The Al Fikr archive

Language, culture, and the written word.

Essays and learning notes from Al Fikr on Arabic, calligraphy, pronunciation, history, and the wider cultural world.

ALL ARTICLES · 6

From the live Al Fikr archive, now gathered in one place.

How Arabic has shaped languages across Europe, Africa, and Asia, and why its script and calligraphic traditions remain so distinctive.

A wide-ranging introduction to Arabic's history, linguistic sciences, richness, continuity, and eloquence.

A bilingual guide to the main articulation points used to pronounce Arabic letters, from the throat and tongue to the lips and nasal passage.

The opening installment of a three-part historical reading from Islam and the World by Sayyed Abul Hasan 'Ali Nadwi.

Part two continues the historical reading with sections on the Jewish communities of the period and the social order of Iran.

The final installment continues the historical reading through Buddhism, Central Asia, and India.

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