English and Language arts are the core subjects which are widely taught to school-aged children whether they are in public, private, Islamic or homeschool setting. In our homeschool, we use popular books like Wordly Wise to help my children expand their vocabulary and to supplement our language arts  curriculum . However, one night as we sat listening to the Quran recitation of Surah Al- Mulk with its English translation, I started to wonder how much of it did they actually understood. Because the Language of the Quran is so eloquent, deep and meaningful, we often find more sophisticated vocabulary that we may not use in our daily conversations nor may we encounter them in most language arts workbooks. It was then that I realized that if there was one vocabulary list that I had neglected, it was the Quranic vocabulary. 

Why add Quranic Vocabulary into your Language Arts?

•    Allah’s names and Attributes: Allah describes Himself in the Quran through His Names and Attributes. As Muslims, we believe that studying these Names and Attributes will strengthen our relationship with Him. Words like the The Beneficent, The Sovereign and The Self Sufficient are not typically going to be found in most standard vocabulary lists, however they are very important for your child to understand and learn.

•   Commonly occurring words: About 40% (3226) of all the words in the Quran (approx.77800) repeat frequently. Not only does this make memorizing the words easier but it can also give kids a clue as to what the Surah or verse is about once they have built enough vocabulary. Check out this 80% Quranic Vocabulary list.  

•   Cross curricular: While it can be a struggle to integrate lessons, I will be looking into the Quran for more inspiration and incorporating it in my Language Arts curriculum. This may mean using more unit studies that may have a central theme, problem, process, topic, or experience.

How you can start with Quranic Vocabulary lists:

Since Surah Al- Mulk is such a powerful Surah, and one of the important Surahs to learn as it provides the believer with protection from the punishment of the grave, we have started to really make an extra effort to understand the meaning of this Surah. 

Here is a list of 15 words which you can incorporate in your child’s next vocabulary list.  Knowing these words will give you a strong foundation to understanding other Surahs as well, as you will most likely run across them.

You can download and print a blank Quran Word list as well as a Quran Vocabulary page here. You can use this list to document the new words your child is learning. Hang it on the fridge or your white board so that you can incorporate them into other lessons or crafts. You can also turn them into word search puzzles,  tracing pages or crossword puzzles.

Other resources you can use to learn the Quran and its meaning:

One of the books which really helped me to learn quran and its meanings was the the Juz ‘Amma: 30 for the classroom book compiled by Abidullah Ghazi. I first found out about it at the Masjid, as they used it at the weekend Islamic School.  This book gives you the background and context of each Surah, and breaks it down word by word, providing not only its meaning, but also its transliteration for those of us who are still struggling with reading Arabic.  This set is available in 2 volumes, and once you are done with Volume 1,  Volume 2 covers the last remaining (and longer) Surahs.

For advanced students who want a comprehensive and complete explanation of the Quran, nothing compares to Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir of the Quran.

Website:

Quran Vocabulary – 2000 words 

video:

The Quranic Vocabulary

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