Sibawayh (142—180 a.h.) was to Arabic what Newton was to physics. Despite his short life—he died at only 38—he authored the seminal codification of the rules of the Arabic language in his comprehensive and legendary book, al-Kitab (literally, “the book”).

Remarkably, Sibawayh was not an Arab; Sibawayh was a Persian.

The Sibawayh Degree is inspired by this remarkable scholar, a non-Arab who mastered the Arabic language and became the authoritative reference on correct Arabic speech for everyone who came after him, even the Arabs themselves.

Staged-Arabic Learning

Our Arabic program involves carefully-planned, staged Arabic learning. The Miftah Diploma is stage 1, giving you foundational theory. The Sibawayh Degree then takes you through stages 2 and 3—taking you through classical primers and then helping you gain reading, listening, writing, and speaking fluency.

The following chart summarizes the stages:

Stage 2: Mapping the Language (300-Level Courses)

The theme of stage 2 is rigorous theory and reading proficiency.

By the time you reach this stage, you are thoroughly familiar with the most important rules of Arabic. You are now ready to tie everything together to create a theoretical map of the Arabic language in your minds that you will refer back to for the rest of your life. This is achieved by studying three classical primers on the rules of Arabic: one in grammar, another in morphology, and the third in rhetoric.

Simultaneously, you can develop your reading proficiency by taking guided-reading courses that walk will walk you through a complete book from cover to cover. The books selected for this tier are authored by Shaykh Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, a famous Indian scholar renowned throughout the Muslim world as an Arabic “man of letters” and for his outstanding achievements in teaching Arabic to students in the Indian subcontinent.

Theory Courses:

A classical primer each on Grammar, Morphology, and Rhetoric (3 Mandatory Courses)

Al-Ajurrumiyya Explained (ARB301) exposits a famous classical primer on Arabic grammar that has been used in the Muslim world for hundreds of years. It gives you a comprehensive map of the theory of Arabic grammar that you will refer to for the rest of your life and use as a basis for further study in grammar.

Al-`Izzi Explained (ARB302) exposits a famous classical primer on Arabic morphology that has been used in the Muslim world for hundreds of years. It gives you a comprehensive map of roots, verbs, and nouns that you will refer to for the rest of your life and give you a more complete understanding of classical texts.

Tuhfa al-Ikhwan Explained (ARB303) exposits a classical primer on Arabic rhetoric, Imam Dardir’s Tuhfat al-Ikhwan fi ‘Ilm al-Bayan. It gives an understanding of the key principles of rhetoric and how these principles are used to comprehend the Quran and Hadith. Due to the complexity of the discipline of rhetoric (balagha), this course focuses on ‘ilm al-bayan, only one of the three disciplines that comprise a classical study of rhetoric.

Note: Each course in the theory tier is independent of the other courses and you may choose your own learning path, possibly even taking multiple courses concurrently.

Application Courses:

A number of long books in Arabic to develop reading proficiency (3 Mandatory Courses)

Stories of the Prophets (Guided Arabic Reading): Qasas al-Nabiyyin (ARB351) walks you cover-to-cover through a book about the stories of the prophets mentioned in the Quran.

The Life of the Last Prophet (Guided Arabic Reading): Sirat Khatim an-Nabiyyin (ARB352) walks you cover-to-cover through a book about the life of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and give him peace.

Selections from Arabic Literature (Guided Arabic Reading): Mukhtarat Min al-Adab al-’Arabi (ARB353) walks you cover-to-cover through a book that comprises selections of important works of classical Arabic literature.

Stage 3: Immersion (400-Level Courses)

The final stage in Sibawayh consists of six mandatory courses and one elective, all for the purpose of helping you achieve reading, speaking, listening, and writing fluency.

The prevalent view of Arabic is that there are two variants: classical (fusha) and colloquial (‘ammiyya).

In reality, there are three variants: classical, modern, and colloquial.

The prevalent view lumps the classical and modern together, which waters down the rich classical language to the level of the much easier modern language

Most Arabic curricula start with modern Arabic and work their way to classical, so that classical Arabic is a component of learning the modern framework.

Sibawayh, on the other hand, starts with classical and plugs the modern into it. The result is that the modern is a component of learning the classical framework.
Sibawayh places a strong focus on classical Arabic literature and also helps you interact in Muslim world by teaching you colloquial Arabic.

Course Details

Classical Component:

(3 Mandatory Courses)

The Rihla of Ibn Battuta (ARB451) is a guided study of the renowned travelogue of the Berber scholar and explorer, Ibn Battuta, who dictated a detailed account of his travels across the Muslim world 700 years ago, presenting a vivid depiction of traditional Islamic society across a spectrum of cultural settings.

Ibn al-Muqaffa’s Kalila wa Dimna (ARB452) is a guided study of the seminal masterpiece of Arabic literary prose, a series of ancient animal fables eloquently adapted from their Indian sources by the Persian Ibn al-Muqaffa’. Recent masters of Arabic literature—most notably Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafi’i and Abul Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi—have placed great emphasis on studying this book to develop your literary taste of Arabic literature.

Mutanabbi’s Poetry (ARB453) introduces you to classical poetry by studying the poetry of Abu al-Tayyib al-Mutanabbi, one of the greatest poets that the Muslim world ever produced. The most eloquent examples of classical Arabic are found not in prose, but in poetry.

Modern Component:

(3 Mandatory Courses)

Contemporary Arab Society (ARB461) is a study of a carefully selected series of Arabic passages and dialogues that teach you the language skills and expressions that are required for someone who wants to live in the contemporary Arab world.

Contemporary Arab Media (ARB462) is a study of a carefully selected series of Arabic television, radio, and newspaper clips that develop a fluency of understanding and expression in contemporary Arab discourse on political affairs.

Contemporary Arab Religious Expression (ARB463) is a study of a carefully selected series of video, audio, and written clips of contemporary religious discourse in the Arab world, designed to develop fluency of understanding and expression with respect to religious sermons, pamphlets, books. A significant portion of this course focuses on the skills required to sit in a traditional circle of religious knowledge and interact with your teacher.

Colloquial Component:

(Choose One)

The Colloquial Egyptian Dialect (ARB471) is a study of the most important dialect in the Arab world. Egyptian Arabic is the most widely understood colloquial dialect because of its prevalence in popular media.

The Colloquial Jordanian Dialect (ARB472) is for students who want to live and study in the Levant.

The Colloquial Yemeni Dialect (ARB473) is for students who want to live and study in Yemen.

The Colloquial Maghribi Dialect (ARB474) is for students who want to live and study in Morocco.