Classical Arabic (CA), also known as
Quranic Arabic, is the form of the
Arabic language used in literary texts from
Umayyad and
Abbasid times (7th to 9th centuries). It is based on the Medieval dialects of
Arab tribes.
Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is the direct descendant used today throughout the
Arab World in writing and in formal speaking, for example, prepared speeches, some radio broadcasts, and non-entertainment content. While the
lexis and
stylistics of Modern Standard Arabic are different from Classical Arabic, the
morphology and
syntax have remained basically unchanged (though MSA uses a subset of the syntactic structures available in CA). The
vernacular dialects, however, have changed more dramatically. In the
Arab world, little distinction is made between CA and MSA, and both are normally called (
الفصحى) in Arabic, meaning "the most eloquent (Arabic language)".
Because the
Qur'an is written in Classical Arabic, the language is considered by most Muslims to be
sacred. It is mostly the language in which Muslims recite their prayers, regardless of what language they use in everyday life.