Devotional Arabic

786
Devotional Arabic
by Mogamat Faadiel Arnold 2020

Motivation

Conventional foreign language courses imitate conventional mother tongue grammar courses. These courses follow the Classical Physics concept that the understanding of the parts give meaning to the  the sentence. What is clear is that this methodology does not spell out connotative meanings of sentences - that is feelings of the sentence. Such an attempt to teach conventional, mother-tongue language classes has produced technical grammatical skills devoid of creative meaning in structural writing. Classical Arabic [for the study of Tafseer] and Colloquial Arabic [ dialectical Arabic] were the only two types of Arabic for many years. This has derailed and stifled the abilities of students who want to learn Arabic/

The conventional Arabic teaching methodology has brought little progress for the average Muslim who really wants to understand the Arabic he/she uses or hears in devotions. This prompted me to consider that if understanding Devotional Arabic is a core need of all Muslims and that many are not able to attend regular conventional Arabic classes, that one could actually directly teach the function and feeling of Arabic through devotional vocabulary and utterances that every Muslim comes into contact with. Another very core problem is that many cannot read the Arabic Script, and that the present transliteration style is a British Indian sound structure rather than a true Arabic sounding.

I thus aim herewith to present Arabic here in its more Kaaps [Arabic-Dutch-German-Malaysian-Indonesian-Javanese - dialect of the Bo-kaap People, who through this gave rise to Afrikaans in South Africa]

Arabic is a language where all the words are derived from a basic-three letter root verb;

Muslim, Islam, Mu-mi-nuun, Salaam are all words derived from the root verbal structure which is the past tense or infinitive of a word - The root of these words in SA-LI-MA which has various meanings and inflections and grades of verbal meanings and the actual single word in Arabic can then have a richness of meaning. Let me illustrate using the above words that everyone knows and translates simply as:

1. MUS-LIM - who who believes has faith in Allah SWT and who surrenders
Muminuun - many muslims
Salaam - Peace

Now the Root of all these words as I pointed out is Sa-li-ma which means - to be safe and sound, unharmed, unimpaired, intact, secure, blameless, certain, established, faultless, to escape, clearly proven, to preserve, to protect from harm, to save, to surrender, to deliver, to submit, to concede, to resign, to greet, salute, to consent, to commit one's cause to God, to breath one's last... Now that paints a completely new picture. As we know Allah SWT Stated in the Qur'an that He has Revealed The Qur'an in Arabic so that mankind must deeply reflect on the essence of things and further He stated that He has created everything in Goodness and in Perfect Purity [Fitrah].

The above meaning patterns of the first verb Sa-li-ma immediately proves how deep Arabic allows us to think, ponder and develop higher perceptions and a consciousness of life. We can also identify how, when one meaning is ascribed to an Arabic word how the meaning can be distorted in another culture.

When you translate Muslim as "one who surrenders" and not add on "to the Wishes of God" then the colonialists can imprint and has imprinted in the minds of occupied nations that religion means "to submit your will to the authorities that rule you" and that "One must accept what comes you way in life" -  The meaning patterns of the Arabic has then been translated into the militaristic English, colonial connotation/ feeling of the word. One can then understand that when one makes religion a dogma of social practices without deep conviction how it will stifle the community into refusals to be creative and proactive under constant western educational dogma. One now also understands why Carl Marx could say" Religion is the opiate of the people" and create a godless thought of statesmanship.

Let us now try to derive deeper meaning patterns from the word Sa-li-ma it is clear that the meaning of Islam and Muslim is much deeper than Surrender and Peace. You can see that the meaning of the word Islam and Muslim alone can give you the full understanding of the purpose and quality of Faith in God.

So now lets get an holistic understanding of Muslim and Islam, based on the various deeper meanings of the word Sa-li-ma

A Muslim [form Sa-li-ma] is one who feels safe and secure in having faith in God, because he surrenders his lower desires to be self-indulgent towards the service of mankind to free them from all forms of slavery and oppression to allow himself and others to live in peace, tranquillity, unimpaired by rules and customs that stifle the self from being absolute free to develop to his/her fullest potential and escape into the realms of truth, trust and security of God's Protection, Guidance and Support. It this way the Muslim in Islam feels no fear and neither grieves because he/she knows it is all in Goodness of Gods Grace and Plan for His/her total success in this world and the next. The Muslim is thus clearly knows that his/her is a proven fact and not an illusion. His faith in God Alone and not in human states and institutions, protects him/her from exploitation, and thus allows him/her to be safe and sound in mind and body to pursue his/ her highest potentials and in this way help others to achieve their, which is his/her Divine Duty, so that him/herself can truly be Grateful to God for all the favours of life with its its challenges. This is because he/she sees benefit even in hardship and thus can surrender to it knowing that he/she is protected by God and will find a way out of it, if he/she relies only on God to provide the relief while he/she in doing everything in his/her power and skills to work towards a solution while putting full trust in God to provide the wisdom for the work done. One then as a Muslim become blameless of procrastinating and being a sitting duck in any situation because of fears. The Muslim is thus fearless and a true representative of Divine Will here on earth. This is why disbelievers have a natural fear for truly faithful Muslims, because they know the sincere and secure Muslims becomes a Mu'min [Faithful, trusting, trustworthy, reliable, safe, reassured person] that has the Help of God at all times, even in death. The Greeting of a Muslim is thus a prayer to the other for safety, security, protection, freedom] . A Muslim thus escapes all the trials and tribulations of life in the safety and security of God's Divine Protection, Guidance and Security.

From the above one realises that the writing can continue of just one word in Arabic. Now one realises why the Arabic scholars of old can write volumes on one word of the Qur'an and how it was possible for them to lay the foundations of Algebra, Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Medicine etc. etc...

2. The Ka-li-ma [the short treatise/maxim/speech/address]

ASH-HA-DU [A=I;  sha-ha-da; to be a witness] AL-LAA [it is actually AN = that; LAA = Not]
I-LAA [god]  IL-LAL-LAAH [ IL-LAA = except; ALLAH] WA [and] ASH-HA-DU [i am a witness] AN-NA [that] MUGHAMMA-DAR-RA-SUU-LUL-LAAH [RA-SUU-LU [Messenger] LUL [of] Allah]

3. The Athaan [the call/announcement/to be informed]

AL-LAA-HU [Allah] AK-BAR [is Greater (than the greatest one want to perceive) x4
ASH-HA-DU   AL-LAA IL-LAA-HA   IL-LAL-LAAH [refer to the top]x2
ASH-HA-DU  AN-NA  MUGHAMMA-DAR-RA-SUU-LUL-LAAH [see above] x2
GHAY-YA [Ghay-ya = to live, witness, to see - come to life]
AL-LAS-SO-LAAH [AL-LAA [upon/towards] SO-LAAH [ so-la-wa = to pray/worship in a formal manner, the way the Angel Gibreel showed The Prophet Mughammad SAW; to be Bless] x2
GHA-YA
A-LAL-FA-LAAGH [A-laa [towards] FA-LAAGH [ fa-la-gha = to be successful, happy, thriving, prosper] x2
AL-LAA-HU   AK-BAR [see above] x2
LAA  [no]
I-LAA-HA [god]
IL-LA(L) [except] the bracketed (L) belongs to the word Allah... The Exalted
ALLAH. [God]

4. The Iqaama [ The call  for the establishment of the salaah - QO-WA-MA - to get up, stand up, rise, rise from the dead, to ascend, to start..]

The I-qaa-ma has the same frontal features of the Athaan, but it includes

QADD [ stop where you are and come] -QA-MA [stand up and rise] TIS-SO-LAAH (x2) [ for the solaah

5. The Niy-yah [ from the root NA-WA-YA - to have a purpose, intention, to absent yourself from that that distracts you, to be sincere, to direct one's attention solely for...]

NA-WAY-TU - [I have intended - this is a past tense, first person verb - thus the expression of a niyah is actually an indication that the intention was already made in the heart and then the mind and then gets expressed in words in the past tense - thus the learned will state the the expression of a niyyah is a sunnah, and the fard lies in the will that rests in the heart - and so some Muslims will just utter Allaa-hu-ak-bar [ without verbally expressing the past tense verb of I have intended]

U-SOL=LEE - [ now this is in the present tense - I solaah my Solaah now...]

Thus all expressed intentions is in the past tense of a wish or will of the heart before its expression.
[Important that one refers to the heart and not the mind - as The Qur'an Refers to the hearts of people as the seat of first impression - what is quite interesting is that the heart is the first organ that reacts to outside stimulus and then in sends the needed instructions to the brains and body parts to react - it is thus interesting that The Qur'an Relates that the heart finds peace in remembering Allah SWT - this is because Thikr vibration taps into the field of uplifting frequencies in the samaa - universe that is in constant rememberance and praise of Allah SWT and thus helps to tanquil the heart [ as the organ that vibrates and send frequencies out into the universe]

6. The Fast/ Si-yaam [from 'so-wa-ma' to abstain from food and sex and bad behaviour]

NA-WAY-TU I have intended SO-MA-to fast GA-DIN - tomorrow AN that A-DAA-I - in performance of- FAR-DI -the obligation of RA-MA-DOAAN, HAA-THI-HI- in this SA-NA-TI -year LIL- for LAA-HI -Allah SWT.  EE-MA-NAN - in Faith WA -and GH-TI-SAA-BAN- in high regard/higly valued LI-for / inorder to WAJ-JI-HIL - be in the Presence/ in front of the Face LAA-HI -of God, /KA-REEM - The Noble - AZ-ZA - Respected/ Powerful WA -and JALL - Sublime/ Lofty/ Exalted.

7. All Niyaahs are in the past tense - because the intention of the heart is in the present tense and the expression verbally is then in the past tense. 

8. Thikr - means to remember, From the root Tha-ka-ra, [ to keep in mind, to recall, recollect, to speak, qoute, to name, cite, to give] That means that we already know that Allah SWT Exists and that we bearwitness to it, that we did know, but that we forgot - hence rememberance Thikr of what we already know. That is why we say Ashhadu - I bear witness that Allah SWT exists and The Prophet SAW is His messenger. That is because when Allah SWT Created us we were all immediately present and in our pure form in Jannah. We also actaully returned instantaneously back to Allah SWT in the success / failure of our mission as Deputees of Allah SWT - a trust we took to look after the world and the universe in our constant praise, thanks and rememberance of Allah SWT - and our thikr [ which Salaah is the higest form, keeps the universe in constant service of us by the Grace and Order of Allah SWT. So the Muslims keep the universe active for all to enjoy. We are actually making sadaqa with of service to Allah SWT. When there is no one that praises Allah SWT the universe will implode/ roll up - the end of time. - and Allah SWT Knows Best.  







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