Arabic is a Semitic language used by more than a billion Arabs and Muslims around the world. Originally spoken in Arabia, the language spread with the rise of Islam (AD 610) into many regions, including North Africa, the Indian subcontinent, China, Asia Minor, and the Iberian Peninsula. Since the Middle Ages, Arabic has left its mark on numerous languages. English, for instance, borrowed thousands of words, such as: admiral, adobe, alcohol, atlas, average, coffee, cotton, gazelle, jar, mattress, rice, sofa, sugar, tariff, and zero.

Arabic is either the national language or a major language of approximately 250 millions inhabitants of the Arab world. In addition, African countries like Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Tanzania recognize Arabic as an official language. Hundreds of Arabic literary works have been translated into other world languages.

Arabic is the religious language of Muslims who belong to diverse nationalities and ethnic groups. It is also the language of the Qur’an, Islam’s holy book. Not all Muslims speak Arabic, but learning Arabic for Muslims usually facilitates performance of religious rites such as daily prayers.