About the Department

Arabic Language اللغة العربية like Hebrew and Aramaic, belongs to the semitic family of languages which originated in Northwest of the Arabian Peninsula. Its early manifestations date back as far as the 8th century BCE. It was a fully developed language before the advent of Islam in 610 CE. The seven famous odes المُعَلَّقات السبعُ which have been written by the famous great poets of the pre-Islamic period, are a witness to it. 

The revelation of Holy Quran القرآن الكريم  was the most significant event in the history of Arabic language and literature. It did not only challenge the deviant religious ideas, themes and weltanschauung of the people of that time, it also was a linguistic challenge to the then Arabs who considered others dumb. It also remarkably contributed to the structure and style of the Arabic language. It introduced Arabs to a different and advanced style of prose. With the spread of the message of the Quran among the non-Arab people of adjacent areas, their Arabization also took place. 

Presently there are three types of Arabic: Classical Arabic, i.e. the language of Quran, Hadith, and all other literature written in it before the birth of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) which differs from Classical Arabic in stylistic and lexical considerations. It is now a lingua franca of almost 24 countries in West Asia (Middle East) and North Africa. It is taught in education institutions, used in journalism and Media and in all official communications. The third version of Arabic is Spoken Arabic having almost thirty dialects some of which are mutually unintelligible.    

Arabic now is a liturgical language of almost 1.9 billion Muslims who know it to varying degrees. It is the 5^th most widely spoken Language in the world and one of the sixth languages in the United Nations. Interestingly, the history of Arabic in the subcontinent goes back to its pre-Islamic relationship with India. It is said that Indians came into contact with Arabs in approximately 50 CE when Arab sailors first docked at Indian ports in order to acquire spices. Thus, with reference to such historical making the teaching and learning of Arabic language and literature attains much significance in the subcontinental institutions of humanities, and the department of Arabic, Government Degree College Kupwara is one such step to generate the learning of Arabic language, culture and society. This department is as old as the college itself. Since the very beginning it has been striving to disseminate knowledge of different sciences of Arabic language and literature among the students. Eminent Professors like Prof. Farooq Ahmad Malik, Prof. Mohd. Ashraf Pir and Prof. Abdul Hamid Shah have served the department and contributed towards producing numerous students who have been serving the community in different fields. 

Courses with reference to National Educational Policy (NEP-2020)

The department has always been dynamic to adapt different policies, and to implement the National Education Policy (NEP-2020), it has geared-up to prove as one of the richest choices in the Skill Enhancement Course (SEC) scheme. In this direction, the department has been at the fore-front to offer different courses based on a range of sciences of Arabic language like الصرف, النحو, الرسم, الإنشاء, البيان, البديع, المعاني, التاريخ, etc. Such learning makes the students competent to avail the huge market value of Arabic language in the world.  

Translation being one of the most significant areas of language learning and cultural exchange is highly focused in the course structure of the department and all efforts are made to develop this skill in the students. Besides, the department has also a privilege of offering B.A. (Honours) in Arabic with a range of courses on Classical as well as Modern Arabic Literature. Furthermore, the courses like Arabic Literature in India and Migrant Literature add to the dynamism of the department in its course scheme. 

Vision

The Department of Arabic envisions becoming one of the leading departments of higher education in the country to disseminate the knowledge of the rich cultural and literary heritage of the Arabs. It promotes high standards of excellence in the creation and preservation of knowledge through teaching and training of Arabic language and literature with multiple dimensions.

Mission

• To train the students in the field of translation to advanced level. 
• To impart quality education of Arabic at all levels of teaching i.e. grammar, translation, language and literature.
• To develop proficiency of Arabic among the students to the level of enabling them to read without vowel signs (الحركات) and vowel endings (الإعراب).
• To reinforce students’ motivation towards scientific research at the different levels of specialization.
• To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, symposia in order to give students basic information about Arab societies and cultures.