Lesson 6

Al-hamdu lillâhi Rabb-il-'âlamîn,
praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
From this lesson onwards, a number of sounds will be introduced that do not exist in English.
Try to check with a friend who knows Arabic.
 
  • The 'Ayn is a kind of glottal stop that is pronounced deeper in the throat than Hamza (see Lesson 4).
  • Kâf is pronounced as an ordinary English k, while Qâf again is pronounced deeper in the throat.
  • Pronouncing 'Ayn and Qâf correctly will take some practice. Do not be discouraged if it does not work straight away.
  • Take care, however, to make an audible difference between Hamza and 'Ayn as well as between Kâf and Qâf: qalb, heart and kalb, dog; 'Aql, reason und Akl, food usw.
  • If the Ya bears a vowel sign for a long a (see Lesson 1), it is pronounced as â.
Again there are names of some important prophets and messengers:
Moses (Mûsâ), Jesus ('Isâ), Solomon (Sulaymân), Jacob (Yaqûb) und Job (Ayyûb).
Find and read the respective stories in a translation of the Qur'an.

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