The meaning of ‘inshallah’, ‘mashallah’ and ‘bidhnillah’
They asked: What is the meaning of ‘inshallah’? I replied: Is there any Muslim who is unaware of the meaning of this word which…
Arabic and Language
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The Voice of ‘Qala Allah’
Every seeker of truth who traverses the madrasas and spiritual retreats of the Indian subcontinent often finds themselves engulfed in a strange melancholy and sorrow. Their heart seems to overflow with an inexplicable yearning, a…
The Qur’anic translations
(Revised version) Q. Mr Haider Ali Nadwi, an `alim from Bhopal in India, wrote to me asking whether I can recommend an English translation…
Specialized/technical language
This is a way of using words that fix their meanings for yourself and others. It is useful and necessary to have precise terms…
Balaghah
Balaghah is generally understood to be the art of managing speech or writing so that it is persuasive. If the speaker or writer consciously…
The Meaning of the Expression InshāʾAllāh
By this link: What is the meaning of the expression inshāʾAllāh? I replied: Can the meaning of this expression, which happens to be a…
Printing translations of the Qur’an without the original Arabic text
Though the Qur’an was sent down in Arabic, its message is universal. This is very clearly stated in the Qur’an itself: ‘Say: O humankind!…
Questions & Answers on Arabic and Language
View all Q&A →al-Jāḥiẓ on the definitions of balāghah
Assalamo Alaikum, I pray Almighty to find you in good health. Of late, I was studying up. It was Al-Bayan wa-Al-Tabyeen of Al-Jahiz (775-868 A.D.). An erudite para stuck me up. I was, indeed, at a loss. I could not…
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Respected Maulana Rida ul-Haq, Principal of Jamiat Al-Huda in Nottingham, may Allah preserve him, has a daughter, Ustadha Safiyya Zaid, who is an accomplished scholar, a specialist in Arabic language and Hadith, and also one of my students. She has…