بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Learning to read Arabic
As Muslims, we should interact with the Quran in its original form, as no translation can do it justice. Learning to read Arabic is the first crucial step.
In fact, Allah encourages us to read and memorize His Book by saying:
And We have certainly made the Quran easy to remember. (Al-Qamar, 40)
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is reported to say:
Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah gets credited with a good deed, and the good deed receives a ten-fold reward. (at-Tirmidhi)
Learning to read the Qur'an
To simplify the task, let's split it into smaller steps:
1. Learn Arabic alphabet, i.e. letter names and their shapes;
2. Recognize the different forms letters take within words;
3. Read words with harakat-diacritics (an equivalent of vowels in English).
4. Learn other simple rules related to reading (e.g. tashdeed, maad).
5. Apply tajweed rules to read the Quran.
Each step can take some time, that will depend on how much focus and effort you put. One thing is certain, it is a doable task that gets accomplished through practice.
Our apps can help
If you are an absolute beginner, we recommend looking into our apps:
1. Joode: will teach you the letters.
2. Read Arabic: will help you recognize the letters within words.
Of course the apps are not enough to start reading, but they will serve as a good basis to build upon with a teacher.
Eventually, you'll need a teacher
You need a teacher to pronounce the letters correctly, as Arabic has sounds that English and other European languages don't have. To learn with a teacher, check your local mosque, usually they have Tajweed classes.
For online learning, check Kiflayn. They do an affordable online class for various levels. Not an ad, rather I'm recommending it as one of the family members took a course with them. They have a free assessment of your tajweed level.
And may Allah make us all successful!