In the summer of 2009, I attended the Shifa Summer program in
Amman, Jordan. My intermediate Arabic class consisted of a handful
of students from different parts of the globe. Our intense 3-month
learning experience left me with a firm grounding in intermediate
Arabic. The rest of my two-year stay consisted of many different
classes, some Arabic-focused. Unfortunately, once I returned to
Sydney, my command of the Arabic language grew rusty with disuse.
When it comes to learning Arabic, one of the hardest things to
overcome is inertia, and Alhamdulilah, my brother's Arabic class
gave me the motivation I needed to restart my learning.Now that I'm
back in Arabic class with my brother, Ustadh Abdul Hadi, I've come
to realise that I don't need to fly halfway across the world and
live in the Middle East to have a better grasp of Arabic. It just
takes a lot of patience and dedication. One of the highlights of my
learning experience has been realising how practice, dedication and
sincere dua really does make a difference. Every week, concepts get
easier. This kind of noticeable progress is a huge encouragement
for myself and my brother.On a funny note,as hard as it is to keep
a straight face when I genuinely am flabbergasted by the latest
verb conjugation, I know that when I sit down, do my homework and
ask questions in class, new connections are made in my brain and
Arabic becomes that much easier. I'd like to salute my brother's
patience with me, and his belief that one day, I'll be as excited
as he is about Arabic.As Malcolm Gladwell describes it in his book
"Outliers", mastery of any subject requires 10,000 hours of
practice. I have a long way to go, but my journey is made easier
with the knowledge that my brother has an incredible amout of
passion for the Arabic language. His goal is for each of his
students to one day be able to teach Arabic too. My brother's
enthusiasm about Arabic and how he wants to teach others reminds me
of this quote by French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery: "If you
want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide
the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast
and endless sea.This quote reminds me of the power of vision, and
how it applies to learning Arabic. One day, I'd like to pick up the
Qur'an and read it and understand what Allah revealed to our
Beloved Prophet (peace and blessings me upon him). I'd like to open
up books of Islamic Jurispudence and read what Muslim jurists have
written. I'd like to read collections of Hadiths. I pray that the
Arabic homework which I do each week will one day unlock these
treasures to me. May Allah make easy the path of every student of
Arabic, bless the teachers who are so patient with us, and grant us
the gift of success in this life and the next.
