understandQuran

1. Teaching Qur’an For School Students A lecture Given at Hajj House, Bombay All India Muslim Teacher’s Meet. www.understandQuran.com

2. Outline • Introduction & Background • My focus • Why teach Al-Qur’an • Language learning vs. Understanding Qur’an • Brain / Memory / Language learning • Unique features • Sample Demo (Book & CD)

3. My Introduction / Background Scholars My position Masses

4. My Introduction / Background Past several years of teaching as well as doing basic research on teaching/learning Al-Qur’an: Involved in teaching as well as studying different approaches Got input from several scholars & individuals; not completely my own method

5. Vision Al-Qur’an should be easy as well as the most interesting book! Is it not authored by Allah! If Qur’an is for the whole world, it should be easy to learn (including its language) If Qur’an is written by Allah for humans, it should be most interesting book – that is, a book that will appeal strongly to our intellect as well as our heart.

6. Style of Delivery I have tried to use modern concepts in teaching. They include: • Brain (Tony Buzan etc.) • Lateral thinking (De Bono) • Positive thinking • Effective living (Stephen Covey) • NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) • Time and Resource Management • + Second Language learning (Latest style of teaching English to foreigners at American Universities)

7. Challenges to a Teacher For teaching any subject, the main challenge is: • Motivation (How to motivate the students) • Methodology (the way to present the material) And we really want to improve the above 2 when it comes to teaching the Qur’an. Let us not use that old method of just asking the students to recite for ‘Barkat’ (in the limited sense).

8. Elements of Success-for students !!! According to modern research, these elements are: • Attitude • Confidence • Optimism • Positive thinking • Good relationship with others • A Pondering mind • High values Qur’an can give all these values in a way no one on earth can give!!! This is the real and comprehensive Barkat which will lead to success in this world and the hereafter.

9. Our Approach to Teaching Qur’an For a quick approach to Understanding the Qur’an

10. No. 1: Smooth Start • Start from Salah (Why use any other text, when you want to understand Qur’an)… • If I want to teach you french and if I know that you speak something in french for 1 hour, I will say: Let us learn that first! • A common sense approach • Valid for every Muslim man, woman, old, and young, and even for a child because he is… www.understandquran.com

11. No. 2: Focus on Listening and Reading This will decrease the initial burden on students and make it simpler to learn. www.understandquran.com

12. No. 3: More Focus on Vocabulary • More focus on Vocabulary (just the way a child learns…) • Less focus on grammar; otherwise if we teach the way shown below, people will run away! يُؤمِنُون غائب، جمع، مذكر، مهموز، باب إفعال فعل مضارع مرفوع بثبوت النون لأنه من الأفعال الخمسة، والواؤ ضمير متصل في محل رفع فاعل www.understandquran.com

13. No. 4: More Focus on Sarf In Grammar, we give • More emphasis on Sarf (word construction) • Less emphasis on Nahw (sentence construction) Because: • We are familiar with the topics of Qur’an; • We are learning from existing English translations; • We are learning to repeat the translation, rather than ‘translation’ itself. www.understandquran.com

14. The Challenges

15. A typical Muslim Youngster

16. The right course Bid’ahs, meaningless rituals Modernism Qur’an Illiterate / semi-literate masses Educated Youth We are missing the youth… We are missing the youth both ways because we are not teaching them the Qur’an

17. When they grow up, they!!! • DON’T KNOW THE QURÁN (PERHAPS NOT EVEN 2% OF IT). • Have almost no exposure to Hadith • Consequently, have no self-esteem as a Muslim.

18. Qurán • A book of Guidance – And that is the status we have not given to it • Human Being – surrounded by enemies and self-weaknesses • Daily Exposure to Qu’ran – thru Recitation in Salahs / in homes – is not utilized at all!!! • How does Qur’an guides us? It always reminds him as to who he is, where he is, what is his role, his destination – Thru Promises, Threats, Examples, Stories, …

19. By understanding Qurán • We will open up this gate of daily tarbiyah • We will establish connection between us and Allah directly and for the rest of his life. This Book will not change. A Permanent Solution.

20. Qurán • Solutions to all problems are in the Qurán and Sunnah • Just establish direct connection between them and Allah thru Allah’s book and they can walk with dignity • Give them the master key and they will open all the doors

21. Why don't the Students understand the Qur'an • Most importantly: Nobody told them that understanding Quran could be so simple. • AND FURTHER TO IT: Qur’an should have been the most interesting subject!!! Is it so?

22. How will teaching Qur’an help? • Attitude (You will put the student in contact with Allah directly) • Confidence in himself and his Deen as well as his people • Sense of responsibility • Seriousness

23. How will teaching Qur’an help? • Muslims directly aware of the divine guidance • Pleasure/Good will of Allah • Future assets of Ummah • Balanced Personality

24. How will teaching Qur’an help? • Excelling in their roles with a purpose • Will set a role model for future Muslim institutions • Decrease evils like ragging, crimes, indecency • Produce ideal youths and ideal campus atmosphere • Produce mature, responsible, and stable citizens

25. For Qur’an… • In approximately 200 hours of learning, you can inshaAllah understand the Qur’an completely. • 30 hours of Starter course • (After this, in 170 hours, you can easily learn the complete Qur’an inshaAllah)

26. Learning to UNDERSTAND Al-Qur’an • A course of 200 hours • Not for interpreting but for understanding it • Objective: Tadabbur & TaZakkur (will not be covered in this lecture) • Challenge: A smooth start which gives them confidence

27. An Easy Starter Course • 60 lessons (each of 25 minutes approx) • Less than 30 hours • Designed for schools as well as general public • Simplified grammar • Using Daily and Frequent Recitations • Will cover 350 words that occur 55,000 times in Qur'an (70% of the vocabulary)!!!

28. Al-Qur’an – the Most Interesting book to learn If there are drop-outs, if it is boring, then the problem is in the way we present it/ we teach it To show the benefits by linking the message of Al-Qur’an, rather, the guidance of Al-Qur’an, with the day-to-day life of a teenager

29. My Focus Primarily – the Masses! Priority wise: • Secular Institutions: • School Students: Before they graduate 10th class, they should complete the Qur’an with understanding • The college students who missed the above opportunity • General public

30. Brain • Brain works with associations • 1,000,000,000 Cells • We use rarely 5% of our brain • Easier to learn another language!!! • Much easier to learn Al-Qur’an because it has special blessings

31. Movement / action / film / movie Picture (worth 1000 words) Meanings Mother tongue link (incl ‘false’) Sound Shape Emotions Spelling Smell Story Brain – Associations

32. Language Learning Famous Techniques/software • Pimsleur approach • Rosetta Stone Approach • ESL Party • Dave’s Café • Corporate/Univ. level software -

33. Language Learning Language Learning - Use the tips for teaching Al-Qur’an - Breaking the ‘barrier’ (through our daily Salah and Supplications) – My case of TELUGU - Use index cards (now booklet); grammar posters stickers; (board; Diary) - Motivate (through the promise of ‘thawab’) - Analyze teaching models (adopted interactive and variety-based model) - TPI

34. Teaching Arabic thru Qur’an– the unique opportunities A typical Muslim -memorized almost 50 to 100 sentences in Arabic! And he uses them too!!! A practicing Muslim spends almost an hour daily in Arabic environment - 5 daily prayers - Supplications Everyday, he uses about 200 Arabic words and almost 50 sentences. And he REPEATS most of them!!! Everyday, he is made to listen (in 6 lectures) different parts of the best of literature!!!

35. Teaching Arabic thru Qur’an– the unique opportunities The ideal situation would be: to jump on this opportunity and teach him right from there For a Non-Muslim student: It gives an excellent opportunity to not only learn Arabic but also understand the neighborhood culture

36. The CHALLENGE • Let them understand what they already recite • Teach them grammar in a simplified style • Get the max from frequently occurring words

37. Introduction to our course Understand Qur’an – the Easy Way (Basic Course)

38. UNIQUE FEATURES OF THIS COURSE!!! 1. A course of approximately 25 hours – to help you learn almost 70% of the vocabulary of the Qur’an (55000 words of the total 78000, approximately).

39. UNIQUE FEATURES (Cont’d) 2. Spare just 25 minutes everyday, and inshaAllah you are on your way to realizing the dream. 3. Start the understanding of Qur’an using what you recite everyday!!! No need to look for any other text.

40. UNIQUE FEATURES (Cont’d) • The contents • Daily Recitations • Frequent Recitations • Some extra verses + 2 ahadeeth • One spoken Arabic sentence in each class

41. UNIQUE FEATURES (Cont’d) 4. Immediately start realizing the benefits in your prayers and supplications, and thereby improve the relationship with Allah. Practice what you learnt right form day one by talking to Allah in Arabic with understanding!

42. UNIQUE FEATURES (Cont’d) 5. Each session has 3 different activities, which keeps the participants alive throughout the lesson. 6. Learn at least one spoken Arabic sentence in each lesson.

43. UNIQUE FEATURES (Cont’d) 7. More than that, each session is interactive, if conducted in a group!!! Every participant has full and continuous chance to be involved in all the activities (Spoken Arabic, Grammar, and Word-for-word translation)

44. UNIQUE FEATURES (Cont’d) 8. Learn basic Arabic Grammar as well as almost all important verb patterns by devoting just 8 to 10 minutes in each session.

45. UNIQUE FEATURES (Cont’d) 9. Learning Arabic Grammar perhaps has never been so easy and simple. With TPI (like ABAQUS, photographic memory), it becomes an exciting and interesting part.

46. TPI Brain works with associations • Mg/ Fg Sign covention • Past tense (plane / road) • Imperfect tense • Imperative • Negative • Ism Faa’il / Ism Maf’ool / Fe’l • Active voice / passive voice

47. TPI • Increase associations – the more you have the easier it is to learn/remember/retain/recall • Several dimensions of a word • Sound • Spelling • Shape • Meanings • Picture • Movement • Smell! • Emotions

48. UNIQUE FEATURES (Cont’d) 10. Every time you practice a grammar session (5 to 7 minutes), you are shown as to how closer you are to the understanding of Qur’an. Therefore, it becomes a session of love and excitement rather than that of boring drills.

49. UNIQUE FEATURES (Cont’d) 11. Learn interesting examples/false links to remember some of the ‘odd’ rules of grammar.

50. Simplified • Deletion of dual / fg in the beginning • Reduced to 12 instead of 28 (past/imprf) • Reduced to 4 instead of 6 (imp/neg) • 3 added to it (fa’el, maf’ool, fe’l) • Master “Periodic Table” (Traffic light) • The two “Master Tables”