Raising Bilingual Muslim Kids: Arabic, Urdu and More

“Beta, Urdu mein bolo!” “Kalam bil-‘arabi!” “Türkçe konuş!” In Muslim homes across London, Detroit, Toronto, Berlin and Sydney, parents say some version of this every day, usually to a child who answers in English.

Keeping a heritage language alive in a country where everyone speaks something else is hard work. It’s also worth it. This guide covers why it matters, what tends to help, where Qur’anic Arabic fits, and what to do when your child just won’t speak it.

Why heritage language matters

Family

For many children, their grandparents, aunts and cousins speak their home language best. A child who can chat with Nani, Teta or Babaanne gets a relationship that a translated conversation never quite gives. (See our guide to grandparents and extended family.)

Identity

Language carries jokes, proverbs, songs and ways of seeing the world. For children growing up as a minority, it’s one more thing that says “you belong somewhere, and that somewhere is rich and old”.

Deen

Islam itself honours the variety of human languages:

Evidence · Qur’an

وَمِنْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ خَلْقُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَٰفُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَٰنِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَٰتٍۢ لِّلْعَٰلِمِينَ

“And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge.”

Evidence · Qur’an

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا بِلِسَانِ قَوْمِهِۦ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَهُمْ ۖ فَيُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ

“And We did not send any messenger except [speaking] in the language of his people to state clearly for them…”

Your child’s languages are a sign of Allah, not a problem to fix. And for many families, the home language is also the language of the masjid, the Islamic stories and the duas grandparents taught.

What research says

Many families worry that a second language will hold their child back at school. Here’s the general picture that child-language specialists share.

A few things are commonly observed in bilingual children:

• They may mix languages in one sentence. That’s normal and often shows skill, not confusion.
• One language may be stronger for a while. Usually the school language takes over once they start school.
• Vocabulary is spread across languages. A child may know “kitchen” words in Urdu and “school” words in English.

If you’re ever worried about your child’s speech, talk to your health visitor, doctor or a speech and language therapist, and tell them about every language your child hears. Don’t stop speaking your home language because of a worry; ask a professional first.

Strategies

There’s no single right method. Pick what fits your family, and be consistent.

• One parent, one language. Each parent speaks their own language to the child. Useful in mixed-heritage homes, for example a Somali mum and a Bosnian dad.
• Home language at home. Everyone speaks the heritage language at home; English is for outside. Works well when both parents share a language.
• Time or place rules. Arabic at breakfast and in the car; Turkish on weekends; Malay with grandparents.
• Rich input. Bedtime stories, songs, nursery rhymes and cartoons in the home language. Children need to hear a lot of a language before they speak it.
• Real reasons to speak. Video calls with relatives who don’t speak English, a holiday “back home”, a Saturday language class with friends.
• Make it fun, never a punishment. If speaking Urdu only happens when they’re being told off, they’ll learn to dislike it.

Qur’anic Arabic vs spoken Arabic

These are related but different goals, and it helps to separate them.

Evidence · Qur’an

إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ قُرْءَٰنًا عَرَبِيًّۭا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

“Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an that you might understand.”

Qur’anic Arabic is for reading the Qur’an correctly and, over time, understanding it and our salah. It usually starts with letters and short surahs, then grows into tajwid (correct recitation) and meaning. See our guide on teaching kids Qur’an at home.

Spoken Arabic (Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, Moroccan and many more dialects) is for conversation with family and friends. It differs from the Qur’an’s classical Arabic, though it shares lots of roots and words.

What this means for you:

• If your home language isn’t Arabic, you don’t need to choose. Keep your home language for daily life, and teach Qur’anic Arabic for worship. Many children happily learn three or four languages this way.
• If your home language is Arabic, your child has a head start. Point out words they know when you read Qur’an together: rahma, kitab, samaa’.
• Understanding matters as well as reading. Even a few words of meaning in each surah make salah feel more alive. Start with the words of Al-Fatihah.

From the very start, the first words you share about Allah can be in any language your family speaks. (See first words: teaching toddlers about Allah.)

When kids answer in English

Almost every bilingual family hits this stage. You speak Urdu; your child replies in English. Often it starts around the time they begin school.

• It’s normal. Their understanding of your language is still growing, even if they reply in English. That passive understanding is valuable.
• Keep going. Keep speaking your language. Many children start speaking it again later, especially on a trip, with cousins, or as teens who feel proud of their roots.
• Respond, don’t refuse. Rather than “I won’t answer unless you speak Arabic”, try repeating their sentence back in Arabic, then carry on.
• Praise every attempt. Laugh with them at mistakes, never at them. Many children stop because they feel embarrassed.
• Don’t shame. Comparing them with a cousin who speaks perfectly rarely helps.

Resources

• Community classes. Many masjids and community centres run weekend classes in Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Somali, Bengali, Malay and more.
• Books. Dual-language picture books are widely available, and libraries in many cities stock books in community languages. Ask at yours.
• Family. Grandparents are often the best teachers you have. Ask them to tell stories, sing songs and teach recipes in your language.
• Media, with care. Cartoons and songs in your language help, but choose carefully and watch together.

Raising children with more than one language is a gift that lasts their whole life. For the bigger picture of raising children with a strong, confident identity, see raising Muslim kids in the West.