During a seminar held this week at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation, emphasis was put on the importance of the Arabic language as a means of understanding Islam, Islamic values and culture, according to Khaleej Times.
Hassan Al Hafnawi, consultant to the Supreme Council, speaking about “Arabic Literature” stressed the importance of learning Arabic, since it is the language of the Quran. According to Al Hafnawi, “Arabic language is a deeply-rooted etymological language with a rich vocabulary, where several words are derived from the root of one word".
Al Hafnawi expressed his view that Classic poetry was “rich” in vocabulary, as opposed to modern-day poets, who have “limited” vocabulary. He urged poets and others to revive the art of Maqamat, which are short stories that focus on vocabulary more than on the story itself, and to build up a strong lingual power. He added that concern must be paid to language perfection in order to “preserve its entity and enrich vocabulary”.
Al Hafnawi also praised President Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s initiative to establish Quran Memorizing Centers throughout the country to enrich the Arabic language. (Albawaba.com)
