Language Barrier - Part 9

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Pondering Mind

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Jun 24, 2007, 4:40:10 AM6/24/07
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I am herein reproducing the article of Brother Ayman in parts which one could access in full at the following link: http://www.free-minds.org/articles/science/language.htm

Language Barrier - (Part - 9)

CONCLUSION

In summary, the sign in 16:103 has significant implications on how we can properly understand the great reading. Archeological evidence confirms the information we found by studying the great reading. Thus, a coherent picture of "pre-quranic" Arabia is starting to emerge.

Interestingly, while writing this article, a possible solution for an age old puzzle was inadvertently discovered. Many people have wondered about the initials at the beginning of some chapters of the great reading.

A closer look at those alleged initials reveals that they are not initials at all but are words. For example, here is how 2:1 is written now as a word: 

الم

Had it been not a word but three initials as some people contend then it would have been written as follows: 

ا ل م

Clearly, there is a big difference.

Also, from Chapter 42 it is clear that the words at the beginning are words and not initials and we can't haphazardly separate them as initials because of the deliberate separation between "حم" and "عسق" when they could have been joined and written as:

حمسعق

Thus, The God deliberately separated the "حم" and "عسق" while He didn't separate الم into ا ل م in Chapter 2. Thus, this is more confirmation that الم should be considered a word and not three initials.

Even chapters that start with single letters should be read out as words and not spelled as initials. Spelling them out would be like spelling the single letter "وَ" at the beginning of Chapter 103 as "waw", for example, instead of reading it as "wa". The God gave us the great reading not the great spelling.

As we found out, Arabic is a common people language and not a formal religious one. So what do those words mean?

In all informal languages of the common people there are words that are either jargon abbreviation of other words or are slang words that people commonly use. As a language of the common people, Arabic would have been no exception. An example in colloquial American English would be words like "OK" and "yo".

Interestingly, chapter 20 starts with the word "taha". Here is what the Classical Arabic dictionaries say about the meaning of طه:

معناهُ يا رجُلُ بالحَبْشِيَّةِ

طَهْ مجزومة : إِنها بالحبشية يا رجل

It means "hey man" or the equivalent of "yo" in colloquial American English. The dictionaries attribute this word to the Southern Semitic language of Ethiopic, which is related to Southern Arabic dialects such as Hadramatic and Sabaic. So this slang word could have been borrowed into those Southern Arabic dialects.

In light of this information, let's fully translate 20:1-2:

20:1-2. Hey man, We didn't descend on you the reading to make you suffer.

As one can see, the meaning perfectly fits in the context of 20:2. Even though scholars and clergy would be shocked at hearing such an informal way of expression in a translation of the great reading, one must keep in mind that the real Classical Arabic at the time of the great reading was a common people informal language and not the formalized language that it is made out to be today. Hence, it is likely that when the clergy at the time of the prophet heard the great reading for the first time in Arabic, they had the same reaction as the present day clergy hearing the above translation.

Another example is in chapter 27 where the word "tas"/ طسappears. According to Classical Arabic dictionaries, the word means "delve/sink deep into something", amongst other meanings. Thus, 27:1 could be translated as follows:

27:1. Sink deep into these signs of the reading and a clarifying book.

Another example that appears at the beginning of multiple chapters is the word "tasam"/طسم. It appears in chapters 26 and 28. According to Classical Arabic dictionaries, "tasam" used by common people to mean "sharpen" and "study", among other meanings.

والعامَّة تقول طسَّم الموسى. أي استحدَّها على الطسمة

يَطْسِمُ طُسُوماً دَرَسَ

Thus, 26:1-2 and 28:1-2 could be translated as follows:

26:1-2. Sharpen/study these signs of the clarifying book.

The Arabic word "ham"/ حم, which appears in chapters 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 also has a meaning. According to Classical Arabic dictionaries the meaning is something that is "intended" or "destined":

حَمَّهُ: قصد قصده.- اللّه كذا: قضاه وقدّ ره

حُمَّ يُحَمُّ حَمّا :- الأَمرُ: قُضي؛

(حُمَّ): الأمْرُ بالضم (حَمّاً) قُضِيَ وله ذلك قُدِّرَ

وحَمَّ حَمَّهُ) قَصَدَ قَصْدَهُ)

Thus, 40:1-2 can be translated as follows:

40:1-2. It is intended/destined revelation of the book from The God, the Powerful, the Knower.

Similarly, 41:1-2, 45:1-2 and 46:1-2 can be translated as follows:

41:1-2. It is intended/destined revelation from the Almighty, the Merciful.

45:1-2. It is intended/destined revelation of the book from The God, the Powerful, the Wise.

46:1-2. It is intended/destined revelation of the book from The God, the Powerful, the Wise.

44:1-3 can be translated as follows:

44:1-3. It is intended/destined and a clarifying book. We descended it in a blessed night for We were warning.

In chapter 42, we have two words that have been traditionally considered as initials. We already found out what "ham"/ حمmeans. According to Classical Arabic dictionaries, the other word "'asaq"/ عسق means "following closely" and "pollinate/pollination". Thus, 42:1-3 can be translated as follows:

42:1-3. It is intended/destined pollination, like that is how you and those before you are inspired by The God the Powerful, the Wise.

Finally, 43:1-3 can be translated as follows:

43:1-3. It is intended/destined and a clarifying book. We have made it an Arabic reading so that perhaps you will be logical.

Interestingly, we started this study with 43:3 and now we came a full circle and ended up with a possible solution for the age-old mystery of what the word in 43:1 means in the context of 43:1-3.

Given that Arabic at the time of the great reading was an informal common people language with many slang words, it is not surprising that the first scholars to codify the language were not Arabs but were Persians. No scholar who is a native speaker would codify what they consider to be informal "street talk". Scholars only codify formal languages. Later as the Arabs interacted with other nations and tyrannical leaders and the religious elites revived their symbiotic existence, Arabic was transformed into a formal "religious" language that the common people need the clergy to understand for them. The slang words at the beginning of the chapters defied codification by their very nature because slang by definition doesn't follow any rules. However, they serve as a sign for us that The God can take inconsistent man-made human communication and use it to compose a consistent and powerful message. They also serve as a reminder that The God is addressing the people directly and that the self-styled religious elite do not have any role in our obligation to The God.

To refute the traditionalist theories about the alleged initials, all that had to be done is prove one set of the alleged initials to be a word that has meaning and fits in the context. In this article, not just one but eleven of the sets of initials were proven to be words that have meanings that fit in the context. This leaves us with 18 that are not yet deciphered and for which further research is needed. As our understanding and that of our children improves, we would be able to decipher them with The God's help, unless He wills otherwise.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:

2:2. This is the book no doubt in it, a guidance for the forethoughtful.

This article reflects my personal interpretation of the verses of the reading as of February 3, 2005. I will try to improve my understanding of the great reading and the universe, except if The God wills and perhaps my Lord guides me to what is nearer in rationality. Please verify all information within for yourself as commanded in 17:36, and remember that simply "none" is the forethoughtful answer to 45:6. If The God willed, the outcome of this article will be beneficial .

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