How to Learn Quranic Arabic: A Step-by-Step Path with Free Books

Imagine understanding the Quran as you recite it in salah. With the right books and a little time each day, learning Quranic Arabic is achievable for anyone. Here is a simple path you can follow, using resources you can download free from our store.

Step 1: Learn to read the Arabic script

If you cannot yet read Arabic, start with At-Tibyan – The Easy Way to Qur’anic Reading by Dr. V. Abdur Rahim. For children, our Arabic learning worksheets make the alphabet fun, and our guide on teaching kids the Arabic alphabet has 10 activity ideas.

Step 2: Build the grammar foundation

The Madinah Arabic books by Dr. V. Abdur Rahim have been used at the Islamic University of Madinah and around the world for decades. Work through the Arabic Course for English Speaking Students (Books 1–3) or the Madinah Arabic Reader series (Books 1–8); see our Madinah Arabic Reader study guide. Our Arabic Vocabulary Bank books pair with Madinah Books 1–3 to help the new words stick.

Step 3: Learn the most common Quranic words

A small number of words make up most of the Quran. Lists like 80% of Quranic Words help you recognise them quickly.

Step 4: Read the Quran word by word

Now put it together with a word-by-word Quran, such as Word for Word English Translation (Colour), Word for Word in Table Form or Word to Word Urdu.

Step 5: Go further

Once you have finished the three Madinah books, Selections from the Glorious Qur’an with Lexical and Grammatical Notes is an excellent next step.

All of these books are free to download. Add them to your cart, check out for £0, and your links will arrive by email. Studying hard? Try our duas for studying and exams.