Understand Quran and Reflect is a free, interactive online course by Taha Utopia that teaches the Arabic of the Qur’an through the Qur’an itself. It has 19 lessons of about 25 minutes in 4 units: the noun, the verb and particles, sentences and meaning, and roots and families. Each lesson centres on one ayah, explored word by word, with mini-games, high-frequency vocabulary, a reflection and a short quiz. No grammar is needed to start, an account is optional, and every lesson works in English, Bengali and Hindi.
Course Lessons
Start Lesson 1: Three Kinds of Words (ism, fi'l and harf)
Unit I · The Noun
- Lesson 1: Three Kinds of Words (Ism, Fi’l and Harf) (Al-Fatihah 1:1 to 1:7, 25 min): Label every word of Al-Fatihah as ism, fi’l or harf.
- Lesson 2: Status, Number & Gender (Al-Fatihah 1:2, 25 min): Tell from the ending alone whether a word is raf’, nasb or jarr.
- Lesson 3: Heavy, Light & Flexible (Al-Ikhlas 112:1, 25 min): Spot the pronoun and the definite word in a short ayah, and explain why.
- Lesson 4: Building Phrases (Al-Fatihah 1:4, 25 min): Read a two-word phrase and say which word owns which.
- Lesson 5: Who, More & Which (Al-A’la 87:17, 20 min): Recognise “those who…” clauses and “better than” forms as you read.
- Lesson 6: Joiners & Question Words (Al-Mulk 67:3 to 67:4, 20 min): Tell what a joiner joins, spot a fresh sentence, and read the question words.
- Lesson 7: Little Words, Big Meaning (Al-Mulk 67:17 to 67:18, 20 min): Read emphasis, the future, “when” and “if”, and the many jobs of one small word.
Unit II · The Verb and Particles
- Lesson 8: The Verb: Tense, Doer & Object (Al-Kawthar 108:1, 25 min): Pick out the verb, its doer and its object in one sentence. Coming soon.
- Lesson 9: Moods, Commands & Forbidding (Al-Isra 17:23, 25 min): Tell a command from a prohibition and name the particle that changes the verb. Coming soon.
- Lesson 10: Passive & Emphasised Verbs (At-Takathur 102:6, 25 min): Recognise a passive verb and an emphasised verb on sight. Coming soon.
Unit III · Sentences and Meaning
- Lesson 11: The Nominal Sentence (Al-Ikhlas 112:2, 25 min): Split a nominal sentence into its subject and its news. Coming soon.
- Lesson 12: The Verbal Sentence & Sentence Roles (Al-Kawthar 108:2, 25 min): Break a verbal sentence into its parts and name the role of each. Coming soon.
- Lesson 13: Incomplete Verbs (An-Nasr 110:3, 20 min): Read “kana” and “laysa” sentences and say which part is the subject. Coming soon.
- Lesson 14: Negation (Al-Ikhlas 112:3, 25 min): Pick the right negator for the tense and explain the choice. Coming soon.
- Lesson 15: Emphasis & Exception (Al-Asr 103:2, 25 min): Notice emphasis and exception, and say what each adds. Coming soon.
Unit IV · Roots and Families
- Lesson 16: The Normal Families (Al-Fatihah 1:5, 25 min): Find the root of a verb and name its family. Coming soon.
- Lesson 17: Irregular Roots I (Al-Fatihah 1:7, 25 min): Spot a hamzated or doubled root behind an unfamiliar-looking word. Coming soon.
- Lesson 18: Irregular Roots II (Ad-Duha 93:7, 25 min): Trace a hollow or assimilated verb back to its root. Coming soon.
- Lesson 19: Irregular Roots III (Al-Layl 92:5, 25 min): Name the root type of any verb you meet in the last juz. Coming soon.
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Where the Arabic Comes From
Ayahs, words, word meanings and audio come from quran.com (the King Fahd Complex text). Word parts, roots and grammar come from the Quranic Arabic Corpus. Nothing Qur'anic is typed by hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Understand Quran and Reflect?
A free, interactive course that teaches the Arabic of the Qur’an through the Qur’an itself. It has 19 short lessons in 4 units. Each lesson is built around one ayah, with word-by-word exploration, mini-games, high-frequency vocabulary, a reflection and a short quiz.
Do I need to know Arabic first?
No grammar is needed. It helps if you can read the Arabic letters, even slowly. Every Qur’anic word in a lesson shows its meaning and can be played aloud.
Is it free? Do I need an account?
It is completely free. You can learn as a guest without signing up. With a free account your progress is saved, you earn points, badges and site achievements, and you can carry on from any device.
Which languages can I learn in?
English, Bengali and Hindi. You can switch at any time inside a lesson. Ayah translations are by Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan (English), Dr. Abu Bakr Muhammad Zakaria (Bengali) and Maulana Azizul Haque al-Umari (Hindi).
Where does the Arabic in the lessons come from?
Every ayah and word is taken from quran.com (the King Fahd Complex text) and its word-by-word data. Word parts, roots and grammar come from the Quranic Arabic Corpus. Nothing Qur’anic is typed by hand, and each lesson is checked automatically against these sources before it is published.
How long does a lesson take?
About 20 to 25 minutes. Lessons go one step at a time, so you can stop and come back later. If you are signed in, you continue from where you left off.
Can I make the lessons easier on the eyes?
Yes. Turn on Cool in the lesson’s top bar for softer colours at lower brightness, with slightly larger text. Everything still moves and works the same. Lessons also follow the site’s light and dark mode, and sound effects can be switched off.
What is the leaderboard?
Signed-in learners are ranked by the points they earn in lessons. The top three get gold, silver and bronze medals. Only your first name and the first letter of your last name are shown, and you can hide your name from the leaderboard at any time. Guests can look at the leaderboard and join it by signing in.
When will the other lessons be ready?
Lessons 1 to 7 (Unit I) are live now. The remaining lessons are being built in order and will appear on this page as each one is ready.
How is this different from QAWE?
QAWE is a separate, examples-first video course on Quranic Arabic grammar. Understand Quran and Reflect is an interactive, step-by-step course that you do inside the page, with games, quizzes and reflection.