Hi Asher. How are the concerts going?
On the Arabic language ( and digressing from Leonaro's superb photo ) I would like to tell our readers
something.
In English, the fruit of the palm tree, is obviously called ' dates '. That's it. In Arabic, on the contrary
it has far to many names. Generic form is ' tamer ' or the plural ' tamour '
Pre and during the times of Prophet Mohammed ( PBUH ) ( as now to a much lesser extent ) the
Arabs were known for their eloquence. Those that had the command of the language, could incite
their tribes, with the grandeur of their poetry and the magnificence of their choice of words and eloquence to battle, to peace and to ( what muslims would consider heathen ) idol worship. The pomp
glory and utter invincibility of their idols, delivered through the magnificence of their poetry and words
is to this day studied for its command of the Arabic Language.
Having briefly set the scene above ;
Prophet Mohammed ( PBUH ) was illiterate. no reading or writing skills. He was chosen to deliver a message to convince the Arabs of the oneness of Allah. To speak to the crowds around the Kabaa and to compete for their attention against the eloquence of the literates of Makkah.
The Koran says ( heavily paraphrased by me )...Mohammed, tell them you speak the word of Allah
( from the familiar word ilah ). The gauntlet was thrown. The Koran..' Mohammed, tell the people of
Qureish ( the noblest and the most influential tribe, to whom Mohammed belongs ), and all others
that these are the words revealed to you by Allah. Ask them to bring 10 verses similar to these,
nay even one worse to compare with these.
The Qureish demanded miracles from Mohammed. The illiterate Prophet of God brought forth verses
that had them tongue tied. Allah says the Koran is the miracle in a language that will be used, understood and whose eloquence and grandeur could not be challenged then and now.
Arabic is a hard language to learn. each word has to be traced to its origins and understood within its
context. Failing that leads to untold misinterpretations and misrepresentations.
The Arabic word ' Jihad ' is one such word whose meaning is completely misunderstood, mistranslated
and misused.
Regards.
Leonardy, Marty!
I too am mesmerized by the image.
Fahim,
Unfortunately, the highlights of Arab poetry never filtered to Europe well. I find, however, an eloquence in your words. "Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" becomes "it is better to have been sincere and lost than to have embarked on a journey with insincerity".
Asher
