420. Shaykh Dr. V.

Abdur Raheem

Shaykh Abdur Raheem is an outstanding scholar in Arabic

Language & Literature. His Madinah Arabic Books for the non
Arabic speakers is an outstanding contribution to this ummah.
Childhood and Education
V. Abdur Rahim was born in the small town of Vaniyambadi in the
state of Tamil Nadu, India in 1933. After finishing his secondary
school studies, he joined Presidency College, University of Madras
where he majored in English Language and Literature. He
graduated in 1957. In 1964, he joined al-Azhar University, Cairo,
where he did his M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Arabic Philology.
It is to be noted that Abdur Rahim learnt Arabic by himself. The
school where he did his secondary school studies offered Arabic, but
the lessons it offered consisted of only memorizing the conjugation
tables. Abdur Rahim detested this method. He thought that it was
the most unnatural way of learning a language. Only dead
languages like Latin, Syriac, etc. are taught this way. Living
languages teach sentences straightaway. He decided to design a
curriculum to teach Arabic to non-native speakers of Arabic.
Challenges Faced
When he was learning Arabic by himself, Abdur Rahim studied the
many problems that beset the non-native students of Arabic, and
tried to solve them. He discovered that all these problems can easily
be solved by applying the principle of taqdm al- usl ala al-fur,
i.e. teaching the primary elements before the secondary elements.
The following are some of the manifestations of the application of
this principle:
Teaching the primary case-endings before the secondary
ending, so you teach the masruf noun before the mamnu min al-
sarf, and the al-afal al arbaah before the al-afal al-khamsah
Teaching the salim verb before the other categories
Teaching the al-mudari al-marfu before the al-mudari al-
mansub or al-mudari al-majzum.
Teaching the plural of intelligent nouns before that of non-
intelligent nouns.
Another principle Abdur Rahim advocates is that rules
of waqf should not be applied during the teaching stage, for in that
case the student cannot learn the correct ending of the last word in
the sentence as, ma smu-ka and ma smu-ki, for example, are both
reduced to ma smu-k.
Degrees Awarded & Positions Held
Majored in English Language and Literature (University of
Madras, India).
Holds M.Phil. and Ph.D. Degrees in Arabic Philology from
the University of Al-Azhar (Cairo).
Formerly Professor of Arabic Language for 30 years at
the International Islaamic University of Madinah
Has taught Arabic Language at the Islaamic Universities
around the world: at Omdurman Sudan, Germany,
Washington D.C. U.S.A, and British Guyana.
Has been teaching Arabic as a foreign language for more
than 50 years.
 An expert on European Languages and their etymology,
phonetic change and semantic development.
Formerly the Director of the Institute of Teaching Arabic
as a Foreign Language, Islaamic University of Madinah.
Currently the Director of the Translation Centre at the
King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex (Madinah, Saudi
Arabia).
Books Authored
The following are the books Dr. Abdur Rahim has written in the
field of teaching Arabic as a foreign language:
1. Durs al-Lughah al-Arabiyyah (3 parts).
2. Key To Durs al-Lughah al-Arabiyyah (3 parts).
3. Key To Exercises of Durs al-Lughah al-Arabiyyah (3
parts).
4. Teachers Guide To Durs al-Lughah al-Arabiyyah (3
parts).
5. A Glossary of Words used in Durs al-Lughah
al-Arabiyyah.
6. Ahadith Sahlah.
 7. Nuss min al-Hadth al-Nabawiyy al-Sharf.
8. Nuss Islmiyyah.
9. From Esfahan To Madinah.
10. Al-Bhith an al-Haqq.
11. Innahum min Mishktin Wahidah.
12. Fi Balt Hiraql.
13. Abshir bi-Khayri Yawm.
14. Arbana Hadthan.
15. Al-Musif f Lughati wa Irbi Surati Ysuf.
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