About Me

Marhaba and welcome to the Arabic Genie website!

My name is Max and I’m an enthusiast for all things Arabic. That includes language, culture and politics. My goal is to make learning Arabic easier for everyone and I am currently developing a number of innovative techniques that are based on mnemonics (memory aids).

I am the author of The Magic Key To The Arabic Alphabet, a course that makes learning the Arabic script extremely easy.

You can download my second book on the Arabic language – 200 Arabic Words You Already ‘Know’ – for free directly from my webpage. The book includes words that are in common beween English and Arabic and that can be readily integrated into your Arabic vocabulary, regardless of your level.

Lately, I have translated a large number of Arabic tattoo designs and have published a huge collection in my digital book Arabic Tattoos.

Apart from Arabic, I enjoy learning languages such as Persian and Chinese. I also speak Spanish, German, French and Dutch. I’ve got an MA degree in Near And Middle Eastern Studies from SOAS, London, and an MPhil in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge.

40 thoughts on “About Me

  1. Hi Max,

    I have been reading your blog from australia and its fantastic, i really enjoy it. I noticed that you did a translation for one of your readers. I was wondering whether you could do the same for me. I would really love to learn Arabic but am a bit flat out right now, but its something i would love to learn one day. I have been through a rough time lately and i want to get a tattoo (in my favourite language Arabic) to symbolise this.

    The words i would love you to translate are;
    From strength comes courage
    Never give up
    Unbreakable
    My family, my heart
    whom I love and cherish, I will protect forever

    I hope thats not too much to ask 🙂

  2. Salam…
    this the first time i see your blog
    great idea!!
    سعدت جداً بالفكرة و المدونة.. رائع
    غادة – مــصر

  3. Thanks for stopping by Ghada! Please take a look around and let me know if you have any ideas for new content.
    بيتي بيتك

     

  4. السلام عليكم ..
    من فضلك أود أن أعرف طرق لتعلم اللغة الفارسية؟؟
    شكراً جزيلاً

  5. Assalam-O-Alaikum. Thanks for remember that lesson of Arabic language which Muslims are forgetting as time passed and run away to English language which is non Muslim language, but all English seepking persons are not non Muslim. I hereby present congratulation to you on your this offer.

  6. Beste Max,
    Ik zou graag een tattoo laten zetten op mijn rechter arm op de zij kant van arm van mijn muis van mijn hand naar beneden naar mijn elleboog.
    Zou jij kunnen vertalen kracht moet en wijsheid
    en ook geloof hoop en liefde.
    Met vriendelijke groet Saskis Hoogveld

  7. kifek Max,

    I reside in australia as a full time student. i am very passionate about my lebanese heritage although unfortunately i was never taught to speak or to write arabic and i am seeking the translation of these two phrases as you have already translated the phrase “nothing is true everything is permitted”. the two phrases i was hoping you would be able to translate for me are “blood is thicker than water” and also if possible “the house of my family” as i have not mentioned yet i am quite a bit of a tattoo indulgent and have not yet had any arabic written on my body and in a way i feel i owe it to my grandparents… shukaran.

    much thanks joshua…

    p.s. forgive my few poor attempts at arabic.

  8. hi i would like to ask if you would be able to show me how الأسرة إلى الأبد ” family, forever” would look when designed as a tatto? maybe with a few decorative elements and letters writen as aesthetic features.. 🙂 thanks

  9. hi this is syed mohd burhan uddin from andhra pradesh . i wanna ask some questions about arabic magic. that has to remove the devils from the human beings. so what the way to do it. .as the patient is in madina.

  10. Hello Mr. Maddocks;
    السلام عليكم
    My name is Mahmoud Darwesh, and I am a translator. I was surfing the internet when I came across this site, and I love it. I would be more than happy to help in anything you or any of your visitors may require.

  11. As-salaama Aleikum. Thank you for your website. I am at the beginners’ Arabic stage and I have a question. Why is Arabic script so small? If I zoom in to try to make it easier to read the characters get jumbled up. This applies to all the Arabic script I have seen, not just your website. The only exception is in some children’s books. I should be very pleased if someone could explain this to me. Do Arabs have better eyesight?

  12. Wa alaikum as-salam! This is something I notice frequently too. In fact, I edited the code on my website to display the Arabic sript in a larger size already and I think it’s much easier to read than on other sites. However, most websites use a tiny font-size and I usually just zoom in to read the text. If anyone knows the answer as to why everyone uses such a small font, I’d be very interested to find out too.

  13. hi arabic genie,

    Can you please translate, ” Forever, for always and no matter what”.
    I would really appreciate it.

    Thank you!
    Evelyn

  14. Hey Max!
    Wonderful website, so helpful. I just purchased your arbic tattoo collection and I’m really pleased with it. I was hoping however to find some styles for the word ‘understanding’, could you please translate that one for me and provide in the four fonts? Thank you so much for your time
    Best Wishes
    Suzi

  15. Hi there (:
    i really loved your blog and was amazed by the many languages you can speak ما شاء الله
    😉
    As i am learning English i noticed that there are many words in common between English and Arabic so i was very blessed to see them in one book.

    thanks a lot.
    i love my native language .. it really is beautiful, but the truth is even we (and by we i mean Arabs) Did not do our language justice 🙁
    and we are also learning how to speak the The original Arabic.

    it’s enchanting, and it takes a long term of learning for non-arabs to sense that
    i’m really proud of it (:

  16. Hi,
    this is a really great blog! Fantastic work! I was looking for some words and quotes and I found most of them and I want to thank you. I will really appreaciate if you could tell me how to write on arabic this 2 phrases, without any explainations, just the phrases:
    1. “You only live once” or “You live only once”
    2. “I am relentless” or “I am unbreakable”
    Thank you in advance.

  17. Hola Max! te escribo desde Argentina, hace tiempo que quiero hacerme un tatoo con el significado de mi nombre en árabe. Mi nombre es Celina y significa “caída del cielo”. Buscando posibles traducciones me encontré con esta المفاجئة, me gustaría si tu puedes, decirme si es correcta la traducción para no hacerme un tatoo equivocado.
    Desde ya, te doy las gracias!!! muy bueno tu blog y tu trabajo! Saludos!

  18. Hi there, I really want to know the arabic transalation for this phrase: “God is my strength” Im planing to have a tattoo. Tnx.. looking forward to your response.

  19. Hi,
    I am trying to figure out what this says in arabic. file://localhost/Users/bella/Library/Application%20Support/iLifeAssetManagement/assets/sub/01140cdb185fd6f508ffef6d97cd0781fbf0ebade7/IMG_2415.PNG
    hopefully you can help!

  20. hello arabic genie!! ..im very interested in the arabic symbol ” beauty ” for my tattono…can you please tell me the symbol in the ( 3 different fonts if you can ) in ” beauty “..please & thank you!

  21. I’m thinking about getting a tattoo & I want to choose between :
    بفضل الله and الحمدلله which do you think is a better tattoo idea? I want to remember to be thankful for what I have. I know the difference between the two but I am still torn.

  22. Wow!! that’s beautiful work! Awesome work .. Congrats 🙂 you’re the best.
    Thank you so much for sharing your talent!!

  23. Hello 😀 im not very good in english so please try to understand me
    can you help me to translate “You only live once” into arabic please

  24. Hello Mr. Maddocks,

    My name is Philipp and I am from Austria.
    I found after a long search to your page. I would be very grateful if you could help me. Can you give me please translate the following sentence in Arabic? “Be true to you who you are” If possible please in different fonts.
    This set would be for my first tattoo.
    Your site is just great.
    Thank you very much in advance.

  25. hi , I’m batool dasan from Jordan , I’m Arabic Teacher for non speakers, it’s really very nice website! I’m ready to connect for any help, thanks !

  26. Many thanks to you Maddock….you are the great linguist ever. my zeal and zest for learning Arabic is fully inspired today after getting your website.

    will you and your Arabic teachers help me to learn Arabic in full context. i will be eager to read your response in my mail:

  27. Hey Max, I just wanted to say a big thank you to you for your Arabic Alphabet book. It really helped me out a lot

  28. Hi Max
    I’m from Brazil and I have many Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan virtual friends

    they speak the language / dialect that I can’t find
    or even any type of reference,

    they tell me that its the “arabc-french”, for example words like:

     – Omri- Wah khetitou moût 3lik 9anoun – balbezef – Chehale tabeghi lebehare or ta3eraf tasawar me3ah, nbghoook bsah rakii s3iiiba chwiiy – 44444 – bazoooof

    always using letters and numbers.

    As I see you are a student of the Arabic language in its various forms,
    I would like to know if you know this writing and, if so, where and how to find out more details.

    Many thanks for your kindness.

    a big hug direct from Brazil

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Learn the Arabic script effortlessly, without need for rote memorization or hours of repetition.

Memory aids in the form of images make all letters stick in your brain..

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book1

Over 1400 Arabic Tattoo Designs based on 284 Arabic phrases - instant download!

This is the biggest Arabic tattoos collection around. Which design will you choose?

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book2

Free - Download "200 Arabic Words You Already Know" and increase your Arabic vocabulary painlessly.

Over 200 Arabic words that you can assimilate effortlessly.

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book3