Introducing Alif: Arabic for Beginners

My name is Adam Jamal and I've been studying and teaching Arabic for over 10 years.

I would like to introduce an app called Alif. Alif is the first letter of the Arabic alphabet :)

The idea is to learn by playing for just five to ten minutes a day!

Imagine being able to learn to read the book of Allah on a plane, at the airport, in a doctor's office, while waiting for the light to turn green (just kidding), before your next meeting...the possibilities are endless.

Is the app already available?

Although we have a basic prototype on iPhone, the app isn't complete. With the successful completion of this campaign we'll be able to have what we need to complete it on iPhone and also on Android.

Why is Alif different? Two words: guided learning and efficiency.

We went through the app stores and looked at all the Arabic alphabet apps (and other languages' alphabet apps). We found that a lot of apps lack variety, color, and direction. We noticed that they are often hard to use and are more of a reference tool than a learning tool. They are more for people who want to review than for people who actually want to learn in a guided way. As an Arabic and Quran teacher for many years I know how to guide students in a way that helps them learn without overwhelming them.

Efficiency

The other cool thing about Alif is that we use technology to make learning fast and efficient. When putting this app together we ask ourselves questions like: How can we make sure that every time you open the app you are able to quickly finish your lesson and get back to your day? How do we make sure you learn something every time?

I used my years of experience with Quran and technology to create a curriculum that has its roots in our traditional methods but also removes unnecessary steps. We try to focus on reading words that actually occur in the Quran.

When I tried learning the alphabet of another language, I was frustrated because it took a long time to learn the names of the letters and I had no one to guide me. With alif, we skipped learning the names of the letters and get straight into actually applying the vowels and creating words.

What we've done so far

To find out if people really want this app, we have created a simple first version. Below are some screenshots of that prototype. Alhamdulillah, both children and adults have loved it. And this is just the beginning. 

We need your help to complete this project.

We've already put a whole lot of sweat, tears, and our own $$ to get this far and make sure its something that people actually want.

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Timeline

We have launched a basic first version of the app on the iPhone app store. If we reach our goal we will continue to add features on iPhone and also develop on Android. We estimate 4 months to complete 100 lessons and the features above.

Our Team

Alhamdulillah our team has grown:

Bilaal H.: Qari and Lesson Creator

Muzzammil A.: Content creator

Liqteq Technologies: Developer

Isra C.: Blogger

Fathima H.: Curriculum Developer

Our advisors:

Yassir J.: Technology

Tim J.: Growth

Azam K.: Gamification

Tareq I.: Data Science and User Engagement

Risks

With any new venture there is always risk.  This is not our first app, alhamdulillah. 

We've also been getting great feedback whenever we show our prototype to Muslims (and even non-Muslims) wanting to learn.

We are aware that costs for certain features can get out of control if we're not careful.  So far we've been able to control costs by  keeping a close eye on how things are done by our developers, and will continue to do so.

We are constantly searching for new ways to design questions and activities on the app. We hope you'll join the testing phase of the app and give us your valued feedback.

Perks

Here's an explanation of all the perks we have to offer.

Subscription to Quranic: Arabic for Busy People

(Value: $10/month)

A pro subscription will give you unlimited access and the ability to download lessons for offline use in our main app called "Quranic" nearly 50,000 people have benefited from Quranic and 8300 words are learned everyday.

Beta test:

A beta test allows us to ensure that we're building an app that our students will benefit from. We plan on collecting feedback from all our students and using that information to add more features and improvements to the app. It will also allow us to test the app for bugs and make sure the base features are in place and that they work before we launch those features officially. 

When we launch, we want to offer a solid product and we don't want to rush it.

If you contribute at the $50 level or above, you will gain admission to the beta test.

The Android beta test will begin later when we start development on the Android version of the app.

14-day Quranic Arabic Level 1 Course (Value: $199)

This is an online course hundreds of people have completed. It's a great way to learn the basics of Quranic Arabic and reach 50% Quranic Arabic comprehension in just 2 weeks.

4 month Quranic Arabic Level 2 Course (Value: $500)

The level 2 course is for those who want to dig deeper into Quranic Arabic after level 1.

Paypal:

If you can only use paypal please use this link: https://www.paypal.me/quranicapp

Please mention the contribution level that you chose in your note. We'll handle the Paypal fees.

Questions?

Please email us at: support@getquranic.com

Jazakumullahu khairan and Thanks!