How old were you at that time when your father migrated to the Levant?

Al-Hawini: How old were you, O our Shaykh, at the time of the...?

The Shaykh : What I remember is that when I settled in Damascus and made it my home, I was nine years old.
Yes, yes, indeed.

The questioner : Did you speak Arabic well at that time?

The Shaykh : I did not know anything of the Arabic language; in fact, I did not know anything of the Arabic letters. It seems that there was no concern from my father (may Allah have mercy on him) in teaching us, even though he was the imam of a mosque and perhaps the teacher of a kuttab (primary school). So, when we came to Damascus, we did not know anything of reading and writing, as they say in our region in Syria: "We do not know the five from the blackboard, nor the alif from the long stick." The long stick is the one the kuttab teacher used to employ when he wanted to catch a child who was misbehaving. [He laughs]The Shaykh : (may Allah have mercy on him), so he enrolled me in a school there that was a scientific school for a charitable association named "Al-I'saf al-Khayri Association." There, I began my schooling.
And naturally, due to mixing with the students, my learning of the Arabic language, or rather the Levantine dialect, was stronger than that of those who were not affiliated with the school. I remember clearly that, perhaps due to my advanced age relative to the primary school students, I surpassed the first and second grades in one year. Therefore, I obtained the primary school certificate in four years. It seems that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) had created me with a love for the Arabic language, and this love was the reason, as a material cause after the divine grace, that I was distinguished and excelled my Syrian classmates in the science of Arabic language and grammar. I also remember clearly that the teacher of language and grammar, when he would write a sentence or a verse of poetry on the board and ask the students about the grammatical analysis (i'rab) of that sentence or verse, Al-Albani would be the last one asked. I was known at that time as "Al-Arna'ut," and then the word "Al-Albani." So, when I left school and began to write, because the word "Al-Arna'ut" is a general term similar to or corresponding to "Arabs." Just as the Arabs are divided into peoples, including the Egyptian, the Levantine, the Hijazi, and so on; likewise, the Arnauts are divided into, for example, Albanians, Serbs (Yugoslavs, I mean), and Bosnians. So, between the word "Albanian" and the word "Al-Arna'ut" — and peace be upon you, welcome — and the word "Al-Arna'ut" in its generality and specificity, the Albanian is more specific than the Arnaut. Yes, so the grammar teacher would call me out last if the students failed to analyze the grammar; he would call out, "O Arnaut, what do you say?" and I would hit the mark with one word. Then he would turn and taunt the Syrians with me, saying,The Shaykh : [He laughs] (may Allah have mercy on him), "It is not shameful for you, this is an Arnaut." Yes, and this is from the grace of Allah upon me.
Other than that?