Greatings from Mona

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my blog and channel. I am Mona Ojaimi, and I will be guiding you through the reading lessons of Arabic. Arabic is not only my mother tongue but also a beloved language for me. As a student, I enjoyed learning it – actually, the only good marks I got were in Arabic.

Arabic has always mesmerized me with its beauty and harmony, whether through the sound of letters, meanings, or the rhetorical style that makes it unique. Above all, it is the language of the Holy Quran, which is a miracle in itself. I am still amazed by how it  is arranged in words and meanings.

Until today, after many years, I am still learning about Arabic as a language, and I have also decided to teach what I have learned, and continue to learn, about this beautiful language. Arabic has the ability to evoke meaning like a painting, and its richness never fails to amaze me.The other purpose of sharing my knowledge about Arabic is that I want to teach it to non-Arab Muslim readers who would love to read the Quran in Arabic.

Therefore, my channel is devoted to teaching reading only. Every language has four skills: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. I'm focusing on reading for a few different reasons. I am focusing on reading for different reasons; first because, as I mentioned, I want to teach the language of the Quran. Second, I LOVE reading, and I consider it a way of learning languages. That is what I did when I learned to read in French, Spanish, and Turkish. Finally, in Arabic, reading is still connected to standard Arabic, which is usually not used in spoken language. 

In other words, if you want to learn to speak Arabic, you really have to decide on a dialect; otherwise, you will sound odd if you only learn standard Arabic, even if it’s the modern form. In spoken language, standard Arabic is mainly used in news or documentaries, but for communication—even in formal settings—it’s either MSA with an accent or simply a regional dialect.

The beauty of this is that, when you learn to read—standard Arabic—you will be able to read any Arab author in the Middle East because they all write in the same structure. Whereas, in speaking, there are differences from one region to another, even within the same country. This is what I love about Standard Arabic: it unites Arabs and Muslims as well.

So, if you are a non-Arab Muslim and even not interested in Arabic as a language, I believe you are eager to read the Quran in the language it was delivered in because it sounds sacred in Arabic—since it’s the language Allah honored to deliver His words. Besides, reciting the Quran is a form of worship, even if you don’t understand the meaning of the words. I personally don’t know all the meanings of the words in Quran and I am still learning. Yet, reciting the Quran is a calming, pleasant experience that I can’t go a day without.

And to you my reader, whatever your purpose in learning Arabic reading is, I wish I could present my lessons in a gradual way that helps you from scratch to accurately develop the skill of reading and enjoy whatever material you wish to explore.