All the following posts have been taken from:

http://arabicgems.wordpress.com

Note: I do not necessarily agree with every thing posted here and may even differ on
some issues but these are being posted as they are except minor changes in a couple of
headings and minor format improvement in a few posts. This is being presented just for
education purposes and backup purposes and readers are suggested to independently
verify the posts.

Oldest posts are mentioned first

1. Precision

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

One of the most beautiful things about the Arabic language is the richness of its vocabulary and
its rhetorical devices. Although the vocabulary is only rich in culturally-specific areas, it does
indeed excel in them.

Ibn Khalawayh said that the Arabs have five hundred names for the lion, and two hundred
names for the snake. Whether these names (and others like them) are absolute synonyms is a
point of contention among the linguists, but I believe the strongest opinion among them is that
there are shades of differences among the meanings of each one and no two mean exactly the
same thing.

Some examples of this precision in vocabulary:

A bare dinner table is called a khiwaan ‫ﺧِﻮان‬. When it is laden with food it becomes a maa'idah
‫ﻣﺎﺋﺪة‬.

An empty drinking glass is called a koob ‫ آﻮب‬or a qadah ‫ ﻗﺪح‬. When it has liquid in it, it
becomes a ka's ‫آﺄس‬.

The wind that blows between two winds is called a nakbaa' ‫ﻧﻜﺒﺎء‬.

The wind that is so soft it does not shake the trees is called a naseem ‫ﻧﺴﻴﻢ‬.

The verb that describes eating all that is on the dinner table is iqtamma ‫اِﻗﺘ ّﻢ‬.

The verb that describes drinking all that is in a vessel is ishtaffa ‫ﻒ‬
ّ ‫اﺷﺘ‬.

The verb that describes an infant drinking all its mother's milk is imtakka ‫ﻚ‬
ّ ‫اﻣﺘ‬.

The verb that describes milking a camel of all that is in its udders is nahaka ‫ﻧﻬﻚ‬.

The verb that describes taking all the water out of a well is nazafa ‫ﻧﺰف‬.

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It is no wonder then that some of the jurists said,

‫ﻲ‬
ّ ‫آﻼم اﻟﻌﺮب ﻻ ﻳﺤﻴﻂ ﺑﻪ إﻻ ﻧﺒ‬

"No one can have full knowledge of the language of the Arabs other than a Prophet."

2. Every Letter in its Place

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

In Sūrah al-Shu‘arā’ (77-81), Prophet Ibrāhīm ('alayhi al-salaam) speaks about the blessings
that Allāh has bestowed upon him:

‫ﺧَﻠ َﻘﻨِﻲ‬
َ ‫ﻦ َﻓ ُﻬ َﻮ اﱠﻟﺬِي‬
ِ ‫َﻳﻬْﺪِﻳ‬

Who has created me, and it is He Who guides me

‫ﻦ ُه َﻮ وَاﱠﻟﺬِي‬
ِ ‫ُﻳﻄْ ِﻌ ُﻤﻨِﻲ َو َﻳﺴْﻘِﻴ‬

And it is He Who feeds me and gives me to drink.

‫ﺖ‬
ُ ْ‫ﻦ َﻓ ُﻬ َﻮ َوِإذَا َﻣ ِﺮﺿ‬
ِ ‫َﻳﺸْﻔِﻴ‬

And when I am ill, it is He who cures me;

‫ﻦ‬
ِ ‫وَاﱠﻟﺬِي ُﻳﻤِﻴ ُﺘﻨِﻲ ُﺛﻢﱠ ُﻳﺤْﻴِﻴ‬

And Who will cause me to die, and then will bring me to life (again)

Prophet Ibrāhīm tells his people that Allaah is the One who guides him, feeds him, cures him,
and will resurrect him. When he spoke about the first three instances - guidance, sustenance,
and curing - he used the word huwa (‘he’), even though the meaning is complete without this
word. Yet when it came to mentioning death and resurrection, Ibrāhīm did not use the word
huwa.

The word huwa in these instances has been used because guidance, substance and health are
often attributed to other than Allaah. How often do we hear the words, “That brother guided me
to the Deen,” and “My parents provide for me,” and “The doctor cured me.” Thus, the word
huwa has been used to indicate that all guidance, sustenance and cure are rather from Allaah,

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and from no-one else. But when it comes to the issue of resurrection, nobody claims that it is
from other than Allaah, so the emphasis was not needed.

3. All that has a trunk is a tree

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

There are endless gems to be extracted from the depth, breadth and precision of Arabic
vocabulary, and among the many books which put some such gems on display is the classic
Fiqh al-Lughah wa Sirr al-'Arabiyyah by Abu Mansur al-Tha'aalibi. His book is divided into
two sections, the first of which is almost exclusively a lexicographical study that arranges
words according to a wider quality that they share, rather than alphabetically.

The first such entry deals with words that are found in the Qur'an, and offers a broader meaning
for them.

Below are some examples given by al-Tha'aalibi. I have italicised the word that is used in the
Qur'an, and added a reference to some of the instances in which it is used in the Qur'an,
followed by the most common translation of the word in bold. This is to compare the actual
meaning with the meaning conveyed through translation. It should be noted that while these are
the broader linguistic meanings, they may not apply in every instance the word is used in the
Qur'an as the meaning may be restricted according to its context. The benefit of this knowledge
is rather to see how the words used in the Qur'an were developed and their wider meanings.

• Everything that is above you and offers you shade is a samaa'. (sky; 3:5, 10:31)
• Every square-shaped building is a ka'bah (5:95, 5:97)
• Everything that crawls ('dabba') on the face of the Earth is a daabbah (animal, beast;
2:164, 6:38 )
• Every part of the body that one is shy to uncover is a 'awrah (33:13)
• Every plant that has a trunk is known as a shajarah (tree, 2:35, 7:22)
• Every garden surrounded by a wall is a hadeeqah (pl. is hadaa'iq) (garden, 27:60,
78:32, 80:30)
• Every difficult calamity that befalls man is a qaari'ah (101:1-2, 69:4)

4. A ‘ayn for a ‘ayn

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

As the new student begins to learn Arabic vocabulary, one of the things that immediately strikes
them is that a single word will often have many different shades of meaning. This phenomenon
is known as al-Ishtiraak (lit. 'sharing', 'association') and such words are referred to as being a
mushtarak lafdhee ‫اﻟﻠﻔﻈﻲ اﻟﻤﺸﺘﺮك‬.

Knowledge of this branch of Arabic is important because it often deeply enriches their
understanding of the wonders and miracle of the Qur'an, as well as deepening their appreciation

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for the language of the Qur'an itself. Thus, it is a topic that many scholars dealt with, either in
independant books devoted entirely to the subject or as chapters within other books.

One such word is the word al-'ayn ‫اﻟﻌﻴﻦ‬. Lexicologists differed as to how many meanings this
word has precisely; al-Fayroozabaadi mentions in al-Qaamoos that it has 47 meanings, while
Muhammad al-Fasee said in his "Annotations on the Qaamoos" that it has over 100 meanings,
and 17 of them appear in the Qur'an. Among its meanings are the eye, the spring [of water], the
hollow of the knee, the ballista (type of cross-bow), and buds of plants.

One example of this from the Qur'an is the word du'aa' ‫دﻋﺎء‬, among the meanings of which are
as follows. The alternate meanings are in bold, and the verse as it is commonly translated is in
italics (Saheeh Intl. translation) to show that the variations in meaning are not reflected outright.

1. Worship, as in 10:106:

‫ع َوﻟَﺎ‬
ُ ْ‫ن اﻟﱠﻠ ِﻪ ﻣَﺎ ﻟَﺎ َﺗﺪ‬
ِ ‫ﻀﺮﱡك ِﻣﻦْ دُو‬
ُ ‫ﻚ َوﻟَﺎ َﻳ‬
َ ‫َﻳﻨْ َﻔ ُﻌ‬

And do not invoke (‫ع‬

ُ ْ‫ ) َﺗﺪ‬besides Allah that which neither b enefits you nor harms you, for if you
did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers.

2. Seeking the help of others, as in 2:23:

‫ﻋﺒْ ِﺪﻧَﺎ‬
َ ‫ﻋﻠَﻰ‬
َ ‫ﺐ ﱢﻣﻤﱠﺎ َﻧ ﱠﺰﻟْﻨَﺎ‬
ٍ ْ‫ﺷ َﻬﺪَاءآُﻢ ﻣﱢﻦ وَادْﻋُﻮاْ َﻓﺄْﺗُﻮاْ ِﺑﺴُﻮ َر ٍة ﻣﱢﻦ ﱢﻣﺜِْﻠ ِﻪ َوإِن آُﻨ ُﺘﻢْ ﻓِﻲ َرﻳ‬
ُ ‫ﻦ‬
َ ‫ن اﻟّﻠ ِﻪ ِإنْ ُآﻨْ ُﺘﻢْ ﺻَﺎ ِدﻗِﻴ‬
ِ ‫دُو‬

And if you are in doubt concerning what We have sent down upon Our Servant, then produce a
surah the like thereof and call upon (ْ‫ )وَادْﻋُﻮا‬your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be
truthful.

3. Making a request, as in 40:60:

‫ل َرﺑﱡ ُﻜ ُﻢ‬
َ ‫ﺠﺐْ ادْﻋُﻮﻧِﻲ َوﻗَﺎ‬
ِ ‫َﻟﻜُﻢ َأﺳْ َﺘ‬

And your Lord says, "Call upon Me (‫ ;)ادْﻋُﻮﻧِﻲ‬I will respond to you."

4. A call, as in 17:52:

‫ن َﻳﺪْﻋُﻮ ُآﻢْ َﻳﻮْ َم‬

َ ‫ﺤﻤْ ِﺪ ِﻩ َﻓ َﺘﺴْ َﺘﺠِﻴﺒُﻮ‬
َ ‫ِﺑ‬

On the Day He will call you (ْ‫ ) َﻳﺪْﻋُﻮ ُآﻢ‬and you will respond with praise of Him

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5. Naming someone something, as in 24:63,

‫ل َﺑﻴْ َﻨ ُﻜﻢْ ُدﻋَﺎ َء ﻟَﺎ َﺗﺠْ َﻌﻠُﻮا‬

ِ ‫ﻀ ُﻜﻢْ َﺑﻌْﻀًﺎ اﻟ ﱠﺮﺳُﻮ‬
ِ ْ‫َآ ُﺪﻋَﺎ ِء َﺑﻌ‬

Do not make [your] calling (‫ء‬

َ ‫ ) ُدﻋَﺎ‬of the Messenger among yourselves as the call of one of you
to another.

5. Like a crumbled mountain

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

Many languages of the world contain words that reflect certain concepts that are hard to capture
by a single word in any other language. One example is the word 'ilunga' in the Tshiluba
language, which means 'a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate
it a second time, but never a third time.' Such words in a language can help us to understand the
ideology and culture of its people, and offer insight into their principles and values.

There are many such words in Arabic, especially when it comes to religiously-orientated terms
related to subtle inner emotions. One such example is the word khushoo' ‫ﺧﺸﻮع‬. It is normally
translated in English Islamic literature as 'submission' or 'humlity', while the English meaning
of 'submission', for example, is closer to the Arabic istislaam ‫اﺳﺘﺴﻼم‬. The true meaning of
khushoo' is closer to "a state of total humility to the extent of becoming motionless, silent,
fearful and subservient. For the Muslim, it carries the sentiments of emotional appreciation of
the greatness of Allah, mixed with love, submission and fear." [*] Taaj al-'Aroos speaks about
the word khaashi' (the active participle) as referring to a herb that has dried up and fallen on the
ground; or a wall that has cracked, and so falls then becomes even with the ground.

Deep knowledge of the precise meanings and connotations of such words is vital to the life of
the Muslim. For example, Allaah describes the true believers in the beginning of Surah al-
Mu'minoon, one characteristic of whom is,

ْ‫ﺻﻠَﺎ ِﺗ ِﻬﻢ‬
َ ‫ﻦ ُهﻢْ ﻓِﻲ‬
َ ‫ن اﱠﻟﺬِﻳ‬
َ ‫ﺷﻌُﻮ‬
ِ ‫ﺧَﺎ‬

translated as, "Those who offer their prayers with all solemnity and full submissiveness."

But for the Muslim to take this as their aim in their prayer would be falling behind the mark,
because they would not taste the full meaning of how they should be during salaah.

Yet Allaah even gives hints in the Qur'an as to how this should be, by using the same word He
used to describe the believers in their prayer, to describe the state of how a mountain would be
had it borne the weight of the Qur'an,

‫ﻞ ﱠﻟ َﺮَأﻳْ َﺘ ُﻪ‬
ٍ ‫ﺟ َﺒ‬
َ ‫ﻋﻠَﻰ‬
َ ‫ن‬
َ ‫ل ﺧَﺎﺷِﻌًﺎ َﻟﻮْ أَﻧ َﺰﻟْﻨَﺎ َهﺬَا اﻟْ ُﻘﺮْﺁ‬
ُ ‫ﻚ اﻟَْﺄﻣْﺜَﺎ‬
َ ْ‫ﺧﺸْ َﻴ ِﺔ اﻟﱠﻠ ِﻪ َو ِﺗﻠ‬
َ ْ‫ﺼﺪﱢﻋًﺎ ﱢﻣﻦ‬
َ ‫ن ﱡﻣ َﺘ‬
َ ‫س َﻟ َﻌﱠﻠ ُﻬﻢْ َﻳ َﺘ َﻔ ﱠﻜﺮُو‬
ِ ‫َﻧﻀْ ِﺮ ُﺑﻬَﺎ ﻟِﻠﻨﱠﺎ‬

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Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbling itself and
rending asunder by the fear of Allah. Such are the parables which We put forward to mankind
that they may reflect. (al-Hashr, 21)

Such is the wonder of Allah's parables, that even though the words used in their translation do
not reflect the full depth of meaning of the original word, yet the parable itself connotes the
deeper meaning…that the example of the successful believer, when he stands before Allaah in
his prayer, is like that of a crumbled mountain.
[*] Taken from Contemplation: An Islamic Pyschospiritual study by Dr. Malik Badri

6. A little act that goes a long way

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

One of the issues encountered when translating any text into another language is the extent to
which dynamic or formal equivalence should be retained in the translation. One of the levels of
connotation lost in translation relates to the semantic function of a word's morphology, and this
is especially true when translating the Qur'an into English.

This concept can be further simplified and clarified by mentioning a simple rule in Arabic
balaghah (rhetoric): the use of a noun indicates continuity and permanence, while the use
of a verb indicates the occurence and regeneration of the act. This can be seen on some
levels in English also; ponder the difference, for example, between huwa yata'allam ‫'( ﻳﺘﻌﻠﻢ هﻮ‬he
is learning') and huwa muta'allim ‫'( هﻮ ﻣﺘﻌﻠﻢ‬he is learned'). Both of them refer to the same
essence, but the difference is that one connotes more permanence and stability than the other.

When viewed in the context of the Qur'an, the importance of such knowledge is emphasised
due to the amount of meaning it conveys to the Muslim. For example, in Surah al-Anfal, Allaah
mentions the following verse:

‫ن اﻟﻠّ ُﻪ‬
َ ‫ﺖ ﻓِﻴ ِﻬﻢْ ِﻟ ُﻴ َﻌ ﱢﺬ َﺑ ُﻬﻢْ َوﻣَﺎ آَﺎ‬
َ ‫ن اﻟّﻠ ُﻪ َوأَﻧ‬
َ ‫ن ُﻣ َﻌ ﱢﺬ َﺑ ُﻬﻢْ َوﻣَﺎ آَﺎ‬
َ ‫َو ُهﻢْ َﻳﺴْ َﺘﻐْ ِﻔﺮُو‬

which is translated into "And Allah would not punish them while you (Muhammad SAW) are
amongst them, nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's) Forgiveness."

Such a translation does not reflect the reality that Allaah articulated the concept of punishment
using two different forms of word, one a noun (ْ‫ ) ُﻣ َﻌ ﱢﺬ َﺑ ُﻬﻢ‬and one a verb (ْ‫)ِﻟ ُﻴ َﻌ ﱢﺬ َﺑ ُﻬﻢ‬. Thus, a more
correct [albeit more clumsy-sounding] translation would be, 'Allaah would not punish them
while you are among them, nor would He be their punisher while they sought His Forgiveness."

And when viewed in light of the connotations of a verb and a noun, the underlying meaning of
this verse suggests: As long as Muhammad (sallaa Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) is among a
people, Allaah will not punish them. But since he (sallaa Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) will only
be among them for a short time and will soon pass away, this guarantee against punishment is
only temporary (ْ‫ ِﻟ ُﻴ َﻌ ﱢﺬ َﺑ ُﻬﻢ‬- verb). However, there is a way that the people can secure a continuous,
permanent guarantee that Allaah will not be One who punishes them (ْ‫ ُﻣ َﻌ ﱢﺬ َﺑ ُﻬﻢ‬- noun), and that is

6
by seeking forgiveness from Him, even if they do not do seek the forgiveness constantly and
permanently (‫ن‬َ ‫ َﻳﺴْ َﺘﻐْ ِﻔﺮُو‬- verb).

And such is the mercy of Allaah, seen through grammar.

7. There’s always a first

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

Arabic often has the ability to convey a very precise meaning using a single world, due to the
richness and breadth of its vocabulary. In line with this, scholars of the language would often
compile lexicons based on concepts shared between words rather than alphabetically, and thus
the thesaurus genre in Arabic literature could be seen as early as the 9th Century, predating the
first English thesaurus by approximately nine centuries.

Early on in his book Fiqh al-Lughah wa Sirr al-'Arabiyyah, al-Tha'aalibee presents an

exposition of the words that deals with the 'first of…' matters in Arabic. Among these are:

The first light of the day is known as the subh ‫اﻟﺼُﺒﺢ‬

The first dark of the night is known as the ghasaq ‫اﻟﻐَﺴﻖ‬
The first drizzle of the rain is known as the wasmiyy ‫ﻲ‬ ّ ‫اﻟﻮﺳﻤ‬
The first milk from the udder is known as the libaa' ‫اﻟﻠﱢﺒﺎء‬
The first juice extracted from a fruit is known as the sulaaf ‫اﻟﺴﻼف‬
The first faction of the army is known as the talee'ah ‫اﻟﻄﻠﻴﻌﺔ‬
The first signs of sleep is known as the nu'aas ‫اﻟﻨﱡﻌﺎس‬
The first hours of the night are known as the zulaf ‫ﺰﻟَﻒ‬ ‫اﻟ ﱡ‬
The first signs of water in a well once it has been dug is known as the nabat ‫اﻟ ﱠﻨﺒَﻂ‬

The first garment worn by an infant is known as the 'ilqah ‫اﻟﻌِﻠﻘﺔ‬

The first cry of the baby when he is born is known as the istihlaal ‫اﻻﺳﺘﻬﻼل‬
The first waste to come out of the child's body is known as the 'iqyu ‫ﻲ‬
ُ ‫اﻟِﻌﻘ‬

8. A tree, sent down from above

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

One of phenomena that is immediately noticed among learners of Arabic is that its lexicon
resembles a tree wherein some words are built on and branch out from others that usually take
the form of tri-consonantal roots. This etymological phenomenon in Arabic is known as al-
Ishtiqaaq and there are various theories regarding the complexity of it; this post will cover the
aspect that all the scholars of Arabic agree upon completely.

7
The most well-known example in this is the case of the root letters jeem-noon ‫ن‬-‫ج‬, the general
meaning of which indicates something that is concealed or hidden to the eye. From this root
branch out the words:

• jinn ‫ﻦ‬
‫ﺟﱞ‬ِ referring to the other form of creation that share the world with us whom are
concealed from our sight
• junnah ٌ‫ﺟﻨﱠﺔ‬ ُ referring to a shield, for it conceals parts of the user from the sight of others
• janeen ‫ ﺟﻨﻴﻦ‬referring to a fetus, which is concealed in the womb
• the verb ajanna ‫ﻦ‬ ‫ﺟﱠ‬
َ ‫ َأ‬referring to the act of concealment, as in the phrase ajannahu al-
laylu ‫ﻞ‬
ُ ‫ أﺟﻨﱠ ُﻪ اﻟﻠﻴ‬meaning ‘he was concealed by [the darkness of] the night.’

A less known antithetical root is that of hamzah-noon-seen ‫س‬-‫ن‬-‫ء‬, the general meaning of
which indicates something that is clear and plain to the eyes. Words branching from this root
include:

• al-ins ‫ﺲ‬
ُ ‫ اﻹﻧ‬referring to the human, because they can be seen (as opposed to the jinn
who cannot)[1]
• The verb aanasa ‫ﺲ‬ َ ‫ ﺁ َﻧ‬which means to perceive something, as in the saying of Musa
(‘alayhi al-salaam) in surah Ta-Ha, verse 10,

‫ل ِﻟَﺄهِْﻠ ِﻪ اﻣْ ُﻜﺜُﻮا‬

َ ‫ﺖ ﻧَﺎرًا ِإﻧﱢﻲ ِإذْ َرأَى ﻧَﺎرًا َﻓﻘَﺎ‬
ُ ْ‫ﺁ َﻧﺴ‬

When he saw a fire, he said to his family: “Wait! Verily, I have seen a fire!”

• The verb ista’nasa ‫ﺲ‬

َ ‫ ِاﺳْﺘَﺄ َﻧ‬which means to go out and look for something, i.e. seek that
something is made visible to the eyes.

Although this phenomenon existed in the other Semitic languages, it was not to the same depth
or breadth as it was in Arabic, and due to this many scholars of Arabic argued that the source of
the Arabic language was tawqeefi (i.e. sent down from Allaah), although there was not a
consensus on this view.

Those in support of this theory cited as proof the hadith Qudsi, after which it seems little can be
said:

‫ﺖ اﻟﺮﺣﻢ وﺷﻘﻘﺖ ﻟﻬﺎ ﻣﻦ اﺳﻤﻲ‬

ُ ‫أﻧﺎ اﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ ﺧﻠﻘ‬

“I am The Most Merciful (al-Rahmaan); I created the womb (al-rahim) and derived its name
from Mine.” [2]
[1] Note that some linguists argue that this word is derived from another root meaning ‘to forget’ because man is forgetful.

[2] An authentic hadith reported by Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, and Ahmad

9. Strong words

8
al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

The last post on Ishtiqaaq saw how the scholars of Arabic agreed that words derived from the
same [usually triliteral] root share a common meaning among them.

A number of great classical scholars of Arabic such as al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Faraaheedee,
Abu ‘Ali al-Faarisi, and his student Ibn Jinni, understood this idea even further and suggested
the notion of al-Ishtiqaaq al-Kabeer [1] (‘the Greater Derivation’) wherein they noticed that
three letters within a root - regardless of the order in which the letters are arranged - can also be
said to share in a common meaning.[2] For example, the roots ‫ج‬-‫ر‬-‫ ب‬and ‫ر‬-‫ج‬-‫ ب‬and ‫ر‬-‫ب‬-‫ج‬
and ‫ب‬-‫ر‬-‫ ج‬and ‫ب‬-‫ج‬-‫ ر‬and ‫ج‬-‫ب‬-‫ر‬, along with all their derivations, would all share in one
central theme or meaning, due to their being composed of the same three letters.

In his book al-Khasaa’is, Ibn Jinni elucidated on this phenomenon, providing detailed
descrptions and examples. To continue with the same root mentioned above, Ibn Jinni says that
these three letters combined connote the meaning of strength and power, as in:

1. From the root ‫ر‬-‫ب‬-‫ج‬:

• jabartu al-faqeer ‫ ﺟﺒﺮت اﻟﻔﻘﻴﺮ‬to mean ‘I restored a man from a state of poverty to
wealth.’
• A King is referred to as the jabar ‫ ﺟﺒﺮ‬due to the strength and power he holds.

2. From the root ‫ب‬-‫ر‬-‫ج‬:

• One says about a man that he is mujarrab ‫ﺠﺮﱠب‬ َ ‫ ُﻣ‬if he has gone through a trial, and
strengthened by his experiences.
• A jiraab ‫ ﺟِﺮاب‬refers to a case that protects something else (e.g. travelling provisions, or
a sword) because when something is protected it is strengthened.

3. From the root ‫ر‬-‫ج‬-‫ب‬:

• A bujr ‫ ﺑﺤﺮ‬affair is one which is extremely terrible or momentous.

• The adjective bajeer ‫ ﺑﺠﻴﺮ‬is used to refer to something in abundant, copious amounts.

4. From the root ‫ج‬-‫ر‬-‫ب‬:

• A burj ‫ ﺑُﺮج‬refers to a tower or fortress, due to being self-sufficient in its provisions, and
power to protect those inside and within.
• Baraj ‫ َﺑﺮَج‬is used to describe an eye in which the black and white parts are extremely
strong and pure in their colour.

5. From the root ‫ب‬-‫ج‬-‫ر‬:

• One says rajibtu al-rajula ‫ﻞ‬

َ ‫ﺖ اﻟﺮﺟ‬
ُ ‫ رﺟِﺒ‬if they revere a man, honour him, venerate him,
and regard him with awe.

9
 • The seventh month of the Islamic calendar is known as Rajab ‫ رﺟﺐ‬because the Arabs
held this month in such strong esteem that they forbade fighting in this month.

6. From the root ‫ج‬-‫ب‬-‫ر‬:

• The rubaajee ‫ﻲ‬

‫ رُﺑﺎﺟ ﱡ‬is a man who is proud and boastful of his actions more than they
deserve.
[1] While Ibn Jinni referred to this phenomenon as al-Ishtiqaaq al-Akbar (in the superlative form), it is usually known as al-Ishtiqaaq al-Kabeer (in the
elative form).

[2] Note that they acknowledged it could not and would not apply to every root, just as the regular ishtiqaaq

would not apply to every root.

10. Two’s company

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

In continuing the theme of derivation, a third form was noticed among the linguists, commonly
known as al-Ishtiqaaq al-Akbar [1] (’The Greatest Derivation’). One angle of this theory is that
it went one step further and even claimed, in the presence of certain conditions, there was a link
between the common meaning of two triliteral roots that shared only two of the same root
letters.

al-Zamakhshari was enthusiastic about this type of ishtiqaaq and tried to derive common
meanings for the roots that fell into this category. Some such attempts can be seen scattered
through his work on Qur’anic exegesis (tafseer) called al-Kashshaaf. From among his examples
are:

• The verbs nafaqa ‫ﻖ‬ َ ‫[’( َﻧ َﻔ‬something] became spent, exhausted’) and nafada ‫َﻧ َﻔ َﺪ‬
(’[something] came to an end’, became spent) and nafaa ‫’( َﻧﻔَﻰ‬he drove [something]
away, banished [it]‘) are brothers in meaning, the first two root letters of which are noon
‫ ن‬and faa’ ‫ف‬. Similarly, all other roots beginning with these two letters will indicate a
similar meaning related to removal, or deparature.
• When the first two root letters are faa’‫ ف‬and laam ‫ ل‬the meaning indicated is one of
breaking something or opening it up. Thus, one says falaqa ‫ﻖ‬ َ ‫ َﻓَﻠ‬to mean ‘he split [a
thing]‘ (cf: al-Qu’ran, 113:1), falaha ‫ﺢ‬ َ ‫ َﻓَﻠ‬to mean the same thing, falaja ‫ﺞ‬ َ ‫ َﻓَﻠ‬to mean ‘he
divided [a thing]‘, falaa ‫ َﻓﻠَﻰ‬to mean ‘he [dissected the thing until he] examined it in
depth’, and so on.
• Other examples are that words in which the second root letter is a meen ‫ م‬and the third is
a seen ‫ س‬all share the common meaning of secrecy and concealment. Examples of this
are namasa ‫ﺲ‬ َ ‫ َﻧ َﻤ‬to mean ‘he concealed [a secret]‘, tamasa ‫ ﻃﻤﺲ‬to mean ‘[the path or
road or relic etc] became effaced or obliterated’, and ghamasa ‫ﺲ‬ َ ‫ﻏ َﻤ‬
َ to mean ‘he
immersed, or sank [something in something else]‘.
[1] The former type was also known as al-Ishtiqaaq al-Akbar by Ibn Jinni, but as al-Ishtiqaaq al-Kabeer by most other linguists.

10
11. Words are sounds of the heart

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

I thought that my previous entry on Ishtiqaaq marked the end of the linguists’ theories on this
phenomenon, but it turns out there is more.

Rather than looking at the roots as individual units, some scholars of Arabic viewed them
according to their articulation points (makhaarij) or phonological characteristics (sifaat), and
found that when the letters of some roots shared the same (or very close) makhaarij, or when
the letters shared similar phonological characteristics, a link between their meanings could be
found! One theory put forward in explanation of such a deep relationship between the sounds of
words is that it could indicate that early communication was an accoustic expression of what
was in a person’s heart and soul; as what comes from the heart reaches the heart, these
accoustics were well understood by their recipient.

Ibn Jinni spoke about this phenomenon in his book al-Khasaa’is, and gave some examples,
among which are:

• The verb jalafa ‫ﻒ‬ َ ‫ﺟَﻠ‬

َ which refers to peeling something [e.g. the skin off fruit], and the
verb jarama ‫ﺮ َم‬
َ‫ﺟ‬َ which refers to cutting or plucking something off another [e.g. a fruit
from a tree]. While there is a clear relationship between the meaning, it appears
coincidental as these two words only share the first letter in common - the jeem.
However, if their makhaarij are examined [see diagram below], it strikes us that the
second root letters of each word - the laam ‫ ل‬and the raa’ ‫( ر‬coloured dark purple) -
both share the same makhraj, and the third root letters of each word - the faa’ ‫ ف‬and the
meem ‫( م‬coloured light blue) - also both share the same makhraj!

11
Also compare the makhaarij of the following examples:

• One meaning of the word ‘asara ‫ﺮ‬ َ‫ﺼ‬َ ‫ﻋ‬

َ is ‘he withheld, suppressed
[something]‘ coincides with the meaning of the word azala ‫ل‬ َ ‫‘ َأ َز‬he confined, restricted,
contrained, withheld [him].’
• ghadara ‫ ﻏﺪر‬means ‘he acted unfaithfully, treacherously [to another]‘ while khatala ‫ﺧﺘﻞ‬
means ‘he deceived, beguiled, outwitted [another].’
• When a horse neighs, it is said he sahala ‫ﺻﻬﻞ‬, and when a lion roars or a camel brays,
it is said they za’ara ‫زأَر‬
َ.

Knowledge really does lead to humility, and the words of Allaah ring true [Yusuf, verse 76],

ٌ‫ﻋﻠِﻴﻢ‬
َ ‫ﻋﻠْ ٍﻢ‬
ِ ‫ق ُآﻞﱢ ذِي‬
َ ْ‫َو َﻓﻮ‬

Over all those endowed with knowledge is the All-Knowing

12. Not all questions require an answer

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

There is a rhetorical device in Arabic known as al-istikhbaar ‫اﻻﺳﺘﺨﺒﺎر‬, which literally means 'to
seek information'; in practical form, it is to ask a question and seek to know the answer. Yet
there is a fine line between the essence istikhbaar and the clothes of the interrogative (al-
istifhaam - ‫ )اﻻﺳﺘﻔﻬﺎم‬that most people see it as wearing: the linguists say that the first time you
ask a question seeking to know the answer, it is known as istikhbaar because you are seeking
khabar - information. Once the questionee responds, you may not have fully understood the
answer, so you ask again (with a slight change in wording or without), and this is known as
istifhaam because you are seeking fahm - understanding and clarification.

But as in many languages, not every question is a real question in Arabic, and the form of
istikhbaar can be used for many intents. It is especially important to regard these intents when
reading the Qur'an, to fully grasp the precise meaning of Allaah's words. Some examples of this
are:

1. Istikhbaar to express the meaning of pain and anguish, as in al-Kahf, verse 49:

‫ﺻﻐِﻴ َﺮ ًة َوﻟَﺎ‬
َ ‫ب ﻟَﺎ ُﻳﻐَﺎ ِد ُر‬
ِ ‫ل َهﺬَا اﻟْ ِﻜﺘَﺎ‬
ِ ‫َآﺒِﻴ َﺮ ًة ِإﻟﱠﺎ َأﺣْﺼَﺎهَﺎ ﻣَﺎ‬

What sort of Book is this that leaves neither a small thing nor a big thing, but that it has
recorded it?!

i.e. We are in pain that everything we have ever done, seen, thought, heard, etc. has all been
recorded and presented to us!

2. Istikhbaar to express the meaning of an affirmative statement, as in al-A'raaf, verse 172:

12
‫ﻗﺎﻟﻮا ﺑﻠﻰ ﺷﻬﺪﻧﺎ أن ﺗﻘﻮﻟﻮا ﻳﻮم أﻟﺴﺖ ﺑﺮﺑﻜﻢ وإذ أﺧﺬ رﺑﻚ ﻣﻦ ﺑﻨﻲ ﺁدم ﻣﻦ ﻇﻬﻮرهﻢ ذرﻳﺘﻬﻢ وأﺷﻬﺪهﻢ ﻋﻠﻰ أﻧﻔﺴﻬﻢ‬
‫ﻏﺎﻓﻠﻴﻦ اﻟﻘﻴﺎﻣﺔ إﻧﺎ آﻨﺎ ﻋﻦ هﺬا‬

And [mention] when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam - from their loins -
their descendants and made them testify as to themselves (saying): "Am I not your Lord?"
They said: "Yes! We testify," lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: "Indeed, we were
of this unaware."

i.e. Testify that you know I am your Lord.

3. Istikhbaar to express the meaning of repudiation and disbelief, as in Yunus, verse 68:

‫ﺳﺒْﺤَﺎ َﻧ ُﻪ ُه َﻮ‬
ُ ‫ﺨ َﺬ اﻟّﻠ ُﻪ َوﻟَﺪًا‬
َ ‫ض ِإنْ ﻋِﻨ َﺪآُﻢ ﻣﱢﻦ ﻗَﺎﻟُﻮاْ ا ﱠﺗ‬
ِ ْ‫ﻷر‬ َ ‫ﺴﻤَﺎوَات َوﻣَﺎ ﻓِﻲ ا‬ ‫ﻲ َﻟ ُﻪ ﻣَﺎ ﻓِﻲ اﻟ ﱠ‬
‫ن ِﺑﻬَـﺬَا اﻟْ َﻐ ِﻨ ﱡ‬
ٍ ‫ﺳﻠْﻄَﺎ‬
ُ ‫ن‬
َ ‫أَﺗﻘُﻮﻟُﻮ‬
‫ﻋﻠَﻰ اﻟّﻠ ِﻪ ﻣَﺎ َﻻ‬
َ ‫ن‬َ ‫َﺗﻌْ َﻠﻤُﻮ‬

They say: "Allah has begotten a son (children)." Glory be to Him! He is Rich (Free of all
wants). His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. No warrant you have for this.
Do you say against Allah what you know not?

i.e. How dare you speak about Allaah with no knowledge!

4. Istikhbaar to express the meaning of expressing a great number of something, as in al-A'raaf,

verse 3:

‫ن َﻓﺠَﺎءهَﺎ َوآَﻢ ﻣﱢﻦ َﻗﺮْ َﻳ ٍﺔ َأهْ َﻠﻜْﻨَﺎهَﺎ‬

َ ‫ﺳﻨَﺎ َﺑﻴَﺎﺗًﺎ َأوْ ُهﻢْ ﻗَﺂ ِﺋﻠُﻮ‬
ُ ْ‫َﺑﺄ‬
ِAnd how many towns did We destroy (for their crimes)? Our torment came upon them
(suddenly) by night or while they were sleeping for their afternoon rest.

i.e. 'We destroyed a great many towns'.

5. Istikhbaar to express the meaning of wonder and magnification, as in al-Waaqi'ah, verse 27:

‫ﻦ‬
ِ ‫ب اﻟْ َﻴﻤِﻴ‬
ُ ‫ﻦ ﻣَﺎ َأﺻْﺤَﺎ‬
ِ ‫ب اﻟْ َﻴﻤِﻴ‬
ُ ‫َوَأﺻْﺤَﺎ‬

And those on the Right Hand, Who will be those on the Right Hand?

i.e. What an amazing position will these people be in!

Also Yunus, verse 50:

ْ‫ﻋﺬَا ُﺑ ُﻪ َﺑﻴَﺎﺗًﺎ َأو‬

َ ْ‫ن ُﻗﻞْ َأ َرَأﻳْ ُﺘﻢْ ِإنْ َأﺗَﺎ ُآﻢ‬
َ ‫ﻞ ِﻣﻨْ ُﻪ اﻟْ ُﻤﺠْ ِﺮﻣُﻮ‬
ُ‫ﺠ‬ِ ْ‫َﻧﻬَﺎرًا ﻣﱠﺎذَا َﻳﺴْ َﺘﻌ‬

Say: "Tell me, - if His torment should come to you by night or by day, - for which [aspect] of it
would the criminals be impatient?"

13. …Sleep…

13
al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

As seen previously, the Arabic language is very precise in its lexical references owing to its rich
vocabulary. Often a single concept may be taken - such as love, infancy, bravery etc - and
different words found corresponding to the subtle differences in the degrees of that concept.
And perhaps this is the basis of the Arabic maxim:

‫ل‬
‫ﻞ و َد ﱠ‬
‫ﺧﻴْ ُﺮ اﻟﻜﻼ ِم ﻣﺎ َﻗ ﱠ‬
َ

The best of speech is that which has the fewest words while retaining the desired meaning

for only one well-versed in the subtleties of the vocabulary would be able to achieve this.

It is especially important to be aware of these subtleties when their words appear in the Qur'an,
for only then can one understand the true nature of the message. In this regard, I present the
degrees of sleep in Arabic:

1. al-nu'aas ‫ اﻟﻨﱡﻌﺎس‬- this is when a person's eyes becomes tired or drowsy and feels the need for
sleep. This word was used by Allaah when he gave the Muslims at the Battle of Badr a break
before the fighting began to strengthen them, as mentioned in al-Anfal, verse 11,

‫س ِإذْ ُﻳ َﻐﺸﱢﻴ ُﻜ ُﻢ‬

َ ‫ﺐ َأ َﻣ َﻨ ًﺔ ﻣﱢﻨْ ُﻪ اﻟ ﱡﻨﻌَﺎ‬
َ ‫ﻄ ﱢﻬ َﺮآُﻢ ِﺑ ِﻪ َو ُﻳﺬْ ِه‬
َ ‫ﺴﻤَﺎء ﻣَﺎء ﱢﻟ ُﻴ‬ ‫ﻋَﻠﻴْﻜُﻢ ﻣﱢﻦ اﻟ ﱠ‬ َ ‫ل‬
ُ ‫ﻋﻠَﻰ َو ُﻳ َﻨﺰﱢ‬
َ ‫ﻂ‬
َ ‫ن َوِﻟ َﻴﺮْ ِﺑ‬
ِ ‫ﺸﻴْﻄَﺎ‬
‫ﻋَﻨ ُﻜﻢْ ِرﺟْ َﺰ اﻟ ﱠ‬
‫ﺖ ِﺑ ِﻪ‬
َ ‫ﻷﻗْﺪَا َم ُﻗﻠُﻮ ِﺑ ُﻜﻢْ َو ُﻳ َﺜ ﱢﺒ‬
َ‫ا‬

[Remember] when He covered you with a slumber as a security from Him, and He caused rain
to descend on you from the sky, to clean you thereby and to remove from you the whisperings
of Satan, and to strengthen your hearts, and make your feet firm thereby.

It is interesting to note that al-nu'aas was sent to them as opposed to al-wasan, perhaps
indicating that while their eyes were given the chance to sleep and rest, their minds remained fit
and alert. And Allaah knows best.

2. al-wasan ‫ اﻟ َﻮﺳَﻦ‬- this is when the tiredness intensifies in the head, and it becomes heavy with
its need for sleep. Some linguists said the distinction between al-wasan and al-nu'aas is
extremely slight in degree, and they only differ in their place (al-nu'aas in the eyes, and al-
wasan in the head). The verbal noun is sinah ‫ﺳﻨَﺔ‬ ِ as in al-Baqarah, verse 255,

‫ﻲ اﻟْ َﻘﻴﱡﻮ ُم‬

‫ﺤﱡ‬
َ ْ‫ﻻ ُه َﻮ اﻟ‬
‫ﻻ ِإﻟَـ َﻪ ِإ ﱠ‬
َ ‫ﺳ َﻨﺔٌ َو َﻻ َﻧﻮْمٌ َﻻ اﻟّﻠ ُﻪ‬
ِ ‫ﺧ ُﺬ ُﻩ‬
ُ ْ‫َﺗﺄ‬

Allah! none has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and
protects all that exists. Neither tiredness (sinah), nor sleep overtake Him.

3. al-tarneeq ‫ اﻟﺘﺮﻧﻴﻖ‬which is when sleep pervades a person, without him actually sleeping.

4. al-ghumd ‫ اﻟﻐُﻤﺾ‬which is a state between sleep and wakefulness.

5. al-taghfeeq ‫ اﻟ ﱠﺘﻐْﻔﻴﻖ‬which is a state of sleep in which one still able to hear what others say.

14
6. al-ighfaa' ‫ اﻹﻏْﻔﺎء‬which is a very light sleep.

7. al-tahweem ‫ اﻟﺘﻬﻮﻳﻢ‬or al-ghiraar ‫ اﻟﻐِﺮار‬or al-tihjaa' ‫ اﻟﺘﻬﺠﺎع‬all of which refer to a sleep of

short duration.

8. al-ruqaad ‫ اﻟﺮﱡﻗﺎد‬which refers to a very long sleep, as in al-Kahf, verse 18,

ْ‫ﺴ ُﺒ ُﻬﻢْ َأﻳْﻘَﺎﻇًﺎ َو ُهﻢ‬

َ ْ‫ُرﻗُﻮدٌ َو َﺗﺤ‬

And you would have thought them awake, while they were asleep

and Yaseen, verse 52, [1]

‫ن ﱠﻣﺮْ َﻗ ِﺪﻧَﺎ َﻗﺎﻟُﻮا ﻳَﺎ َوﻳَْﻠﻨَﺎ ﻣَﻦ َﺑ َﻌ َﺜﻨَﺎ ﻣِﻦ‬

َ ‫ﺳﻠُﻮ‬
َ ْ‫ق اﻟْ ُﻤﺮ‬
َ ‫ﺻ َﺪ‬
َ ‫ﻦ َو‬
ُ ‫ﻋ َﺪ اﻟﺮﱠﺣْ َﻤ‬
َ ‫َهﺬَا ﻣَﺎ َو‬

They will say: "Woe to us! Who has raised us up from our place of sleep." (It will be said to
them): "This is what the Most Beneficent (Allah) had promised, and the Messengers spoke
truth!"

9. al-hujood ‫ اﻟﻬُﺠﻮد‬or al-hujoo' ‫ اﻟﻬﺠﻮع‬or al-huboo' ‫ اﻟﻬﺒﻮع‬which refer to a very deep sleep.

10. al-tasbeekh ‫ اﻟﺘﺴﺒﻴﺦ‬which refers to the strongest, deepest type of sleep.

11. al-subaat ‫ اﻟﺴﺒﺎت‬which refers to a coma. [2]

[1] The marqad ‫ ﻣﺮﻗﺪ‬is the noun of place from the same root ‫ر ق د‬.

[2] al-tasbeekh comes from the root ‫ب خ س‬. In light of the previous post on ishtiqaaq note the relationship between the meaning of the word tasbeekh
from this root, and the word subaat from the root‫س ب ت‬.

14. Tales from the riverbank

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

One of the most fascinating aspects of Arabic in my eyes, is finding the relationship between
words that come from the same root but do not seem to have an obvious link in their meaning.
The study of etymology in any language is fascinating in itself, but due to the root system in
Arabic the findings are more likely to be linked to Arabic itself rather than finding that they are
loan words from another language, as is often the case with English etymology, for example.

One such word that I came across was the word jaa'izah ‫ ﺟﺎﺋﺰة‬meaning 'a gift'. The root of this
word is jeem-waw-zay ‫ ز‬- ‫ و‬- ‫ج‬. Ibn Faaris mentions in Mu'jam Maqaayees al-Lughah that this
root has two original meanings; one is related to passing through/traversing/crossing, as in
Yunus, verse 90:

‫ﻞ َوﺟَﺎ َوزْﻧَﺎ‬
َ ‫اﻟْ َﺒﺤْ َﺮ ِﺑ َﺒﻨِﻲ ِإﺳْﺮَاﺋِﻴ‬

15
 And We took the Children of Israel across the sea

and the other is the 'middle' of something (the jawz ‫ﺟﻮْز‬

َ of a thing is its middle).

So what, then, is the relationship between the meaning of a gift, and the original root meanings?

In this regard, Ibn Durayd mentioned in Jamharat al-Lughah that the word jaa'izah developed
the meaning of 'gift' when a commander once took his army to meet the opposing force, but
found a river laying between his men and the enemy. So he said to his troops,

‫هﺬا اﻟﻨﻬﺮ ﻓﻠﻪ آﺬا وآﺬا ﺟﺎز ﻣﻦ‬

Whoever crosses (jaaza) this river will receive such-and-such a thing [as a gift]

So whenever a man would reach the other side, he would receive a jaa'izah - or, a [token of]
something that has crossed over'.

And Allaah knows best.

15. Two ends of the same stick

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

There is a category of words in Arabic known as al-ad`daad ‫اﻷﺿﺪاد‬. They are a type of
ishtiraak in which a single word shares different shades of meaning, but what is special about
the ad`daad is that the same word is applied to two completely opposite meanings. For example,
the word jawn ‫ﺟﻮْن‬َ can mean either black or white, and Ibn Faaris mentioned in his book al-
Saahibee fee Fiqh al-Lughah that it was among the customs of the Arabs to apply words in such
a way.

Sometimes such differences are tribal. For example, the sudfah ‫ ﺳُﺪﻓﺔ‬in the dialect of the tribe of
Tameem refers to the darkness, while in the dialect of Qays it refers to the light. Similarly, the
tribe of 'Aqeel would use the verb lamaqa ‫ َﻟﻤَﻖ‬to mean 'he wrote it', while all the other tribes of
Qays would use it to mean 'he erased it'.

It is important to have knowledge of such words to better understand and appreciate the
language of the Qur'an, for it was revealed in the language of the Arabs at that time, and in
accordance with their dialects. Thus, in Surah Yunus, verse 54 Allaah says,

‫ض‬
ِ ْ‫ﻷر‬
َ ‫ﻇَﻠ َﻤﺖْ ﻣَﺎ ﻓِﻲ ا‬
َ ‫ﺲ‬
ٍ ْ‫ن ِﻟ ُﻜﻞﱢ َﻧﻔ‬
‫ﻻﻓْ َﺘ َﺪتْ ِﺑ ِﻪ َوَﻟﻮْ َأ ﱠ‬
َ ْ‫ﺳﺮﱡوا‬
َ ‫ب َوَأ‬َ ‫ﻻ اﻟ ﱠﻨﺪَا َﻣ َﺔ َﻟﻤﱠﺎ َرَأ ُواْ اﻟْ َﻌﺬَا‬
َ ْ‫ﻂ َو ُهﻢ‬
ِ ْ‫ﻲ َﺑﻴْ َﻨﻬُﻢ ﺑِﺎﻟْ ِﻘﺴ‬
َ‫ﻀ‬
ِ ‫َو ُﻗ‬
‫ن‬
َ ‫ُﻳﻈَْﻠﻤُﻮ‬

And if each soul that wronged had everything on earth, it would offer it in ransom. And they
will feel regret when they see the punishment; and they will be judged in justice, and they will
not be wronged.

16
The verse assarroo ْ‫ﺳﺮﱡوا‬َ ‫َأ‬comes from the root sarra ‫ﺳ ﱠﺮ‬which refers to concealment, however
this word is one of the ad`daad and as such, also means 'to make something clear and bring it
out in the open'. By understanding both meanings of the word, we are afforded a truer insight
and clearer picture of such people on the Day of Resurrection, in that their regret and sorrow at
what they used to do will not only be felt in their hearts but also manifest and shown through
their actions and state.

Another example lies in Surah al-Baqarah, verse 26,

‫ﻼ ﻣﱠﺎ‬
ً ‫ب َﻣ َﺜ‬
َ ‫ﻻ َﻳﺴْ َﺘﺤْﻴِﻲ أَن َﻳﻀْ ِﺮ‬
َ ‫ن اﻟﱠﻠ َﻪ‬
‫ﺿ ًﺔ َﻓﻤَﺎ ِإ ﱠ‬
َ ‫َﻓﻮْ َﻗﻬَﺎ َﺑﻌُﻮ‬
Indeed, Allah is not ashamed to present a parable - that of a mosquito or what is above (i.e.
bigger) than it.

The word fawqa ‫ َﻓﻮْ َﻗﻬَﺎ‬is one of the ad`daad and can mean both 'above' or 'below', and in light of
the above verse, this knowledge will grant us understanding that Allaah is not ashamed to
present any parables at all, whether large or small. Reading the verse with only one of the two
meanings may lead us down a different trail of thought.

Yet another example of the ad`daad lies in the verb dhanna ‫ﻦ‬ ‫ﻇﱠ‬َ which is often used in the
Qur'an. The most common meanig of this word is 'to suppose' something, with an element of
doubt, yet at the same time it can mean to have certain knowledge of a thing. Thus, when
Prophet Yusuf interpreted the dreams of his two companions in prison his discourse indicated
that he was completely certain of his interpretation. It would not then make sense to use the
verb dhanna to mean he had doubt, in verse 42 of Surah Yusuf,

‫ل ِﻟﱠﻠﺬِي‬
َ ‫ﻦ َوﻗَﺎ‬
‫ﻇﱠ‬
َ ‫ج ﱢﻣﻨْ ُﻬﻤَﺎ‬
ٍ ‫ﻚ َأﻧﱠ ُﻪ ﻧَﺎ‬
َ ‫اذْ ُآﺮْﻧِﻲ ﻋِﻨ َﺪ َر ﱢﺑ‬
And he said to the one whom he dhanna to be saved: "Mention me to your king."

However, due to this being knowledge of the future and hence of the unseen, about which none
has sure knowledge other than Allaah, it is possible that dhanna was used here to indicate this
angle.

May Allaah grant us insight into the miracles of His words - ameen. As was said by Abu 'Abd
al-Rahman al-Sulami, "the difference between the speech of God and the speech of His creation
is the difference between God and His creation itself."

16. Antonyms in Arabic are a strange phenomenon

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

While one of the aims of Arabic Gems is to provide original content related to the Arabic
language, I came across a great article in The Daily Star by Tamim al-Barghouti that I wanted
to post here. It is extremely interesting, has a nice philosophical take on the reasoning behind
the phenomena it speaks about, and its content is in line with the content of this site, almost like
a continuation from the previous posts. You can read it below, or on the link provided above.

17
 Antonyms in Arabic are a strange phenomenon.
By Tamim al-Barghouti
Special to The Daily Star
Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Antonyms in Arabic are a strange phenomenon. There is a whole category of words that mean
one thing as well as its opposite. For example, the word, "saleem," means the one who is cured
as well as the one who has just been bit by a snake. The word baseer, means one with great
sight and insight, but also means blind. Mawla means master and slave and wala means to
follow and to lead, The word umma, which is usually translated as nation, means the entity that
is followed, or the guide, as well as the entity that follows and is guided.

Like many properties of Arabic, the reason for this is usually attributed to the Bedouin origin of
the language - the desert is said to impose unity, homogeneity, and therefore equality on the all
creatures. Sand is everywhere, and in the end everything turns into sand, the contradictory
extremes of life seem to be the same in essence. But this traditional explanation, like many
traditional explanations, does not explain much.

For Arabic is not a poor language, almost every creature, object or feeling has scores of names.
A sense of continuity and unity of the universe might have been present in the desert
community of Bedouin Arabs, but a sense of meaninglessness was not there. The way the
ancient creators of the Arabic language celebrated the smallest details of their world is
noteworthy: it is said that the great poet and linguist of the eleventh century, Abul-Ala al-Miary,
who was blind, stumbled into one of the princes at the court of Saleh Ibn Mirdas, the
autonomous ruler of Northern Syria. The noble guest lost his temper, especially because the
poet was poor, and poor poets, are not supposed to stumble into rich nobility! So the guest
called the poet an ignorant dog. Abul-Ala answered swiftly: "The dog among us is the one who
does not know 70 names for the dog!" Of course the noble guest, the prince and half the
linguists of the court could not come up with so many names.

Later on, in the 12th and 13th centuries, when the preservation of the language became an
obsession, all 70 names for the word "dog" were recorded. They were not quite synonymous,
for they did not all simply mean dog. Rather, they were descriptions of a dog's conditions; an
angry dog had a name different from a joyful one, the dog that had one ear pointing up and the
other down had a name different from the one who had both ears up or both ears down. What is
true of the dog is true of most other creatures. Up until this day the most famous seven names of
the lion are taught to children in schools all over the Arab world: Laith, Sab, Asad, Qaswara,
Ghadanfar, Dirgham and Usama.

"Love" has 77 names, each of which has a slight but crucial difference from the other. Hawa
means light liking but also transfers an element of error, bias and irrationality. As the old pre-
Islamic proverb goes: "Hawa is the downside of reason."

Then you have ishq, which comes from entanglement, like two pieces of wood and ivory in a
work of arabesque, the two lovers are inseparable yet still independent and distinct. Then there
is hayam, which comes from wondering thirsty in the desert, and fitna, which means love,
infatuation, passionate desire, but also means civil war and illusion.

18
There is izaz, which is the kind of love that gives both lovers power and dignity, and sakan,
which also means home and tranquility, the Quran uses this word to describe the relation
between married couples. The highest stage of love is, paradoxically, fanaa, which means non-
existence. This is the stage where the lovers lose their independent existences and actually
become one another. This stage is usually used by Sufis in reference to divine love and the
unity of existence.

With this wealth of words and meanings, the existence of the category of words that mean one
thing and its opposite cannot be explained by desert born nihilism and lack of imagination.
Taking a second look at those lists of antonyms, one can see that, with very few exceptions,
most words relate to power and knowledge. The continuous fighting for water and means of
livelihood among Arab tribes, the temporality of life and the cruel paradox of the desert
coupling monotony and uncertainty, might have resulted in an instinctive position on power.

Power is temporary, and is in itself meaningless. Temporary power is therefore the same as
weakness, master and salve will both die in the end, so would the seer and the blind, and the
blind might be more of a seer than the one whose eyes are wide open. Those couples thus
deserve the same names. Power and knowledge become meaningful only if they result is
something that is not temporary. To Arabs, all physical objects will in the end vanish and turn
to sand, but ideas, will remain. Thus power is necessary only to create legacies, memories, epics,
legends and poetry. One could trace this idea well into the pre-Islamic era. After the advent of
Islam, the concept of legacy was replaced with the concept of the afterlife.

The history of Arabic literature is full of anecdotes were antonyms and puns were used to mock
unjust power and authority. After Haroun al-Rashid massacred his Persian ministers, one of
their women told him "qarrat Aynok" which is an expression meaning "may god give you peace
of mind," but the literal meaning of the words is "may your eye stand still" - in other words,
"may you go blind." In the Arabian nights, Shahrazad continuously addresses the angry king
Shariar, who kills a woman every day in revenge for his wife's betrayal, "Oh happy king, of
wise judgment" in a context that means exactly the opposite.

Perhaps today we are in great need of such words (antonyms) in everything - from love to
politics.

Tamim al-Barghouti is a Palestinian poet who writes a weekly article for The Daily Star

17. In perfect form

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

One aspect of the miraculousness of the Qur'anic language lies in the precision of its words. As
al-Suyuti said in al-Itqaan fee 'Uloom al-Qur'aan,

"It is possible to convey a single meaning with a variety of words, some more expressive than
others. Likewise for the two parts - subject and predicate - of a sentence; each may be expressed
in the most eloquent manner when taken alongside the other. Thus, it is necessary [in good
composition] to consider the overall meaning of a sentence, then to consider every single word

19
that may be used to convey that meaning, and then to use the most appropriate, expressive and
eloquent of those words. This is impossible for man to do consistently, or even most of the time,
but it is well within the Knowledge of Allaah [whose knowledge is boundless], and thus the
Qur'an was considered the best and most eloquent of all speech…"

One example of this usage lies in the morphological forms found in the Qur'an, which will
sometimes reflect the deeper meaning of the word itself, and upon reflection it can be found
that not a single word in the Qur'an can be changed for another without it affecting the depth of
meaning conveyed by the original word.

One example of this is in Yusuf, verse 23:

‫ﺴ ِﻪ‬
ِ ْ‫ﺖ َورَا َو َدﺗْ ُﻪ اﱠﻟﺘِﻲ ُه َﻮ ﻓِﻲ َﺑﻴْ ِﺘﻬَﺎ ﻋَﻦ ﱠﻧﻔ‬
ِ ‫ﻏﱠﻠ َﻘ‬
َ ‫ﻚ َو‬
َ ‫ﺖ َﻟ‬
َ ْ‫ب َوﻗَﺎَﻟﺖْ َهﻴ‬
َ ‫ﻷﺑْﻮَا‬
َ‫ا‬
And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him. She closed the doors and said: "Come,
you."

In this verse, Allaah used the verb form ghallaqa ‫ﻖ‬ َ ‫ﻏﱠﻠ‬to mean 'closed'. Another form from the
same root also means 'closed' - aghlaqa ‫ﻖ‬ َ ‫أﻏَْﻠ‬- yet there is a very eloquent reason for which
Allaah used the previous form: the connotations of the pattern followed by the form ghallaqa
are ones of repetitiveness and intensity of the action's performance, and thus the word form
itself would give the reader who has knowledge of the Arabic language an idea of the intensity
of the emotion and desire which drove the wife of al-'Azeez to rush around closing the doors of
her house (some mufassiroon (exegetes) commented that there were seven doors that she closed,
and hence the form also indicates the repetition of her going to door after door closing it) so she
could quickly try to seduce Yusuf. None of this would have been reflected through the use of
the alternative word form aghlaqa.

Another example of the same form reflecting repetition is in Surah Aal 'Imraan, verse 3,

‫ﺼﺪﱢﻗًﺎ َﻧ ﱠﺰ َل‬
َ ‫ﻖ ُﻣ‬
‫ﺤﱢ‬َ ْ‫ب ﺑِﺎﻟ‬
َ ‫ﻚ اﻟْ ِﻜﺘَﺎ‬
َ ْ‫ﻋَﻠﻴ‬
َ ‫ﻦ َﻳ َﺪﻳْ ِﻪ َوأَﻧ َﺰ َل‬
َ ْ‫ﻞ ﱢﻟﻤَﺎ َﺑﻴ‬
َ ‫اﻟ ﱠﺘﻮْرَا َة وَاﻹِﻧﺠِﻴ‬

It is He Who has sent down the Book (the Quran) to you (Muhammad SAW) with truth,
confirming what came before it. And he sent down the Torah and the Gospel.

Although the English translation reflects no difference in the original words that were used to
convey the meaning of 'sent down', a look at the Arabic will show us that the form nazzala
‫ل‬
َ ‫ﻧ ﱠﺰ‬was used in reference to the Qur'an while the form anzala ‫ل‬
َ ‫َأﻧْ َﺰ‬was used in reference to the
Torah and the Gospel. The reason for this goes back to the manner of revelation - the Qur'an
was gradually revealed in a number of stages that spanned the 23 years of the Prophet
Muhammad's (sallaa Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) Prophethood, as is reflected by the form
nazzala which indicates repetition and grauality, while the Torah and the Gospel were revealed
to the Prophets Musa (Moses) and 'Eesa (Jesus) at one time, as reflected by the form anzala.

This difference is more beautifully sealed when we look at the first verse of Surah al-Qadr,

‫ﻓِﻲ َﻟﻴَْﻠ ِﺔ اﻟْ َﻘﺪْ ِر أَﻧ َﺰﻟْﻨَﺎ ُﻩ ِإﻧﱠﺎ‬

20
 Verily! We have sent it (this Quran) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree)

In this verse, Allaah has used the verb anzala - which does not reflect graduality - to describe
the revelation of the Qur'an, although He previously used nazzala! The reason for this is clear
when the word is considered in it's context, as is explained by Ibn 'Abbas and others,

"Allah sent the Qur'an down all at one time from the Preserved Tablet to the House of Might
(Bayt al-'Izzah), which is in the heaven of this world. Then it came down in parts to the
Messenger of Allah based upon the incidents that occurred over a period of twenty-three years.''

Thus, it is clear that this verse is referring to Allaah sending the Qur'an down at one time to
Bayt al-'Izzah on Laylat al-Qadr, and not to its gradual revelation to the Prophet; a concept so
precisely and beautifully conveyed just through knowing the meaning of the forms used in the
original Arabic.

18. Down to the last letter

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

Arabic linguists of the past examined the semantic connotations of Arabic alphabetical letters
according to their position in a word, and were able to notice certain trends in meaning.
Although the rules are by no means to be taken as absolute, they may be viewed within the
larger phenomenon of ishtiqaaq and perhaps lend further insight into its mechanics.

Some of what was noticed was the following:

1. When the letter taa’ ‫ ت‬is the second root letter of a word, it affords the meaning of cutting or
severance, for example:

batara al-yad ‫ ﺑﺘﺮ اﻟﻴﺪ‬means ‘he amputated the hand‘

batta al-habl ‫ ﺑﺖ اﻟﺤﺒﻞ‬means ‘he cut the rope’

2. When the letter thaa’ ‫ ث‬is the second root letter of a word, it affords the meaning of
spreading or diffusion, for example:

nathara al-maa’ ‫ ﻧﺜﺮ اﻟﻤﺎء‬means ‘he sprinkled the water’

hathaa al-turaab ‫ ﺣﺜﺎ اﻟﺘﺮاب‬means ‘he poured earth/soil [upon something]‘

3. When the letter haa’ ‫ ح‬is the last root letter of a word, it affords the meaning of dispersion,
expansion, and emergence, for example:

baaha al-sirr ‫ ﺑﺎح اﻟﺴﺮ‬means ‘the secret was revealed’

saaha al-maa’ ‫ ﺳﺎح اﻟﻤﺎء‬means ‘the water flowed’
saaha al-rajul ‫ ﺻﺎح اﻟﺮﺟﻞ‬means ‘the man cried out’
faaha al-’itr‫ ﻓﺎح اﻟﻌﻄﺮ‬means ‘the[smell of the] perfume diffused’

21
4. When the letter daal ‫ د‬is the second root letter of a word, it affords the meaning of separation,
for example:

baddada al-maal ‫ ﺑﺪّد اﻟﻤﺎل‬means ‘he squandered the money’

wadda’a al-ahl ‫ ودّع اﻷهﻞ‬means ‘he bade his family farewell’

5. When the letter raa’ ‫ ر‬is the second root letter of a word, it affords the meaning of continuity,
for example:

kharkharat al-maa’ ‫ ﺧﺮﺧﺮة اﻟﻤﺎء‬refers to the sound of the running stream

karkara al-jamal ‫ آﺮآﺮ اﻟﺠﻤﻞ‬refers to the braying of a camel when it is of a continuous nature
[*] Source: Kitab Mu’jam ‘Ajaa’ib al-Lughah by Shawqi Hamaadah

19. The classical bookshelf 1

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

In response to a recent request, this post will provide a list of some of the main classical books
specifically related to the Arabic language from which one may benefit, be it for the sake of
research or general interest. The post will be divided into categories based on the most
important areas of research. The books may either be wholly dedicated to their category, or
simply contain enough information related to the category to merit mention.

I apologise in advance that this list will be of more specific benefit to those who already are
able to read and understand a level of Arabic. In shaa’ Allaah, the regular posts will resume
shortly.

Please note that this is not a complete list, but rather a general guide.

On Grammar (nahw):
1. al-Kitāb by Sībawayhi
2. Ma‘ānī al-Qur’ān by al-Farrā’
3. al-Muqtadab by al-Mubarrad
4. al-Usūl fi al-Nahw by Ibn al-Sarrāj
5. al-Mufassal by al-Zamakhsharī
6. al-Kāfiyah by Ibn al-Hājib
7. al-Alfiyyah by Ibn Mālik
8. Mughnī al-Labīb by Ibn Hishām

On Morphology (sarf):
1. al-Tasrīf by al-Māzinī
2. al-Tasrīf by Ibn Jinnī
3. Nuzhat al-Tarf fī ‘ilm al-Sarf by al-Maydānī
4. al-Mumti‘ fī al-Tasrīf by Ibn ‘Usfūr
5. al-Shāfiyah by Ibn al-Hājib

22
Dictionaries (Ma‘ājim al-Alfādh):

(Arranged according to articulation points)

1. al-‘Ayn by al-Khalīl ibn Ahmad
2. Tahdhīb al-Lughah by al-Azharī

(Arranged alphabetically – starting with first root letter)

1. al-Jīm by Abu ‘Umar al-Shaybānī
2. Jamharat al-Lughah by Ibn Durayd
3. Mu‘jam Maqāyīs al-Lughah by Ibn Fāris
4. Asās al-Balāghah by al-Zamakhsharī
5. al-Misbāh al-Munīr by al-Fayyūmī

(Arranged alphabetically – starting with last root letter)

1. Tāj al-Lughah by al-Jawharī
2. Lisān al-‘Arab by Ibn Mandhūr
3. al-Qāmūs al-Muhīt by al-Fayrūzābādī
4. Tāj al-‘Arūs by al-Zubaydī

Thesauri (Ma‘ājim al-Ma‘ānī):

1. al-Gharīb al-Musannaf by Ibn Salām
2. al-Alfādh by Ibn al-Sikkīt
3. al-Alfādh al-Kitābiyyah by al-Hamadānī
4. Jawāhir al-Alfādh by Qudāmah ibn Ja’far
5. Fiqh al-Lughah by al-Thālibī
6. al-Mukhassas by Ibn Sīdah

On Rare words in the Qur’ān (Gharīb al-Qur’ān):

1. Tafsīr Gharīb al-Qur’ān ibn Ibn Qutaybah
2. Mufradat alfādh al-Qur’ān by al-Isfahānī

On Rare words in the Hadīth (Gharīb al-Hadīth):

1. al-Fā’iq fī gharīb al-Hadīth wa al-Athar by al-Zamakhsharī
2. al-Nihāyah fī gharīb al-Hadīth wa al-Athar by Ibn al-Athīr

On Philology (Fiqh al-Lughah):

1. al-Khasā’is by Ibn Jinnī
2. al-Sāhibī by Ibn Fāris
3. Fiqh al-Lughah by al-Tha’ālibī
4. al-Muzhir by al-Suyūtī

On common solecisms and correct usages:

1. Mā talhanu fīhī al-‘Awām by al-Kisā’ī
2. Islāh al-Mantiq by Ibn al-Sikkīt
3. Adab al-Kātib by Ibn Qutaybah
4. al-Fasīh by Tha‘lab
5. Lahn al-‘Āmmah by al-Zubaydī
6. Tathqīf al-Lisān by Ibn Makkī al-Siqlī

23
7. Durrat al-Ghawāmid fī Awhām al-Khawāss by al-Harīrī

Allāhumma ‘allimnā mā yanfa’unā, wa infa’nā bi mā ‘allamtanā.

Oh Allāh, teach us what will benefit us, and benefit us with what You have taught us.

Ameen.

20. Discover your roots

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

A common phenomenon known to linguists is that of semantic shift, whereby a word acquires
new shades of meaning over time. This phenomenon is also noticeable when we take a look at
Islamic terminology, such as zakat, or Shari’ah, or the Names and Attributes of Allah, or words
related to the prayer such as rukoo’, sujood, tashahhud; they all connote a meaning in an
Islamic framework that was completely unknown to the pre-Islamic Arabs.

A number of Arabic scholars of the past researched this issue and recorded their findings in
books, sometimes solely related to this topic. One of the best known sources in this regard was
authored by Abu Hatim al-Razi (d. 322 Hijri) which he called, “al-Zeenah fee al-Kalimaat al-
Islamiyyah al-‘Arabiyyah.”

As Arabic was the language chosen by Allaah for His Qur’an, and as the eternal miracle of
Islam lies in the inimitable nature of the Qur’anic language, it is important to study as many
aspects and angles of the language as possible, to gain a fuller and more complete
understanding of the Qur’anic message. Such knowledge can serve to strengthen one’s faith and
bring their hearts closer to the Qur’an.

For example, when we look at words related to Jannah (Paradise):

Jannatu ‘Adn ‫ت ﻋَﺪن‬ ُ ‫ﺟﻨَﺎ‬

َ (the Gardens of Eden): al-Asma’i said: The Arabs say ‘adanat al-iblu
bi-makaani kadhaa wa kadhaa ‫ وآﺬا ﻋﺪﻧﺖ اﻹﺑﻞ ﺑﻤﻜﺎن آﺬا‬to mean ‘the camels chose to remain
and stay put in such-and-such place,’ indicating that the root ‘ayn-daal-noon ‫ ع – د – ن‬indicates
constancy in one place. Thus, the Jannaat ‘Adn were so called because they are everlasting;
when one is entered into them they will never leave.

Toobaa ‫ﻃﻮﺑﻰ‬: The Prophet (may the peace and prayers of Allah be upon him) mentioned in a
hadith:

Islam began as something strange, and will return to being something strange as it once began,
so Toobaa ‫ ﻃﻮﺑﻰ‬is for the strangers.

Allaah said in the Qur’an (al-Rad, verse 29)

24
 ْ‫ت ﻃُﻮﺑَﻰ َﻟ ُﻬﻢ‬
ِ ‫ﻋ ِﻤﻠُﻮاْ اﻟﺼﱠﺎِﻟﺤَﺎ‬
َ ‫ﻦ ﺁ َﻣﻨُﻮاْ َو‬
َ ‫ب اﱠﻟﺬِﻳ‬
ٍ ‫ﻦ ﻣَﺂ‬
ُ ْ‫ﺣﺴ‬
ُ ‫َو‬

Those who believe and work righteousness, Toobaa ‫ ﻃﻮﺑﻰ‬is for them and a beautiful place of
(final) return.

Toobaa is the name of a tree in Paradise. Some linguists say its name was derived from the root
taaba-yateebu ‫ ﻃﺎب – ﻳﻄﻴﺐ‬which means ‘to be pleasant/ delightful’, as though to indicate that it
will be delightful for the dwellers of Paradise to take shelter under it. The word Toobaa is of the
pattern fu’laa ‫ﻓﻌﻠﻰ‬, and this is a superlative pattern indicating the topmost end of a thing. Thus,
Toobaa refers to the most extreme type of pleasure and delight; when one reclines and relaxes
and takes shade under this tree it will be incomparable to any relaxation ever taken before - a
reward awaiting the believers.

Kawthar ‫اﻟﻜﻮﺛﺮ‬: It is a river in Paradise, whiter than milk and sweeter than honey, out of which
branch out all other rivers. It is specifically for the Prophet (may the peace and prayers of Allah
be upon him). It’s name was derived from the root kaaf-thaa’-raa’ ‫ ك – ث – ر‬which indicates
abundance and plenty, reflecting the great blessings and bounty that lie within this river, as a
reward to the Prophet (may the peace and prayers of Allah be upon him).

21. Purity in corruption

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

There is a long standing disagreement between supporters of classical Arabic ‫ اﻟﻔﺼﺤﻰ‬vs.

supporters of colloquial Arabic ‫ اﻟﻌﺎﻣﻴﺔ‬with regards which should prosper. The former group
sought to avoid colloquial words at all cost, regardless of how correct they were or how well
they expressed the intended meaning, while the latter group avoided unfamiliar and uncommon
words claiming they were difficult to pronounce.

In reaction to this conflict there emerged a number of authors, led by Ibrāhīm ‘Abd al-Qādir al-
Mazinī, who deemed it necessary to try and bring these two factions together, by employing in
their writings many words that are commonly uttered by the colloquial tongue, but which are
actually correct and classical words.

There also appeared a new branch of lexicography which dealt with this phenomenon of words
commonly accepted as colloquial, but with strong classical roots. Among these were Tahdhīb
al-Alfādh al-‘Āmmiyyah by Muhammad ‘Alī al-Dasūqī, al-Muhkam fī Usūl al-Lughah al-
‘Āmmiyyah by Ahmad ‘Īsā, al-‘Āmmiyyah al-Fushā by Mahmūd Taymūr, and Alfādh
‘Āmmiyyah Fasīhah by Muhammad Dawūd al-Tanayyur, which includes one thousand four
hundred words so commonly used in speech that people think them to be colloquial words, but
which are “pure, standard Arabic words, acceptable to use in writings, speeches, literature,
stories, plays and the like.”

Many such words are those in which the hamzah ‫ ء‬has been diluted into an alif ‫ ا‬sound
(more commonly) or sometimes a wāw or a yā’ sound, such as in the
colloquial word istannā ‫‘( اﺳﺘﻨﻰ‬wait’) used in the place of ista’annā ‫اﺳﺘﺄﻧﻰ‬,

25
badayt ‫‘( ﺑﺪﻳﺖ‬I began’) used in the place of bada’t ‫ﺑﺪأت‬, jā ‫‘( ﺟﺎ‬he came’)
used in the place of jā’a ‫ﺟﺎء‬, and commonly used in the construction jā bi-
al-[ta’ām for e.g.] ‫ *ﺟﺎ ﺑﺎﻟﻄﻌﺎم‬instead of jā’a bi al-ta’ām, shā ‫ ﺷﺎ‬instead of
shā’a ‫ ﺷﺎء‬as in the phrase Mā shā Allāh ‫ ﻣﺎ ﺷﺎ اﷲ‬instead of mā shā’a Allāh ‫ﻣﺎ‬
‫ﺷﺎء اﷲ‬, wayn ‫‘( وﻳﻦ‬where’) used in the place of ayna ‫أﻳﻦ‬, and so on. This
omission of the hamzah is permissible when done for the sake of takhfīf
(ease) in speech, as takhfīf is accepted to be one of the dialects (lughāt) of
the Arabs.

Other examples of common words wrongly thought to be colloquial are:

َ ‫ اﺧ‬as in the phrase ikhsa ‘alayk ‫ اﺧﺲ ﻋﻠﻴﻚ‬used to rebuke someone.

Ikhsa ‫ﺲ‬
This is actually used in the Qur’an as in the verse (23:108):

‫ل‬
َ ‫ﺴﺆُوا ﻗَﺎ‬
َ ْ‫ن ﻓِﻴﻬَﺎ َوﻟَﺎ اﺧ‬
ِ ‫ُﺗ َﻜﱢﻠﻤُﻮ‬

He (Allah) will say: “Remain you in it with ignominy! And speak you not to Me!”

and (2:65),

‫ﻦ‬
َ ‫ﺳﺌِﻴ‬
ِ ‫َﻓ ُﻘﻠْﻨَﺎ َﻟ ُﻬﻢْ آُﻮﻧُﻮاْ ِﻗ َﺮ َد ًة ﺧَﺎ‬

We said to them: “Be you monkeys, despised and rejected.”

It is correct in its colloquial usage.

Idayh ‫ إدﻳﻪ‬used in place of yadayh ‫( ﻳﺪﻳﻪ‬his two hands). This is one of the
dialects of Arabic, and is acceptable to use.

Imbārih ‫‘( اﻣﺒﺎرح‬yesterday’). It is used in place of al-bārih ‫اﻟﺒﺎرح‬, and is

acceptable because in the Yemeni dialect the letter lām is turned into a
meem, and thus they say law mā ‫ ﻟﻮﻣﺎ‬in the place of law lā ‫ ﻟﻮﻻ‬.

Aysh ‫أﻳﺶ‬used to mean ayyu shay’ ‫أي ﺷﻲء‬. This is an acceptable example of
naht and is fine to use formally. It is mentioned in Shifā’ al-‘Alīl that this
was heard from the Arabs.

Kikh ْ‫ ِآﺦ‬is a words used when speaking to children to indicate something is

bad. It is mentioned in a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be
pleased with him) that al-Hasan or al-Husayn** ate a date that was bought
using money given in charity, so the Prophet (may the peace and prayers of
Allah be upon him) said to him, “Kikh! Kikh! Do you not know that my
family is not allowed to take charity?!”

So carefully consider your speech next time you scold a person for using colloquial words, for
you may be scolding them for using pure, correct Arabic!

26
*Note that it is not jāb al-ta’ām ‫ ﺟﺎب اﻟﻄﻌﺎم‬in the colloquial, as is commonly thought

** The children of ‘Alī and Fātimah (may Allah be pleased with them). As Fātimah was the
Prophet’s (may the peace and prayers of Allah be upon him) daughter, al-Hasan and al-Husayn
were his (may the peace and prayers of Allah be upon him) grandchildren.

22. The science of language

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

Since the dawn of early Islam, and largely provoked by the doctrine of the miracle of the
Qur’an’s linguistic inimitability, scholars of both Arab and non-Arab stock concerned
themselves with studying the Arabic Language deeply and comprehensively. They were able to
establish a range of sciences (‘uloom) into which the letters, words, and constructions of Arabic
all fell. It is important to be aware of these sciences to fully understand the depth and breadth of
the Arabic language, and the various angles through which it may be studied. These sciences
may be divided into three main categories, each of which is further divided into sub-categories
as follows:

1. Sciences related to the letters. They fall into two sub-categories:

i. That which deals with the articulation and sound of the letter. This is known as ‘ilm al-sawt
(’the science of phonology’), or ‘ilm al-tajweed (’the science of art of pronunciation’)

ii. That which deals with the written representation of the letter. This is known as ‘ilm al-harf
(’the science of orthography’), or ‘ilm al-hijaa’ (’the science of spelling’).

2. Sciences related to the words, with regards their meaning and form. They fall into four
sub-categories:

i. That which deals with the meanings and connotations of words, and the vowelling of the
words (on all but the last letters). This is known as ‘ilm al-lughah (’the science of philology’).

ii. That which deals with the manner in which these words were attributed to their objects. This
is known as ‘ilm al-wad‘.

iii. That which deals with the nature of the letters of these words, with regards to any additions,
subtractions, transformations, exchanges, changes in the vowelling, and so on. This is known as
‘ilm al-sarf (’the science of morphology’).

iv. That which deals with the origins and branches of the words, the relationship between them,
and the manner in which some are formed from others. This is known as ‘ilm al-ishtiqaaq (’the
science of etymology’).

3. Sciences related to the constructions, with regards their meaning and form. They fall
into four sub-categories:

27
i. That which deals with the relationship of some meanings to others, and the requirements of
this relationship, as embodied in and indicated by the vowel on the end of each word. This is
known as ‘ilm al-nahw (’the science of syntax’).

ii. That which deals with the characteristics of speech composition by virtue of which they
conform to the requirements of the occasion. This is known by ‘ilm al-ma’aani (’the science of
meanings’). This was considered the most important science of Arabic balaaghah (rhetoric) to
the Arabs.

iii. That which deals with the different ways of expressing the various shades of a single
meaning. This is known as ‘ilm al-bayaan (’the science of style’).

iv. That which deals with the artistic embellishment of speech. This is known as ‘ilm al-badi’
(’the science of rhetorical figures’).

There are also a further two sciences related to poetic constructions:

i. That which deals with the metres of poetry. This is known as ‘ilm al-’arood (’the science of
prosody’).

ii. That which deals with the ends of each line of poetry. This is known as ‘ilm al-qaafiyah
(’the science of rhyme’)

May Allah grant us a deep understanding of the language of the Qur’an, and bless those in the
past who exerted their efforts to master the language, and then simplify and explain it to us in
an accessible manner. Ameen!

23. It’s a hit

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

The Arabs have a number of words to express specific ways of hitting. When reading the below,
pay attention also to any instances of al-ishtiqaaq al-akbar to increase your wonder and marvel
at the richness of this language.

To hit on the front part of the head using the ball of the hand ‫( اﻟﺮاﺣﺔ‬the palm but not the
fingers) : saqa’a ‫ﺻﻘﻊ‬

To hit on the nape of the neck using the ball of the hand : safa’a ‫ﺻﻔﻊ‬

To hit on the face using the ball of the hand : sakka ‫ﺻﻚ‬

To hit on the cheek using the palm ‫ اﻟﻜﻒ‬outstretched (the ball of the hand including the
fingers) : latama ‫ﻟﻄﻢ‬

To hit on the cheek using the palm in a fist : lakama ‫ﻟﻜﻢ‬

28
To hit on the cheek using both hands : ladama ‫ﻟﺪم‬

To hit on the chin and jawbone : wahaza ‫وهﺰ‬

To hit on the side of the body : wakhaza ‫وﺧﺰ‬

To hit on the chest and stomach using the palm: wakaza ‫وآﺰ‬

To hit using the knee: zabana ‫زﺑﻦ‬

To hit with the leg : rakala ‫رآﻞ‬

Every hit that makes a sound : safaqun ‫ﺻﻔﻖ‬

24. A lesson in their stories

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

‫ﻋﺒْ َﺮةٌ ﱢﻟُﺄوْﻟِﻲ‬

ِ ْ‫ﺼ ِﻬﻢ‬
ِ ‫ﺼ‬
َ ‫ن ﻓِﻲ َﻗ‬
َ ‫ب َﻟ َﻘﺪْ آَﺎ‬
ِ ‫ﻷﻟْﺒَﺎ‬
َ‫ا‬

Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of understanding. (12:111)

There are a great many examples throughout Islamic classical literature in which the scholars,
leaders, and pious men of the past urged and encouraged the Muslims to learn, speak and
master classical Arabic, and avoid grammatical mistakes in their speech as much as they were
able. The primary reason that drove the scholars of the past to systemize the rules of grammar
was the grammatical solecisms (lahn ‫ )ﻟﺤﻦ‬that were beginning to creep into the tongue of the
Arabs, due to the expansion of their borders which led them to mix with non-Arabs and be
influenced by their language [among other reasons] and there was a fear that this would lead to
an increase in making mistakes when reciting the Qur’an, as had happened in a number of
previous cases.

Thus, very early on in the history of Islam we find such examples of encouraging the mastery of
Arabic, among which are:

A man went to Ziyad ibn Abeehi and complained to him that his father had died and his brother
had taken all the inheritence unlawfully, but made a grammatical mistake in his complaint.
Ziyad replied, “The loss you have caused your soul is greater than what you have lost in
your wealth.” [1]

It is reported that ‘Umar ibn Yazeed wrote to Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari (may Allaah be pleased
with him) and said: ‘Learn the Sunnah and learn Arabic; learn the Qur’aan in Arabic for
it is Arabic.’ [2]

29
According to another hadeeth narrated from ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), he said:
‘Learn Arabic for it is part of your religion, and learn how the estate of the deceased
should be divided (faraa’id) for these are part of your religion.’ [3]

This trend continued throughout the ages, and with the expansions of the Umayyad dynasty in
the 7th Century C.E., solecisms became widespread such that they even afflicted the caliphs
and leaders such as ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan and al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi. Language
became a measure of status such that a man’s social standing would drop were he found to
commit solecisms, to the extent that ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan was once told that he his hair
had become gray very early, to which he replied, “It is due to my fear of ascending the pulpit
and commiting a solecism during my sermon!“[4] He used to view solecisms in speech to be
worse than ripping apart an expensive and precious garment. [5]

Men were often rewarded greatly for merely being able to speak fluently without mistakes,
even if they were undeserving of the reward. For example, the Caliph ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-
’Azeez used to say, “A man may come to me asking me for something he deserves, but if he
commits a grammatical error while asking I deny him it, for it makes me feel as though I
am nibbling at a peice of sour pomegranate due to my anger at hearing his mistake.
Similarly, a man may come to me asking for something he does not deserve, but if he says
it with correct speech I grant him it, due to my delighting at the speech I hear from
him.“ [6]

These are but a handful of examples of this nature; the books of classical literature are replete
with much more of the same.

It is often said that one of the main benefits of studying history is to learn from the past. May
Allaah grant us the insight and wisdom to take heed of what our predecessors urged. Ameen.

[1] ‘Uyoon al-Akhbaar 2/159

[2] and [3] Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, 2/207
[4] Tarikh Dimishq
[5] Uyoon al-Akhbaar 2/158
[6] al-Addaar p245

25. The correct combination

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

I came across an amusing anecdote in Lisan al-’Arab recently illustrating the dangers of
engaging in naht haphazardly.

It is related from Ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) that his wife one day asked him
to provide a jilbab (protective outer garment worn outside the house) for her. He replied, “I fear
that you will then set aside the jilbab in which Allah has contained you.” She asked him, “What
is that?” He said, “Your house.”

To which she replied,

30
‫ب ﻣﺤﻤ ٍﺪ ﺗﻘﻮل هﺬا؟‬
ِ ‫ﺟﻨﱠﻚ ﻣﻦ أَﺻﺤﺎ‬
َ ‫َأ‬
“Ajannaka from the Companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him), that you say this?”

The word of interest here is the first one in the sentence: ajannaka. At first glance it could
render the sentence as ‘You have been made mad by one of the Companions of Muhammad
(peace be upon him)’, based on it being from the root ‫ ن‬- ‫ ن‬- ‫ج‬.

However, the wife of Ibn Mas’ood actually came up with her own form of naht here: what she
intended to say was,

‫ﻞ َأﻧّﻚ‬
ِ ‫َأ ِﻣﻦْ أَﺟ‬
Is it due to that fact that you are…

But she ommitted from this phrase:

- the word ‫ﻣِﻦ‬
- the ‫ أ‬and ‫ ل‬from the word ‫أﺟﻞ‬
- the ‫ أ‬from the word ‫أﻧّﻚ‬

…resulting in the final combination: ‫ﺟﻨﱠﻚ‬

َ ‫َأ‬.

26. It just doesn’t sound right

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

The sound and pronunciation of a word is very important in Arabic, and this especially becomes
a problem in the case of generating new words via the naht process. (Although it was
mentioned before that one cannot do naht at their whim, the council of Arabic Language has
permitted cases of naht to be submitted to them for review for the sake of meeting with the
demands of modern terminology into the language).

Some of these problems are that when you combine two or more words in naht, some of the
letters invariably have to be dropped. But which letters are dropped and which are retained is a
crucial issue, for there are a number of linguistic ‘flaws’ related to words, some of which are
that two letters following each other may be considered heavy on the tongue (al-thiqal), or
adjacent letters may be discordant or inharmonious with one another. Thus, Ibrahim Anees
offered some guidelines (published in Mujallat Majma’ al-Lughah al-’Arabiyyah fee al-
Qahirah, ed. 30) followed by classical scholars in the words they welcomed into the language,
to help us judge whether new words are harmonious and acceptable to Arabic or not. Some of
these are:

1. The letters Taa’ ‫ ط‬and jeem ‫ ج‬are not found in the same word.
2. The letters jeem ‫ ج‬and Saad ‫ ص‬are not found in the same word.
3. The letters Saad ‫ ص‬and Taa’ ‫ ط‬are not found in the same word.
4. The letters seen ‫ س‬and dhaal ‫ ذ‬are not found in the same word.
5. The letters seen ‫ س‬and zaa’ ‫ ز‬are not found in the same word.

31
6. The letters qaaf ‫ ق‬and jeem ‫ ج‬are not found in the same word.
7. The letter zaa’ ‫ ز‬will not come after the letter daal ‫ د‬in the same word.
8. The letter raa’ ‫ ن‬will not come after the letter noon ‫ ن‬in the same word.
9. Any word from a root of four or five letters must have at least one (sometimes two or three)
liquid letters ‫( ﺣﺮوف اﻟﺬﻻﻗﺔ‬ie raa’, laam, noon, faa’, baaa’ and meem ‫)ر ل م ن ف ب‬

In addition to helping us judge the quality of a word, these guidelines also serve to provide
much fun in trying to find those ‘there MUST be some!’ words that prove this wrong. I was
unable to think of any, but would welcome anyone else’s successes.

27. Best seen in context

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

Many people who have set about to memorise the Qur’an, or portions of the Qur’an, will at
some point have become confused when they come to a verse they have learnt elsewhere in the
Qur’an, but with a slight change in wording or order. The key to overcoming this confusion,
more often than not, lies in understanding two things: 1) the meaning of the words, 2) the
context. So important is context that some linguists say that words only come to have a
meaning once they are put in a context, otherwise what is to say that the meaning of ‘ayn ‫ ﻋﻴﻦ‬is
‘eye’ and not ‘spring’?

To give an example, Allah says in Surah al-Baqarah, verse 86,

‫ﺤﻴَﺎ َة اﻟ ﱡﺪﻧْﻴَﺎ‬
َ ْ‫ﻦ اﺷْ َﺘ َﺮ ُواْ اﻟ‬
َ ‫ﻚ اﱠﻟﺬِﻳ‬
َ ‫ﻻ ُهﻢْ أُوﻟَـ ِﺌ‬
َ ‫ب َو‬
ُ ‫ﻋﻨْ ُﻬ ُﻢ اﻟْ َﻌﺬَا‬
َ ‫ﻒ‬
ُ ‫ﺨﻔﱠ‬
َ ‫ﻼ ُﻳ‬
َ ‫ﺧ َﺮ ِة َﻓ‬
ِ‫ﻵ‬
َ ‫ن ﺑِﺎ‬
َ ‫ﺼﺮُو‬
َ ‫ﻳُﻨ‬
Those are the ones who have bought the life of this world [in exchange] for the Hereafter, so
the punishment will not be lightened for them, nor will they be aided. (yunsaroon).

He later says in the same chapter (verse 162),

‫ﻻ‬
َ ‫ب َو‬
ُ ‫ﻋﻨْ ُﻬ ُﻢ اﻟْ َﻌﺬَا‬
َ ‫ﻒ‬
ُ ‫ﺨﻔﱠ‬
َ ‫ﻻ ُﻳ‬
َ ‫ﻦ ﻓِﻴﻬَﺎ‬
َ ‫ن ﺧَﺎِﻟﺪِﻳ‬
َ ‫ﻈﺮُو‬
َ ‫ُهﻢْ ﻳُﻨ‬
Abiding eternally therein. The punishment will not be lightened for them, nor will they be
reprieved. (yundharoon).

Just as He says in Surah Aal-‘Imraan, verse 88,

‫ﻻ‬
َ ‫ب َو‬
ُ ‫ﻋﻨْ ُﻬ ُﻢ اﻟْ َﻌﺬَا‬
َ ‫ﻒ‬
ُ ‫ﺨﻔﱠ‬
َ ‫ﻻ ُﻳ‬
َ ‫ﻦ ﻓِﻴﻬَﺎ‬
َ ‫ن ﺧَﺎِﻟﺪِﻳ‬
َ ‫ﻈﺮُو‬
َ ‫ُهﻢْ ﻳُﻨ‬
Abiding eternally therein. The punishment will not be lightened for them, nor will they be
reprieved. (yundharoon).

Thus He has used the word ‘yunsaroon’ in one context, but ‘yundharoon’ in two others.

If we look at the context of verse 86 in al-Baqarah,

32
 ْ‫ن ِدﻣَﺎء ُآﻢ‬
َ ‫ﻻ َﺗﺴْ ِﻔﻜُﻮ‬
َ ْ‫ﺧﺬْﻧَﺎ ﻣِﻴﺜَﺎ َﻗ ُﻜﻢ‬
َ ‫ﺴ ُﻜﻢ ﻣﱢﻦ ِدﻳَﺎ ِر ُآﻢْ ُﺛﻢﱠ َأﻗْ َﺮرْ ُﺗﻢْ َوأَﻧ ُﺘﻢْ َوِإذْ َأ‬
َ ‫ن أَﻧ ُﻔ‬
َ ‫ﻻ ُﺗﺨْ ِﺮﺟُﻮ‬
َ ‫ن َو‬
َ ‫َﺗﺸْ َﻬﺪُو‬
And [recall] when We took your covenant, [saying], “Do not shed each other’s blood or evict
one another from your homes.” Then you acknowledged [this] while you were witnessing.

ْ‫ﺴ ُﻜﻢ‬
َ ‫ن أَﻧ ُﻔ‬َ ‫ﻋَﻠﻴْﻬِﻢ ُﺛﻢﱠ أَﻧ ُﺘﻢْ هَـﺆُﻻء َﺗﻘْ ُﺘﻠُﻮ‬َ ‫ن‬ َ ‫ن َﻓﺮِﻳﻘًﺎ ﻣﱢﻨﻜُﻢ ﻣﱢﻦ ِدﻳَﺎ ِر ِهﻢْ َﺗﻈَﺎ َهﺮُو‬ َ ‫ن َوإِن ﻳَﺄﺗُﻮ ُآﻢْ َو ُﺗﺨْ ِﺮﺟُﻮ‬ ِ ‫ﻹﺛْ ِﻢ وَاﻟْ ُﻌﺪْوَا‬
ِ ‫ﺑِﺎ‬
‫ب ُأﺳَﺎرَى ُﺗﻔَﺎدُو ُهﻢْ َو ُه َﻮ‬ ِ ‫ﺾ اﻟْ ِﻜﺘَﺎ‬
ِ ْ‫ن ِﺑ َﺒﻌ‬
َ ‫ﺟ ُﻬﻢْ َأ َﻓ ُﺘﺆْ ِﻣﻨُﻮ‬ ُ ‫ﻋَﻠﻴْ ُﻜﻢْ ِإﺧْﺮَا‬ َ ٌ‫ﺤ ﱠﺮم‬
َ ‫ﻚ ُﻣ‬َ ‫ﻞ َذِﻟ‬ ُ ‫ﺟﺰَاء ﻣَﻦ َﻳﻔْ َﻌ‬ َ ‫ﺾ َﻓﻤَﺎ‬ ٍ ْ‫ن ِﺑ َﺒﻌ‬ َ ‫َو َﺗﻜْ ُﻔﺮُو‬
ٌ‫ﺧﺰْي‬ِ ‫ﻻ‬ ‫ﺷ ﱢﺪ ﻣِﻨ ُﻜﻢْ ِإ ﱠ‬
َ ‫ن ِإﻟَﻰ َأ‬
َ ‫ﺤﻴَﺎ ِة اﻟ ﱡﺪﻧْﻴَﺎ َو َﻳﻮْ َم اﻟْ ِﻘﻴَﺎ َﻣ ِﺔ ُﻳ َﺮدﱡو‬
َ ْ‫ن ﻓِﻲ اﻟ‬
َ ‫ﻋﻤﱠﺎ َﺗﻌْ َﻤﻠُﻮ‬ َ ‫ﻞ‬ٍ ‫ب َوﻣَﺎ اﻟﻠّ ُﻪ ِﺑﻐَﺎ ِﻓ‬ِ ‫اﻟْ َﻌﺬَا‬
Then, you are those [same ones who are] killing one another and evicting a party of your people
from their homes, cooperating against them in sin and aggression. And if they come to you as
captives, you ransom them, although their eviction was forbidden to you. So do you believe in
part of the Scripture and disbelieve in part? Then what is the recompense for those who do that
among you except disgrace in worldly life; and on the Day of Resurrection they will be sent
back to the severest of punishment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.

‫ﺤﻴَﺎ َة اﻟ ﱡﺪﻧْﻴَﺎ‬
َ ْ‫ﻦ اﺷْ َﺘ َﺮ ُواْ اﻟ‬
َ ‫ﻚ اﱠﻟﺬِﻳ‬
َ ‫ﻻ ُهﻢْ أُوﻟَـ ِﺌ‬
َ ‫ب َو‬
ُ ‫ﻋﻨْ ُﻬ ُﻢ اﻟْ َﻌﺬَا‬
َ ‫ﻒ‬
ُ ‫ﺨﻔﱠ‬
َ ‫ﻼ ُﻳ‬
َ ‫ﺧ َﺮ ِة َﻓ‬
ِ‫ﻵ‬
َ ‫ن ﺑِﺎ‬
َ ‫ﺼﺮُو‬
َ ‫ﻳُﻨ‬
Those are the ones who have bought the life of this world [in exchange] for the Hereafter, so
the punishment will not be lightened for them, nor will they be aided.

we would see that it is mentioned in the context of war and fighting; a context in which one is
in need of support and assistance. Thus, it was more befitting to conclude the verse with
yunsaroon.

However, in the other two verses, the same curse was mentioned, a curse of being distanced and
driven away from the Mercy of Allah. How is such a person to be viewed and looked at? The
word yundharoon connotes two meanings: firstly, they will not be granted respite at that time,
and secondly, Allaah will not look at them with mercy, for if a person has been distanced from
his Lord and expelled from his Lord’s Mercy, how would he be looked at?

28. Eternal regret

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

There are some commentaries on the Qur’an (tafseers) which have a strong linguistic element,
and within such commentaries one may sometimes find that the different types of ishtiqaaq
have been used to offer a depth of meaning and insight that would not ordinarily be understood
had reference to the ishtiqaaq not been made.

One such example of this can be found in the tafseer of al-Qurtubi in which he commented on
the regret expressed in verse 54 of Surah Yunus,

‫ض‬
ِ ْ‫ﻷر‬
َ ‫ﻇَﻠ َﻤﺖْ ﻣَﺎ ﻓِﻲ ا‬
َ ‫ﺲ‬
ٍ ْ‫ن ِﻟ ُﻜﻞﱢ َﻧﻔ‬
‫ﻲ َوَﻟﻮْ َأ ﱠ‬
َ‫ﻀ‬ِ ‫ب َو ُﻗ‬
َ ‫ﺳﺮﱡواْ اﻟ ﱠﻨﺪَا َﻣ َﺔ َﻟﻤﱠﺎ َرَأ ُواْ اﻟْ َﻌﺬَا‬
َ ‫ﻻﻓْ َﺘ َﺪتْ ِﺑ ِﻪ َوَأ‬
َ ‫ﻻ‬
َ ْ‫ﻂ َو ُهﻢ‬
ِ ْ‫َﺑﻴْ َﻨﻬُﻢ ﺑِﺎﻟْ ِﻘﺴ‬
‫ن‬
َ ‫ُﻳﻈَْﻠﻤُﻮ‬

And if every self that has done injustice had whatever is in the earth, it would indeed ransom
itself therewith; and they will keep secret [their] regret (al-nadaamah) as soon as they see the
torment, and [the case] is decreed between them with equity, and they are not done an injustice.

33
al-Qurtubi commented that the word used for regret - al-nadaamah - comes from the root noon-
daal-meem ‫م‬-‫د‬-‫ن‬. He then mentioned that these letters rearranged form the root daal-meem-
noon ‫ن‬-‫م‬-‫د‬, which means to continue and persist in something.

Such knowledge undoubtedly deepens our appreciation of the type of regret that such a person
as is mentioned in the verse will feel - a regret that is continual and everlasting, and from the
chains of which they will never break free.

May Allah protect us from being one of these people. Ameen.

29. Dealing with Extremities

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

There are certain noun forms in Arabic known as siyagh al-mubaalaghah (’forms of
intensification/hyperbolic forms’) that are used to put across a more intense meaning than the
original noun form. For example, a liar ‘kaadhib‘ ‫ آﺎذب‬may also be known as a kadhoob ‫آﺬوب‬
or a kadhdhaab ‫ آﺬّاب‬- all carrying the meaning of ‘liar’ but denoting different levels of
intensity.

Allaah often uses these forms in the Qur’an, and thus we find that He refers to Himself as al-
Ghaffaar ‫( اﻟﻐﻔﺎر‬Ta-Ha verse 82) and al-Ghafoor ‫( اﻟﻐﻔﻮر‬al-Burooj, verse 14).

Similarly, the slanderer has been referred to as a hammaaz ‫( هﻤﺎز‬al-Qalam, verse 11), and a
humazah ‫( هﻤﺰة‬al-Humazah, verse 1).

Is there a difference between these forms of essentially the same word? Abu Hilal al-’Askari,
author of al-Furooq al-Lughawiyyah, said that it is impossible for there to be two different
words in Arabic that have exactly the same meaning, and that those who are unaware of the
differences think that the different words are only different hyperbolic forms, whereas they also
reflect different meanings.

There are two different types of hypberbolic forms:

i. Those that indicate a different meaning to the other forms, for example the forms al-dahhaak
‫ اﻟﻀﺤّﺎك‬and al-duhakah ‫ﻀﺤَﻜﺔ‬ ُ ‫ اﻟ‬which stem from the root daad-Haa’-kaaf ‫ك‬-‫ح‬-‫ ض‬connoting
laughter. To call someone dahhaak is to praise him, as it means he laughs alot. To call someone
duhakah, however, is an insult, as it can mean he laughs TOO much (such as when it is
inappropriate to laugh for example), or that he laughs at others alot.

ii. Those that indicate a different level of intensity to other forms. Some of the most common
siyagh al-mubaalaghah are (more in later posts in shaa’ Allaah):

1. fa’aal ‫ ﻓﻌّﺎل‬- For example, hammaaz, or kaffaar ‫( آﻔﺎر‬Ibrahim, verse 34). This form connotes
the repetition of the action time after time, so much so that it becomes like a characteristic of
the person, and this is why it is often this form that is used to refer to a person’s trade or

34
profession; for example, a carpenter is known as a najjaar ‫ﻧﺠﺎر‬, a tailor is known as a khayyaat
‫ﺧﻴﺎط‬, a butcher is known as a lahhaam ‫ ﻟﺤﺎم‬, and so on.

Thus, al-Razi commented on the word ghaffaar ‫ ﻏﻔﺎر‬in the verse,

‫ن‬
َ ‫ﺖ اﺳْ َﺘﻐْ ِﻔﺮُوا َر ﱠﺑ ُﻜﻢْ ِإﻧﱠ ُﻪ آَﺎ‬
ُ ْ‫ﻏﻔﱠﺎرًا َﻓ ُﻘﻠ‬
َ

And said, ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver.

saying ‘As though this was His craft and business.’

And in the following verse,

ْ‫ﺿﻐْﺜًﺎ ﻓَﺎﺿْﺮِب ﱢﺑ ِﻪ َوﻟَﺎ َﺗﺤْ َﻨﺚ‬

ِ ‫ك‬
َ ‫ﺧﺬْ ِﺑ َﻴ ِﺪ‬
ُ ‫ﺟﺪْﻧَﺎ ُﻩ ﺻَﺎﺑِﺮًا ِﻧﻌْ َﻢ اﻟْ َﻌﺒْ ُﺪ ِإﻧﱠ ُﻪ َأوﱠابٌ َو‬
َ ‫ِإﻧﱠﺎ َو‬

[We said], “And take in your hand a bunch [of grass] and strike with it and do not break your
oath.” Indeed, We found him patient, an excellent servant. Indeed, he was one repeatedly
turning back [to Allah ].

the awwaab ‫ أواب‬is the one who repents constantly and always turns back to Allah.

And when Allaah refers to Himself as al-Ghaffaar,

‫ﻞ ﺻَﺎﻟِﺤًﺎ‬
َ ‫ﻋ ِﻤ‬
َ ‫ﻦ َو‬
َ ‫ب وَﺁ َﻣ‬
َ ‫ُﺛﻢﱠ اهْ َﺘﺪَى َوِإﻧﱢﻲ َﻟ َﻐ ﱠﻔﺎرٌ ﱢﻟﻤَﻦ ﺗَﺎ‬

But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness
and then continues in guidance.

it is as though He is saying that He constantly, time after time, forgives those who turn to Him
in repentance.

ii. fa3ool ‫ ﻓَﻌﻮل‬- This form is originally used to refer to concrete nouns that are used to carry out
other thinjgs, such as the wadoo’ ‫ وَﺿﻮء‬is the water used to carry out the ablution, and the
waqood ‫ وَﻗﻮد‬is the wood used to light fires, and the fatoor ‫ ﻓَﻄﻮر‬is the food used to break one’s
fast. This form was then extended to be used as a form of intensification, and thus it connotes a
characteristic in a person that is concrete within him, as though he is a source and basis of that
thing. For example, to call someone saboor ‫ ﺻَﺒﻮر‬is as if to say that their patience (sabr)
represents a type of commodity or fuel within them, their driving force, their motivations, and
their drive - i.e. the person in their entirety symbolises and exemplifies patience.

Thus, when Allah refers to Himself as al-Ghafoor,

‫َو ُه َﻮ اﻟْ َﻐﻔُﻮ ُر اﻟْ َﻮدُو ُد‬

And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate,

35
it is as though He is saying that He is full of forgiveness and a source of it.

30. The story’s secret

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

To look back to the original meaning of a word is to embark on more than just a linguistic
voyage; in some cases, tracing a word back to its original meaning is actually the key to
unlocking one of the treasures of the guidance of the Qur’an.

For example, Allaah said in the introduction to the story of Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him),

‫ﻦ‬
َ‫ﺴ‬َ ْ‫ﻚ َأﺣ‬
َ ْ‫ﻋَﻠﻴ‬
َ ‫ﻦ َﻧ ُﻘﺺﱡ‬
ُ ْ‫ﺺ َﻧﺤ‬
ِ ‫ﺼ‬
َ ‫ﺖ ﻣِﻦ َﻗﺒِْﻠ ِﻪ اﻟْ َﻘ‬
َ ‫ن َوإِن آُﻨ‬
َ ‫ﻚ هَـﺬَا اﻟْ ُﻘﺮْﺁ‬
َ ْ‫ﺣﻴْﻨَﺎ ِإَﻟﻴ‬
َ ْ‫ﻦ ِﺑﻤَﺎ َأو‬
َ ‫ﻦ اﻟْﻐَﺎ ِﻓﻠِﻴ‬
َ ‫َﻟ ِﻤ‬

We relate to you, the best of stories (qasas) in what We have revealed to you of this Qur’an
although you were, before it, among the unaware.

wherein the real secret behind Allah relating this story to us lies in none other than the word
story itself.

The word being used for story in this verse is qissah ‫( ﻗﺼﺔ‬pl. qasas ‫)ﻗﺼﺺ‬, is derived from the
root qaaf-saad ‫ص‬-‫ق‬. The primary connotation of this root is ‘to follow’. This meaning is further
evidenced by the verse,

‫َوﻗَﺎَﻟﺖْ ِﻟُﺄﺧْ ِﺘ ِﻪ ُﻗﺼﱢﻴ ِﻪ‬

And she said to his sister, “Follow him”

wherein the mother of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) told his sister to follow Musa after
the family of the Pharoah had picked him from the river, and the word used by Allah for
‘follow’ in the verse was qusseehi ‫ ُﻗﺼﱢﻴ ِﻪ‬- also derived from the root ‫ص‬-‫ق‬.

Similarly, the juridical term qisaas ‫ ﻗﺼﺎص‬referring to the law of equality in punishment, is so
called because it involves following in the footsteps of another - doing to one person what they
have done to another.

And thus we find that the word qissah ‫( ﻗﺼﺔ‬story) as has been used in the Qur’an has been
chosen over all other synonyms (such as hadeeth ‫ ﺣﺪﻳﺚ‬or hikaayah ‫ )ﺣﻜﺎﻳﺔ‬because it indicates
that the story is not being narrated for the sake of amusement or entertainment, but rather within
the word itself lies the explanation that the story is being related for the reader to follow in the
footsteps of the one being spoken about in the story… although you were, before it, among the
unaware.

31. Don’t be a hater

36
al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

When Ibn ‘Aashoor (d. 1973/1393) wrote his tafseer on the Qur’an, which he called Tafsir al-
Tahrir wa al-Tanwir, he followed a number of basic principles in his methodology, particularly
when it came to the linguistic exegesis, with which his tafseer is replete. These principles are
generally based on the semantic connotations of individual words, and how these meanings
relate to the context in which they are found.

This linguistic analysis is perhaps the most outstanding feature of this tafseer, and this is due to
the high regard in which Ibn ‘Ashoor regarded such analysis. He himself commented in the
begining of this work,

“With regards the Arabic language, then the purpose of it is to understand the intents of the
Arabs in the speech and literature of their language…the Qur’an is in Arabic, and thus the rules
of Arabic [grammar] are a means by which to understand the meanings of the Qur’an. Without
[knowledge of] these rules, the reader will fall into error and incorrect understanding…”

This tafseer is truly distinguished from other tafseers by Ibn ‘Ashoor’s precise linguistic
analysis, in the way he shows the meaning of the Qur’anic words and their semantic
connotations, and the way in which they are used in their context.

As an example of this analysis, Ibn ‘Ashoor explained the difference between the words al-
’Adaawah ‫ اﻟﻌﺪاوة‬and al-Baghdaa’ ‫ اﻟﺒﻐﻀﺎء‬that appear in the verse, (al-Ma’idah, verse 14),

‫ﺧﺬْﻧَﺎ‬
َ ‫ﻦ ﻗَﺎﻟُﻮاْ ِإﻧﱠﺎ َﻧﺼَﺎرَى َأ‬
َ ‫ﻦ اﱠﻟﺬِﻳ‬
َ ‫ﻈًﺎ ﱢﻣﻤﱠﺎ ُذ ﱢآﺮُواْ ِﺑ ِﻪ َﻓَﺄﻏْ َﺮﻳْﻨَﺎ َﺑﻴْ َﻨ ُﻬ ُﻢ َو ِﻣ‬
ّ‫ﺣ‬َ ْ‫ِإﻟَﻰ َﻳﻮْ ِم اﻟْ َﻌﺪَا َو َة وَاﻟْ َﺒﻐْﻀَﺎء ﻣِﻴﺜَﺎ َﻗ ُﻬﻢْ َﻓ َﻨﺴُﻮا‬
‫ف‬
َ ْ‫ﺳﻮ‬ َ ‫ن اﻟْ ِﻘﻴَﺎ َﻣ ِﺔ َو‬ َ ‫ُﻳ َﻨﺒﱢ ُﺌ ُﻬ ُﻢ اﻟّﻠ ُﻪ ِﺑﻤَﺎ آَﺎﻧُﻮاْ َﻳﺼْ َﻨﻌُﻮ‬

And from those who say, “We are Christians” We took their covenant; but they forgot a portion
of that of which they were reminded. So We caused among them al-’Adaawah (translated as
‘animosity’) and al-Baghdaa’ (translated as ‘hatred’) until the Day of Resurrection. And Allah
is going to inform them about what they used to do.

He mentioned that other linguists and exegetes (mufassiroon) failed to mention the difference
between these two words, except for two: Ibn ‘Arafah al-Toonisee, and Abu al-Baqaa’ al-
Kafawi (author of al-Kulliyyaat); each one’s opinion, however, contradicted the other’s.

Ibn ‘Arafah al-Toonisee held that al-’Adaawah is more general than al-Baghdaa’, because al-
’Adaawah leads to al-Baghdaa’, for two people may ‘yata’aadaa‘ ‫( ﻳﺘﻌﺎدى‬become enemies;
from same root as ‘adaawah) with one another, but it will not lead to anything unless hatred
(al-mubaaghadah; same root as al-baghdaa’) stems, then other things may occur.

Abu al-Baqaa’ al-Kafawi, on the other hand, held that al-’Adaawah is more specific than al-
Baghdaa’, because every enemy (‘aduww ‫ ;ﻋﺪو‬same root as ‘adaawah) has become an enemy
due to hating (yabghud ‫ ; ﻳﺒﻐﺾ‬same root as baghdaa’) another, but one may hate someone who
is not their enemy.

37
Ibn ‘Ashoor then stated that he believed both opinions to be unclear, and in his opinion, the
meaning of al-’adaawah and al-baghdaa’ were in opposition to one another; al-’Adaawah is a
hatred that comes from a person, who then treats the other person with aversion, or harm, or
cuts off from them. This is because the word ‘adaawah stems from the word ‫’( ﻋﺪو‬enemy’)
which comes from the root ayn, daal, waw ‫ع د و‬, and all the words of this root connote
meanings of transgression and distancing one thing from another.

On the other hand, al-baghdaa’ refers to a very strong hatred and the root ‫ ب غ ض‬only carries
the meanings of hatred, so we cannot understand the real meaning of this word simply from its
root.

He then turned to al-ishtiqaaq al-kabeer to help solve the problem, and discovered that when
you flip around the root ‫ ب غ ض‬you end up with ‫غ ض ب‬, which connotes extremely strong
anger. Thus, he concluded that al-baghdaa’ refers to an extremely strong form of anger that is
not necessarily directed towards a single enemy, but rather it is concealed in a person’s nafs,
like a psychological state of anger. Thus, Ibn ‘Ashoor stated that we cannot say that both al-
’Adaawah and al-Baghdaa’ are within a single person at one time in this verse, because one is
directed towards an enemy and one is not. Rather, the verse could mean ‘We caused ‘adaawah
among some of them, and baghdaa’ among others.”

And Allah knows best.

32. Submit and Obey

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

Sometimes there appear mushtarak lafdhee words in the Qur’an, that sound and are written the
same as one another, but appear to be somewhat different in meaning, and it is sometimes
difficult to make a link between the various meanings or draw them back to an original meaning.
An example of this the word ‫‘ دﻳﻦ‬deen‘ in the following verses:

‫ﺧ َﺬ َأﺧَﺎ ُﻩ ﻓِﻲ‬
ُ ْ‫ن ِﻟ َﻴﺄ‬
َ ‫ﻦ ﻣَﺎ آَﺎ‬
ِ ‫ﻻ أَن َﻳﺸَﺎ َء دِﻳ‬
‫ﻚ ِإ ﱠ‬
ِ ‫اﻟّﻠ ُﻪ اﻟْ َﻤِﻠ‬

He could not take his brother by the law of the king (as a slave), except that Allah willed it.
[12:76]

‫ﻚ َﻳﻮْ ِماﻟﺪﻳﻦ‬
ِ ‫ﻣَﺎِﻟ‬

Sovereign of the Day of Judgment [1:4]

The word ‘deen‘ comes from the root daal-yaa’-noon ‫ ن‬- ‫ ي‬- ‫د‬, and the basic meaning of the
word is submissiveness and obedience.

38
Thus, the word ‘deen‘ ‫ دﻳﻦ‬in its most well-known meaning of ‘creed’ is so called because one
submits to the tenets of the creed and obeys them.

And if you look at Surah Yusuf, verse 76 (above), the word ‘deen‘ is being used in its original
meaning of obedience, for to follow the law of the king necessarily implies obedience to the
king.

It is also possible to take the etymological process one step further and looked for a shared
meaning between derivates of the mushtarak lafdhee. For example, the word ‘Madeenah‘ ‫ﻣﺪﻳﻨﺔ‬
(meaning ‘city’) comes from the same root as deen, and is so called because the concept of a
city is based around obedience to its ruler, or person in charge.

33. Love…

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

The word ‘love’ appeared as a noun in the Qur’an ten times - of those ten, nine were using the
word hubb ‫ﺐ‬ّ ‫ﺣ‬, as in the verse,

‫ن اﻟّﻠ ِﻪ أَﻧﺪَادًا‬
ِ ‫ﺨ ُﺬ ﻣِﻦ دُو‬
ِ ‫س ﻣَﻦ َﻳ ﱠﺘ‬
ِ ‫ﻦ اﻟﻨﱠﺎ‬
َ ‫ﺤﺒﱡﻮ َﻧ ُﻬﻢْ َو ِﻣ‬
ِ ‫ﺤﺐﱢ ُﻳ‬
ُ ‫اﻟّﻠ ِﻪ َآ‬

And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They
love them as they love Allah.

and once was using the word mahabbah, ‫ ﻣﺤﺒّﺔ‬in the verse concerning Prophet Musa (peace be
upon him),

‫ت ﻓَﺎﻗْ ِﺬﻓِﻴ ِﻪ ﻓِﻲ اﻟْ َﻴ ﱢﻢ‬

ِ ‫ن اﻗْ ِﺬﻓِﻴ ِﻪ ﻓِﻲ اﻟﺘﱠﺎﺑُﻮ‬
ِ ‫ﻋ ُﺪ ﱞو ﻟﱠ ُﻪ َأ‬
َ ‫ﻋ ُﺪ ﱞو ﻟﱢﻲ َو‬
َ ‫ﺧﺬْ ُﻩ‬
ُ ْ‫ﻞ َﻳﺄ‬ِ‫ﺣ‬
ِ ‫ﻚ َﻓﻠْ ُﻴﻠْ ِﻘ ِﻪ اﻟْ َﻴ ﱡﻢ ﺑِﺎﻟﺴﱠﺎ‬
َ ْ‫ﻋَﻠﻴ‬
َ ‫ﺖ‬
ُ ْ‫ﺤ ﱠﺒ ًﺔ َوَأﻟْ َﻘﻴ‬
َ ‫ﱢﻣﻨﱢﻲ َوِﻟ ُﺘﺼْ َﻨ َﻊ َﻣ‬
‫ﻋﻴْﻨِﻲ‬
َ ‫ﻋﻠَﻰ‬ َ

Saying: ‘Put him (the child) into the Tabut (a box or a case or a chest) and put it into the river
(Nile), then the river shall cast it up on the bank, and there, an enemy of Mine and an enemy of
his shall take him.’ And I endued you with love from Me, in order that you may be brought up
under My Eye,

The word hubb is the original verbal noun of the verb habba ‫ﺐ‬ ‫ﺣ ﱠ‬, while the word mahabbah is
what is known as the ‘masdar meemi‘ (verbal noun begining with a letter meem‘) of the same
verb. As it is the original verb, it is the origin, the asl, and thus it appeared 9 times. But
mahabbah only appeared once. The reason for this lies in the difference between these two
words, which can be summed up in the following three points:

1. In the nine times in which the word hubb appeared, it was mentioned with regards the
actions of man towards Allaah, or with regards instances related to life. When Allaah
the Exalted used the word in reference to Himself towards one of His Creation - Musa

39
 (peace be upon him) - He used a different word (mahabbah), that was only ever used to
describe His own actions, as is most befitting of His majesty.

Thus, when the love stems from mankind, the word hubb was used, but when it stems
from Allaah, the word mahabbah was used.

2. The love that was bestowed upon Musa from Allaah settled in the soul of Musa and
began to emanate from him just as light emanates from the sun, and its beautiful
fragrance would attract the people to him and make them love him. Thus, Aasiyah, the
wife of Fir’awn (among many others), immediately fell in love with him and requested
from her husband that he not kill the baby Musa (see al-Qasas, verse 9).

But when humans show love to one another, it does not penetrate the beloved such that
others then begin to love them also. This only occurs when Allaah loves His servant.
Thus, it was only right to use different words to express these different types of love.

3. The word hubb is much more widely used than the word mahabbah. Thus, the more
common word was used with a subject that is great in number (i.e. mankind), while the
rare word was used with a Subject that is not (i.e. Allaah).

34. Swallow more than your pride

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

It has been narrated that a major scholar of the past [1] used to try and fault the Qur’an by
searching for flaws in its language. His attempts and studies lasted months, during which time a
group of men would frequent his house and ask him whether he had found anything yet.
Eventually, he smashed his ink pot and broke his pen, and replied, “None can dispute that this is
the Speech of Allah!” He then left the house and passed by a mosque, from which he heard the
voice of a young boy reciting the verse,

‫ﺳﻤَﺎء َأﻗِْﻠﻌِﻲ‬
َ ‫ك َوﻳَﺎ‬
ِ ‫ض اﺑَْﻠﻌِﻲ ﻣَﺎء‬
ُ ْ‫ﻞ ﻳَﺎ َأر‬
َ ‫ﻞ ُﺑﻌْﺪًا َوﻗِﻴ‬
َ ‫ي َوﻗِﻴ‬
‫ﻋﻠَﻰ اﻟْﺠُﻮ ِد ﱢ‬
َ ْ‫ﻷﻣْ ُﺮ وَاﺳْ َﺘ َﻮت‬
َ ‫ﻲا‬
َ‫ﻀ‬
ِ ‫ﺾ اﻟْﻤَﺎء َو ُﻗ‬
َ ‫ﱢﻟﻠْ َﻘﻮْ ِم َوﻏِﻴ‬
‫ﻦ‬
َ ‫اﻟﻈﱠﺎِﻟﻤِﻴ‬
And it was said, “O earth, swallow your water, and O sky, withhold [your rain].” And the
water subsided, and the matter was accomplished, and the ship came to rest on the [mountain
of] Judiyy. And it was said, “Away with the wrongdoing people.” (Hood, verse 44)

to which the man remarked, “It is not possible that a human could produce such words.”

The verse in question is one of the most beautiful, eloquent, rhetorical verses of the Qur’an, as
the scholars of Arabic balaaghah (rhetoric) identified within it more than twenty-five different
rhetorical devices (fann balaaghee) within just 17 words! [2]

–
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) would pray in the Ka’bah in Makkah, the Qurayshis

40
would laugh at him, curse him, throw rocks at him, and ridicule him. Allaah then revealed some
verses about this to ease his (peace be upon him) heart with the situation around him,

‫ﺻﻠﱠﻰ‬
َ ‫ﻋﺒْﺪًا ِإذَا‬ َ * ‫ﺖ اﱠﻟﺬِي َﻳﻨْﻬَﻰ‬ َ ْ‫ﺖ إِن * َأ َرَأﻳ‬ َ ْ‫ﻋﻠَﻰ اﻟْ ُﻬﺪَى * َأوْ َأ َﻣ َﺮ ﺑِﺎﻟ ﱠﺘﻘْﻮَى * َأ َرَأﻳ‬ َ ‫ن‬ َ ‫ﺖ إِن آَﺎ‬ َ ْ‫ب َو َﺗ َﻮﻟﱠﻰ * َأَﻟﻢْ َأ َرَأﻳ‬ َ ‫َآ ﱠﺬ‬
ْ‫ن اﻟﱠﻠ َﻪ َﻳﺮَى * َآﻠﱠﺎ َﻟﺌِﻦ ﱠﻟﻢ‬
‫ع َﻳﻌَْﻠﻢْ ِﺑَﺄ ﱠ‬
ُ ْ‫ﻃ َﺌ ٍﺔ * َﻓﻠْ َﻴﺪ‬
ِ ‫ﺧﺎ‬َ ‫ﺻ َﻴ ٍﺔ آَﺎ ِذ َﺑ ٍﺔ‬
ِ ‫ﺻ َﻴ ِﺔ * ﻧَﺎ‬
ِ ‫ع اﻟ ﱠﺰﺑَﺎ ِﻧ َﻴ َﺔ ﻳَﻨ َﺘ ِﻪ َﻟ َﻨﺴْﻔَﻌًﺎ ﺑِﺎﻟﻨﱠﺎ‬
ُ ْ‫ﺳ َﻨﺪ‬
َ * ‫ﻧَﺎ ِدﻳَﻪ‬

Have you seen the one who forbids * A servant when he prays? * Have you seen if he is upon
guidance * Or enjoins righteousness? * Have you seen if he denies and turns away -* Does he
not know that Allah sees? * No! If he does not desist, We will surely drag him by the forelock -
* A lying, sinning forelock. * Then let him call his associates; * We will call the angels of Hell.

Upon the revelation of these verses, the Prophet (peace be upon him) proceeded to the Ka’bah
and recited the verses openly to the Qurayshi enemies of Islam. They listened intently until he
(peace be upon him) went on to recite the last verse of this chapter,

ْ‫ﺠﺪْ وَاﻗْ َﺘ ِﺮب‬

ُ ْ‫ﻄﻌْ ُﻪ وَاﺳ‬
ِ ‫َآﻠﱠﺎ ﻟَﺎ ُﺗ‬

No! Do not obey him. But prostrate and draw near [to Allah ].

By the time this last verse was recited, they all fell involuntarily into prostration as commanded
in the verse, mesmerised by the beauty and truth of what they had just heard.

–
And the conversion story of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab is a well-known one. He was one of the
staunchest enemies of Islam, one of the strongest men in Makkah, who was sworn to kill the
man who called himself the Prophet of God. Sword in hand, he set about to accomplish the task
he had set himself and on the way was asked by a man he passed on the street as to the nature of
his mission. When ‘Umar told the man of his intentions, the man told him to worry about his
own sister first. In a fit of rage, he went to his sister’s house to kill her first if the news was true.
He asked her whether she had accepted Islam, and when she replied in the affirmative he
slapped her so hard that blood fell from her face. He noticed some paper in her hand, so he
asked her what she was carrying. When she told him she could not give him the papers as he
was not pure, he tore them from her hands and began to read the words written on them (listen),

‫ن ِﻟ َﺘﺸْ َﻘﻰ * ِإﻟﱠﺎ‬

َ ‫ﻚ اﻟْ ُﻘﺮْﺁ‬
َ ْ‫ﻋَﻠﻴ‬َ ‫ت ﻃﻪ * ﻣَﺎ أَﻧ َﺰﻟْﻨَﺎ‬ ِ ‫ﺴﻤَﺎوَا‬‫ض وَاﻟ ﱠ‬ َ ْ‫ﻖ اﻟَْﺄر‬ َ ‫ﺧَﻠ‬ َ ْ‫ﻼ ﱢﻣ ﱠﻤﻦ‬ً ‫اﻟْ ُﻌﻠَﻰ * َﺗﺬْ ِآ َﺮ ًة ﱢﻟﻤَﻦ َﻳﺨْﺸَﻰ * ﺗَﻨﺰِﻳ‬
‫ت‬
ِ ‫ﺴﻤَﺎوَا‬‫ش اﺳْ َﺘﻮَى * َﻟ ُﻪ ﻣَﺎ ﻓِﻲ اﻟ ﱠ‬ ِ ْ‫ﻋﻠَﻰ اﻟْ َﻌﺮ‬
َ ‫ﻦ‬ ُ ‫ﺖ اﻟ ﱠﺜﺮَى * َوإِن َﺗﺠْ َﻬﺮْ اﻟﺮﱠﺣْ َﻤ‬ َ ْ‫ض َوﻣَﺎ َﺑﻴْ َﻨ ُﻬﻤَﺎ َوﻣَﺎ َﺗﺤ‬
ِ ْ‫َوﻣَﺎ ﻓِﻲ اﻟَْﺄر‬
‫ﺴ ﱠﺮ َوَأﺧْﻔَﻰ* اﻟﻠﱠ ُﻪ ﻟَﺎ ِإَﻟ َﻪ ِإﻟﱠﺎ‬
‫ل َﻓِﺈ ﱠﻧ ُﻪ َﻳﻌَْﻠ ُﻢ اﻟ ﱢ‬
ِ ْ‫ﺤﺴْﻨَﻰ ﺑِﺎﻟْ َﻘﻮ‬ُ ْ‫ُه َﻮ َﻟ ُﻪ اﻟَْﺄﺳْﻤَﺎء اﻟ‬

Ta, Ha. * We have not sent down to you the Qur’an that you be distressed * But only as a
reminder for those who fear [ Allah ] * A revelation from He who created the earth and highest
heavens, * The Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established* To Him belongs what is
in the heavens and what is on the earth and what is between them and what is under the soil. *
And if you speak aloud - then indeed, He knows the secret and what is [even] more hidden *
Allah - there is no deity except Him. To Him belong the best names.

Upon reading the words on the paper, ‘Umar’s eyes filled with tears. He demanded from his
sister that she tell him where this man Muhammad (peace be upon him) was, and after making

41
him promise not to harm the Prophet (peace be upon him) he set out to find him. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) could tell who was at the door from the strength of his knock, so opened
the door and greeted his visitor with the words, “Isn’t it about time you became Muslim, O
‘Umar?” to which he received the reply, “I bear witness that there is no God worthy of worship
other than Allaah, and I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allaah.”

The question that remains to be asked is: What did these men have in common?

The answer (among other things)? They all had a deep, solid, understanding and
appreciation of the Arabic language, its syntax, semantics, rhetorical and literary devices,
poetry, prose, and all else a mastery of any language entails. An understanding that allowed
them to immediately discern that the difference between the speech of God and the speech of
His creation is the difference between God and His creation itself. An understanding of the
language that allowed them to recognise the truth and submit to it without giving another
moment’s consideration to the issue at hand. An understanding that enabled them to recognise
the miraculous nature of the Qur’anic text, and use this recognition as a base on which to build
their faith.

Perhaps we will never be able to acheive the same appreciation and understanding of the
language of the Qur’an as they did, but who can dispute that we owe it to our souls, to our
faith, to at least try.

[1] It has been said that he was the well-known Ibn al-Muqaffa’. But the narration appeared
without naming the man in al-Jadwal fee I’raab al-Qur’aan wa Sarfuhu wa Bayaanuhu by
Mahmood Safi (6/278).

[2] This is not a suitable place to discuss these rhetorical devices, as a background of balaaghah
is first required. But if anyone is versed in Arabic and would like to read more, I recommend
them to refer to the book Kifaayat al-Alma’ee Fee Ayat Yaa Ard Ibla’ee by Muhammad ibn al-
Jazaree (published by Dar al-Afaq al-Jadidah in Bayrut, 2003), or to refer to Tafseer al-Bahr al-
Muheet by Abu Hayyan al-Andalusi.

35. How the horse got its name

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

The verb ‫ل‬

َ ‫ ﺧﺎ‬khaala has two different forms that also differ in pattern and meaning.

The first is the verb ‫ ﺧﺎل‬khaala (perfect tense) ‫ل‬

ُ ‫ َﻳﺨُﻮ‬yakhoolu (imperfect tense), ‫ ﺧَﻮﻻ‬khawlan
(verbal noun), and it means ‘to do proficiently’ or ‘to perfect’. One may use it in the phrase

42
‫ﻋﻨْ ِﺪ ِﻩ‬
ِ ْ‫ﷲ ﻧِﻌﻤ ًﺔ ِﻣﻦ‬
ُ ‫ﺧ ﱠﻮَﻟ ُﻪ ا‬
َ khawwalahu Allaahu ni3matan min 3indihi to mean ‘Allaah [proficiently]
bestowed upon him blessings from Himself.’

This meaning also allows us to recognise the importance and status of the maternal uncle and
aunt, and indeed our obligations as maternal aunts and uncles, who are called the ٌ‫ ﺧَﺎل‬khaal and
the ٌ‫ ﺧﺎَﻟﺔ‬khaalah because they are supposed to ‘take care proficiently’ of their family. And this
may be one reason why the maternal aunt in Islam is afforded the status of the mother when the
mother is absent.

Allaah used it in this way in the Qur’an,

‫ﺧ ﱠﻮﻟْﻨَﺎ ُآﻢْ َو َﺗ َﺮآْﺘُﻢ ﻣﱠﺎ‬

َ ‫ﻇﻬُﻮ ِر ُآﻢْ َورَاء‬
ُ

and you have left whatever We bestowed upon you behind you (al-An’aam, verse 94 )

The second form is the verb ‫ل‬َ ‫ ﺧﺎ‬khaala (perfect tense) ‫ل‬
ُ ‫ ﻳَﺨﺎ‬yakhaalu (imperfect tense) and it
has two separate meanings. The first means ‘he came to possess much wealth’ including slaves,
chattel and servants. The second meaning is ‘he supposed’ and it is one of the sisters of the verb
‫ﻦ‬
‫ﻃﱠ‬
َ dhanna.

Allaah also used the verb according to this meaning in the Qur’an, (Ta-Ha, verse 66),

‫ﺗﺴﻌﻰ إﻟﻴﻪ ﻣﻦ ﺳﺤﺮهﻢ أﻧﻬﺎ ﻳﺨﻴﻞ ﻓﺈذا ﺣﺒﺎﻟﻬﻢ وﻋﺼﻴﻬﻢ‬

And suddenly their ropes and staffs seemed to him from their magic that they were moving
[like snakes]

and in Surah Luqman, verse 18,

‫ﻓﺨﻮر ﻣﺨﺘﺎل إن اﷲ ﻻ ﻳﺤﺐ آﻞ‬

Indeed, Allah does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful.

Here, the word ‫ ًَُﻣﺨْﺘﺎل‬mukhtaal (which is the active participle from the verb ‫ل‬
َ ‫ اﺧْﺘﺎ‬ikhtaala
which is extremely closely related to the verb ‫ل‬ َ ‫ ﺧﺎ‬khaala) has been translated as self-deluded
and as such is related to the first meaning of coming into possession of wealth, for too much of
a good thing leads one to arrogance and feelings that they are self-sufficient.

Allaah also used a derivative of this word in (al-Nahl, verse 8 )

‫وﻳﺨﻠﻖ ﻣﺎ ﻻ ﺗﻌﻠﻤﻮن واﻟﺒﻐﺎل واﻟﺤﻤﻴﺮ ﻟﺘﺮآﺒﻮهﺎ وزﻳﻨﺔ واﻟﺨﻴﻞ‬

And [He created] the horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride and [as] adornment.

So what does a horse have to do with any of the meanings conveyed above? The same question
was asked to Abu Hatim, one of the classical scholars of Arabic, but he was unable to answer. It
was reported that a madman was walking by and heard the question, so he said, “I will tell you!
The horse was called a ‫ ﺧﻴﻞ‬khayl due to the pride and arrogance (‫ اﺧﺘﻴﺎل‬ikhtiyaal - the verbal

43
noun from the verb ‫ اﺧﺘﺎل‬ikhtaala) it displays when it walks!” Upon which Abu Hatim said,
“Note down this wise reply and pass on the knowledge, even if it is on the authority of a
madman!”

A search in the dictionary al-Qamus al-Muhit shows that even al-Fayroozabadi wrote that the
word ‫ﺧﻴْﻞ‬
َ khayl means pride, arrogance, and vanity, so the madman’s reply could very well be
how the horse got his name.

36. He is my brother

This post is dedicated to my brother. May Allaah protect you and have mercy upon you always
habibee…ameen.

al-Salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullaah,

One of the first concepts encountered by those who decide to submit themselves to their Creator
and accept Islam as their creed and way of life, is that a Muslim is the brother of his fellow
Muslim, and that the bonds of faith are stronger than the bonds of blood. Thus one of the first
words learnt by the new Muslim are akhee ‫’( أﺧﻲ‬my brother’) and ukhtee ‫’( أﺧﺘﻲ‬my sister’), and
in some cases these become the very words most frequented by the tongue of the Muslim.

Oftentimes though, a Muslim may feel disappointed or let down by his brother, the very feeling
of which is a contradiction of what a brother represents to the Muslim and the Arabs, as told in
part by the etymology of the word itself.

Some linguists believe that the word akh is derived from the word aakhiyyah ‫ﺁﺧﻴّﺔ‬, which refers
to a piece of rope the two ends of which are buried in the ground and attached to a small stone
or stick, used to tie a horse or other animal in place so that it does not wander off. In this way
should one be attached to their brother, so that they do not wander off from one another.
Similarly, the brother should be like an aakhiyyah and ensure that his companion is kept close
to the mark and does not wander too far away from it, but if it should happen, his brother shall
draw him back to it.

Another group of linguists believe that the word akh is derived from the word wakhaa ‫وﺧﻰ‬,
which refers to an aim, endeavour, or desire. This is because the two would share these same
aims such that they are as one.

There is an Arabic proverb that states rubba akhin laka lam talid-hu ummuka ‫ﻚ َﻟﻢْ َﺗِﻠﺪْ ُﻩ‬
َ ‫خ َﻟ‬
ٍ ‫ب َأ‬
َّ ‫ُر‬
‫ﻚ‬
َ ‫‘ ُأ ﱡﻣ‬There is many a brother for you to whom your mother has not given birth,’ referring to the
full meaning of the word, as explained above. And indeed many can attest to the truth of this
proverb.

al-Hamdu lillaah, Allah has blessed me with two such brothers to whom my mother has given
birth, may Allaah have mercy upon them all and rain down His mercy and blessings upon them
such that were each a mere raindrop from the sky, the world would be flooded many times over.
Ameen.

44
37. The secret of happiness

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

So important is the concept of ‘happiness’ in our lives that many people – even dating back to
the days of the Greek philosophers – considered its pursuit to be the very purpose of existence.

Indeed, the Qur’an itself speaks of happiness as being one of the rewards of those whom Allah
chooses to admit to Paradise. He says of the martyrs in Aal-’Imraan, verse 170,

‫ﻦ‬
َ ‫َﻓﻀِْﻠ ِﻪ ِﺑﻤَﺎ َﺁﺗَﺎ ُه ُﻢ اﻟﱠﻠ ُﻪ ِﻣﻦْ َﻓ ِﺮﺣِﻴ‬
They rejoice in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His Bounty

And of the reward of the pious believers [al-Insaan, verse 11],

ْ‫ﻚ اﻟْ َﻴﻮْ ِم َوَﻟﻘﱠﺎ ُهﻢ‬

َ ‫ﺷ ﱠﺮ َذِﻟ‬
َ ‫ﺳﺮُورًا َﻧﻀْ َﺮ ًة َﻓ َﻮﻗَﺎ ُه ُﻢ اﻟﱠﻠ ُﻪ‬
ُ ‫َو‬
So, Allah saved them from the evil of that Day and gave them a light of beauty and joy.

What becomes immediately apparent upon reading the Arabic text (but once again obscured in
the translation) is that two very different words have been used to convey the idea of happiness:
‫ﻦ‬
َ ‫ َﻓ ِﺮﺣِﻴ‬fariheena, which is conjugated from the noun ‫ َﻓﺮَح‬farah, and ‫ﺳﺮُور‬
ُ suroor, and this is
prevalent throughout the Qur’an. This is because there are two very different types of happiness
being referred to.

‫ َﻓﺮَح‬farah generally refers to transitory delights or pleasures, as is the case in bodily or worldly
pleasure. For this reason, most times that ‫ َﻓﺮَح‬farah appears in the Qur’an, it is being censured,
as in the story of Qarun [al-Qasas, verse 76],

‫ﺤﺐﱡ‬
ِ ‫ﷲ ﻻ ُﻳ‬
َ ‫نا‬
‫ﻦ ِإ ﱠ‬
َ ‫اَﻟﻔِﺮﺣِﻴ‬
Indeed, Allaah does not like the fariheen

But when the source of the farah is specified in the Qur’an, as in the verse from Aal-’Imraan
mentioned above, the meaning becomes restricted (muqayyad) and it is no longer censured.

But perhaps a greater distinction between the two lies in the manifestation of the happiness.
Whereas the expression of farah is external and with clear outward signs, suroor refers to the
expansion of one’s heart with delight or pleasure wherein is quiet or tranquility, and as such it
has no external sign. This is indicated by the root from which the word stems – ‫ س ر‬seen raa’ -
the same root as the word ‫ﺮ‬ّ ‫ ﺳ‬sirr, or secret. So suroor is a secret happiness, known to one’s
heart but not always seen by others, as Ibn ‘Abbas said in reference to the above verse from al-
Insaan, “The ‫ ﻧﻀﺮة‬nadrah is on their faces, and the ‫ ﺳﺮور‬suroor is in their hearts.”

Such distinctions exemplify yet another example in which the translation fails and the original
prevails.

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38. A runaway slave

al-Salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh,

The Story of Prophet Yunus in the Qur’an is told only briefly in Surah al-Anbiya and Surah
Saffat, although he is referred to elsewhere, such as al-Qalam. In brief, he was sent to a people
whose unresponsiveness to him and his message led to him leaving them in frustration. In
Saffat (37:139-140), the most high describes his departure by saying:

‫ إذ أﺑﻖ إﻟﻰ اﻟﻔﻠﻚ‬.‫اﻟﻤﺸﺤﻮن و إن ﻳﻮﻧﺲ ﻟﻤﻦ اﻟﻤﺮﺳﻠﻴﻦ‬.

“And Yunus was one of the Messengers; when he ran to the laden ship.”

In explaining the word ( ‫) أﺑﻖ‬, some exegetes gloss it as ( ‫‘ ) ﺗﺒﺎﻋﺪ‬to move away’; ( ‫‘ ) ﻓﺰع‬to
flee’; or most commonly, ( ‫‘ ) هﺮب‬to run away’. In my translation above, I rendered it simply
as “ran”.

But the words given as estimates for ( ‫ ) أﺑﻖ‬are simply that: an estimation of the approximate
meaning. They do not allow us an understanding of the intricacy of this instance of word choice
and usage in the Qur’an. ( ‫ ) أﺑﻖ‬is not merely to flee; it is used for the ( ‫) ﺁﺑﻖ‬, a slave who
escapes and runs away from his master.

But as we know, Yunus is not technically a slave, not through birth nor through any other
means. So why the usage of the specific term ( ‫ ?) أﺑﻖ‬It is, incidentally, used only this once in
the entire book!

The application of the term with respect to him is justified, some exegetes say, because of his
fleeing away from his people without the permission of his Lord. In this manner, his fleeing
from his responsibility and the people he had been entrusted with is being compared to the slave
who, instead of fulfilling his duties, runs away from his master.

Some say that the term ( ‫ ) أﺑﻖ‬refers not only to a slave who runs away, but one who does so
without the type of reason that might justify his departure, such as persecution or extremely
difficult conditions. If this is correct, it adds a further nuance to the choice of the word ( ‫) أﺑﻖ‬, in
describing the condition of the Prophet Yunus as one not warranting his flight.

The metaphoric usage of ( ‫ ) أﺑﻖ‬thus demonstrates the relationship Yunus had with his master,
and serves as a strict reminder to us as well. We, like Yunus, are servants of Allah and cannot
flee from him nor his command.

This added insight into the hapax legomenon ( ‫ ) أﺑﻖ‬demonstrates yet again the absolute
brilliance of the language of the Qur’an; it manages to convey deep meaning and lessons to us
even with the placing of a single word.
—

*This article was submitted by a guest writer, jazaahum Allaahu khayran. If you would like to
submit an article to appear on Arabic Gems, please email it for review.

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