Unveiling the Roots of the Word "Arab"

As we continue this Arabic journey, we start today with a unique historical background. Later, we will examine the word???? (Arab)?and explore its origins.

Classification of Arabs?

Most historians classify Arabs into three categories:

1. The Extinct Arabs?(????? ??????? - Alarab Alba’ida)
2. The Pure Arabs?(????? ??????? - Alarab Alariba)
3. The Arabized Arabs?(????? ????????? - Alrab Almust’riba)

The latter two are referred to as "The Remaining Arabs."

• Pure Arabs?trace their lineage back to?Qahtan?(or?Joktan), mentioned in the Old Testament. This group includes the?Qahtanites?of Himyar and the people of Yemen, representing the southern Arabian population.
• Arabized Arabs?are the?Ma’adites, descendants of?Ma’ad bin Adnan, who settled in Najd, the Hijaz, and northern regions. They are linked to?Ishmael, son of Abraham, who initially spoke Hebrew, Aramaic, or Chaldean. Upon marrying a Yemeni woman, Ishmael adopted the Arabic language, leading to the Arabization of his descendants.

Dissecting & Formation of Words in Arabic

One of Arabic’s powerful characteristics is its purpose-based language. Every word is constructed with specific reasons, including sounds and meanings, or both. For example,???? (Fakar), meaning "to think," derives from??? (Faka), which means "opening," and??? (Kara), which means "repeating." When you combine these concepts—"opening" and "repeating"—and repeat them as (?? ??? ?? ??), you illustrate the process of thinking by dissecting a word and reflecting on its meaning repeatedly.?

Now, let’s analyze the word???? (Arab)?using a similar constructive method:

• Dissecting from the middle (2:2): (Rab) ?? ?? (Ara)

?? (Ara)?means "open/expose/naked," and??? (Rab)?means "owner/God." The people of the desert live openly, exposed to the sands, without cover, owning their cattle and always moving for food and water, depending on God.

• Alternatively (1:2): ? ??

?? (A) ?? (Rab)?can denote "on God," reflecting trust in God while traversing the vast desert in search of sustenance.

• Thirdly, the flipping letter concept: ??? ???

??? (Abr)?means "through," "via," or "path," " cross" which is common in Arabian desert. This concept is also reflected in the term????? (Ibri) Hebrew, as they share a similar nomadic heritage. The slight letter swap from????? (Arab)?to????? (Ibri)?signifies their shared environment.

Derivatives of the Word "Arab"

The word???? (Arab)?has many derivatives. Here are some notable examples:

• ?????? (Al-Arabi): Arabian; refers to those who speak the Arabic language. Al-Arabi
• ?????? ??? ??????: ????? ??????? A'raaba 'anhu lisaanuhu: abaan wa afsaHa His tongue expressed it: he made it clear and articulate.
• ???????? ?? ???????: ???? ????????? A'raaba fi al-bay'i: a'ataa al-'urboun To sell: to give the deposit.
• ?????????: ?????? ???????? ????? ????????? Ta'rraba: aqama bil-baadiyyati wa saara 'Arabiyy?? To Arabize: to reside in the desert and become an Arab.
• ????? ???????: ??????? ???????? ?????? ??????? Halaat al-i'raab: ar-raf'u wa an-nasbu wa al-jarru wa al-jazm Cases of grammatical declension: nominative, accusative, genitive, and jussive.
• ????????? ???? ???????? ?????????? Al-i'raabu 'an al-farah wa as-suroor Expressing joy and happiness: disclosing emotions.
• ????????????: At-ta'riib Arabization—giving a foreign word an Arabic tint. For example, "the telephone" is an Arabized word.
• ???? (Arabah): Arabah A transport vehicle, with two or four wheels, pulled by animals, or a railway trailer equipped with comforts for sleeping.?

Phonetics of Arabic?

Sounds: English vs. Arabic

Most sounds in Arabic also exist in English and vice versa. Here are some examples:

• ? (ba): sounds like the English?b. Ba
• ? (za): sounds like?z. Za
• ? (Tha): as in "thin." Tha
• ? (Dha): as in "them." Dha
• ? (Sh?n): as in "shoot." Sh?n?

Other similar sounds include?? (Laam)?and?? (Raa). The Arabic?? (laam)?is pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth a bit farther back, while the Arabic?? (raa)?is trilled, differing significantly from the English?r.?

I found an excellent source for Arabic phonetics pronunciation files, courtesy of IslamCan: Learn Arabic Alphabets with MP3 Audio

Daily Words

Let's end with our five daily words:

• ??? (ana): I Ana
• ???? (yaqūl): To say Yaqūl
• ????? (madrasa): School Madrasa
• ???? (kabīr): Big Kabīr
• ?? (man): Who Man

A good reference image of the vocals and phonetics courtesy of QFI.ORG. Please go back to our previous post "Unveiling the Richness of Arabic Traditions and Sounds" to know the corresponding sound in transliteration.?

Join me in the next post as we continue exploring the beauty and complexity of the Arabic language!