Is it permissible to learn the Arabic language before memorizing any surah from the Qur’an, other than Al-Fatiha, acting upon the saying of Ibn Mas’ud: "When any of us learned ten verses, he would not move on until he understood their meanings and acted upon them"?

A Muslim must correct his faith and know what makes his individual obligation valid, such as the rulings on prayer, purification, and fasting. He is also required to learn Al-Fatiha, as prayer is not valid without it.

As for the Arabic language, its knowledge is a collective obligation (fard kifaya) upon the entire Ummah, because it is a means to understand the Qur’an and the Sunnah. A Muslim must learn from it what enables him to fulfill his individual obligation in prayer, concerning recitation and remembrances, as these are not permissible in a language other than Arabic. Knowing Arabic is a personal obligation (fard 'ayn) because understanding the Book and the Sunnah is an obligation that cannot be completed without it, and whatever is necessary to complete an obligation is itself an obligation. Some aspects of it are individual obligations, and some are collective obligations.