Quranic Arabic for what it says. If you want the wider language, see our Arabic tutor online course.
Who is this course for?
Adults who pray
If you recite Al-Fatihah and short surahs in every prayer, this course helps you understand the words as you say them.
Quran students
If you memorize or recite the Quran, Quranic Arabic helps you understand what you recite. It pairs well with our hifz and Tajweed courses.
New Muslims
Start with the words you say in prayer and the meaning of the surahs you recite, then build from there.
Children and teens
Children learn Quranic words and short passages through short, lively lessons. Parents choose the teacher; several teach children from age 4.
Women and girls
Sisters and girls are always taught by a female teacher.
What will you learn?
Your teacher builds a personalized curriculum from the stages below, starting from your level and skipping what you already know.
Foundations
- The Arabic letters and their sounds
- Short and long vowels
- Reading vowelled words aloud
- The words you already say in prayer
Quranic vocabulary
- High-frequency Quranic vocabulary
- The three-letter root system and word families
- Words you meet again and again in the surahs you recite
Quranic grammar
- How nouns, verbs and particles are used in the Quran
- Verb patterns and the root system
- How Quranic sentences are built (nahw and sarf)
Understanding what you recite
- Understanding Al-Fatihah and the surahs you recite in prayer
- Reading short surahs word by word with their meaning
- Following longer passages with your teacher's help
Milestones along the way
- Read vowelled Arabic text aloud
- Understand Al-Fatihah and the surahs you recite in prayer
- Recognize the roots of common Quranic words
- Follow the structure of short Quranic sentences
- Read short passages of the Quran with their meaning, with your teacher's help
How fast will you progress?
It depends on the student: your starting point, your age, how many classes you take each week and how much you practice in between. Your teacher sets a personalized plan after the free trial class and reviews it with you as you go, so your milestones fit you rather than a fixed timetable.
How does Quranic Arabic change your prayer?
Most Muslims recite Al-Fatihah and a few short surahs many times a day. With even a little Quranic Arabic, those words stop being sounds you have memorized and start being sentences you understand.
Most Arabic words are built from a root of three letters, and related words share that root, so each root you learn opens a family of words across the Quran. Our guide to Quranic Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic explains where the two forms of the language overlap, and our article on the importance of Arabic in Islam explains why so many Muslims learn it.
How do the classes work?
One-to-one, never in a group
Every class is just you (or your child) and the teacher, so you read, ask questions and get corrected for the whole lesson.
A personalized curriculum
Your teacher builds the lessons around your goal and your level, and adjusts them as you progress.
You choose your teacher
Try a free class, meet your teacher, and commit only when it feels right. You can try more than one teacher in free trial classes until you find the right fit, then you continue with that teacher. Matching is never random.
A free trial class first
Your first class is a free trial with your teacher, who checks your level and suggests where to start.
Times that suit your family
Every class is set at an hour that suits you, in your own time zone, wherever you live across North America, Europe and Australia.
Murouj's own online classroom
Lessons use a shared whiteboard for writing practice, along with PDFs, slides and videos. There is no account or app to install.
Lessons are 30, 45 or 60 minutes, 2 to 5 times a week; the packages page explains the options. Most students stay with Murouj Academy for more than a year. For class times in your time zone, see our pages for the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia.
Not sure where to start?
Book a free trial class: your teacher checks your level and suggests a first step.
Meet some of our teachers
Every Murouj Academy teacher is a native Arab from the Arab world. Some hold an ijazah, and each profile states which. Many of our teachers studied at or are certified by Al-Azhar. Women and girls are taught by female teachers, adult men by male teachers, and for children the parent chooses. These are some of the teachers who teach this course, with details from their own bios.
Abrar R.
Female teacher
Al-Azhar University graduate. Teaches Quran, tajweed, Arabic and Islamic studies to children, teens and adults.
Soha A.
Female teacher
Certified in the Qaidah, tajweed for non-Arabic speakers and Islamic studies. Teaches all levels, from the Qaidah up.
Mohammad S.
Male teacher
Bachelor's degree in Islamic Studies from Al-Azhar University. Has memorized the whole Quran and teaches non-Arabic speakers from the basics up.
Mohab A.
Male teacher
Student at Al-Azhar University who has memorized the whole Quran. Teaches boys and men Quran, tajweed, Arabic and Islamic studies.
Meet some of our teachers and read their full bios, then try a free class with the one you would like.
How do one-to-one classes with a native Arab teacher compare?
Group classes and teachers who learned Arabic later both help many students. Murouj Academy chooses one-to-one classes and native Arab teachers so that every student gets a teacher's full attention and hears the Quran's language from someone who has spoken it since childhood.
| One-to-one at Murouj Academy | A group class | |
|---|---|---|
| Attention | The whole lesson is yours, and the teacher hears every letter you recite | Lesson time is shared between several students |
| Pace | Set by you: you move on when you are ready | Set for the group as a whole |
| Curriculum | A personalized plan built around your level and goals | One syllabus for the whole class |
| Schedule | An hour that suits you, in your own time zone | A fixed timetable |
| Teacher | You choose your teacher through free trial classes before you commit | Usually comes with the class |
| Comfort | Women and girls with a female teacher, men with a male teacher, one to one | Depends on how the class is run |
| Murouj Academy's native Arab teachers | Teachers who learned Arabic later | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | The sounds of Arabic, modeled as a first-language speaker says them every day | The sounds of Arabic, learned through study and practice |
| Meaning | Explanations that draw on everyday use of Arabic | Explanations that draw on formal study of Arabic |
| Qualification | Some Murouj teachers hold an ijazah; each profile states it | Varies by teacher and academy |
What do students say?
Students and parents describe their classes in their own words on our student reviews page.
Frequently asked questions
What is Quranic Arabic?
Quranic Arabic is the Arabic of the Quran: the classical Arabic in which it was revealed. It shares its alphabet and grammar with Modern Standard Arabic, and this course focuses on the words, structures and meanings you meet in the Quran.
What is the difference between Quranic Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic?
They are two forms of the same language and share the alphabet, the grammar system and most core vocabulary. Quranic Arabic focuses on the vocabulary and sentence patterns of the Quran; Modern Standard Arabic focuses on reading, writing and speaking about everyday and academic topics.
Will I understand the whole Quran after this course?
The course aims to help you understand the words and sentences of the Quran you recite, starting with Al-Fatihah and the surahs you say in prayer. How far you go depends on your goal, your starting level and how many classes you take each week. Your teacher sets a personal plan after the trial class and reviews it with you.
Do I need to read Arabic before I start?
No. If you cannot read Arabic letters yet, your teacher starts with the letters and their sounds. If your main goal is simply to read the Quran, our Qaida classes for beginners may suit you better first.
Is Quranic Arabic the same as Tajweed?
No. Tajweed is about how you pronounce and recite the Quran correctly. Quranic Arabic is about the language: what the words mean and how the sentences are built. Many students take both.
Can children learn Quranic Arabic online?
Yes. Several of our teachers teach children from age 4, with short, lively lessons. Parents choose the teacher.
Can I study Quranic Arabic alongside hifz or Tajweed?
Yes. You can take Quranic Arabic alongside a Quran course. Each course has its own one-to-one classes and its own plan.
Will a woman or girl have a female Quranic Arabic teacher?
Yes. Women and girls at Murouj Academy are always taught by female teachers. Adult men are taught by male teachers, and for children the parent chooses.
More answers about classes, teachers and the free trial are on our Murouj Academy facts page.
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Ready to begin?
Your free trial class is with the teacher you choose, and you can take more free classes until you find the right fit. Women and girls always learn with female teachers.