There are several general points to be noted: Arabic is written from right to left – the opposite of English. One thing you must get used to in the Arabic script is that short vowels, for instance a, ...

When I walked into Arabic class last week, Karam, my teacher, cheerily asked me how I was doing. I said, “Tamaam, hamdulillah,” which means, “Fine, thanks be to God.” But I was lying. I’d just spent a ...