Words learned from the Ihya

إحياء · iḥyāʾ · reviving, bringing back to life

• Met in: V1 p1 ¶2: «...من تحرير كتاب في إحياء علوم الدين...»
• Dictionary form: إِحْيَاء, the verbal noun (maṣdar) of the verb أَحْيَا, "he gave life, revived" (corpus lemma أَحْيَا, 51 times in the Quran)
• Pattern: إِفْعَال (ifʿāl), the verbal noun of Form IV (أَفْعَلَ). Form IV often means "to make something so": حَيِيَ, to live, becomes أَحْيَا, to make live.
• Meaning here: The reviving of the sciences of the religion: bringing back to life a knowledge that has died among people (p2).

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root حيي, vol 2, p 121

الحاء والياء والحرف المعتل أصلان: أحدهما خلاف الموت، والآخر الاستحياء الذي [هو] ضد الوقاحة

Two origins: one is the opposite of death (life); the other is shyness (istiḥyāʾ), the opposite of shamelessness. So ḥayāʾ, modesty, is from the same root as ḥayāt, life.

Urdu bridge

احیاء is used in Urdu (احیائے دین, reviving the religion), and حیات (life) and حیا (modesty) are everyday Urdu. (to be confirmed)

Quran

184 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: حَيَوٰة (life) ×76, أَحْيَا (gave life) ×51, حَيّ (living) ×24.

فَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰٓ ءَاثَٰرِ رَحْمَتِ ٱللَّهِ كَيْفَ يُحْىِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَآ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمُحْىِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

So observe the effects of the mercy of Allah - how He gives life to the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed, that [same one] will give life to the dead, and He is over all things competent.

Surah Ar-Room (30), ayah 50 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: Allah reviving the earth after its death: the picture behind the book's title.

In the Ihya

إحياء: 105 times in the Ihya.

الخالص · al-khāliṣ · pure, purely for

• Met in: V1 p2 ¶1: «وما سوى الخالص لوجه الله من العلم والعمل عند الناقد البصير رد»
• Dictionary form: خَالِص (corpus lemma, 2 times in the Quran; feminine خَالِصَة ×5)
• Pattern: فَاعِل (fāʿil), the "doer" form: that which is pure. The same root gives إِخْلَاص (ikhlāṣ, sincerity; the ifʿāl pattern, like إحياء) and مُخْلِص (a sincere person).
• Meaning here: Knowledge and action done purely for the sake of Allah: everything else is "rejected".

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root خلص, vol 2, p 207

الخاء واللام والصاد أصل واحد مطرد، وهو تنقية الشيء وتهذيبه

One origin running through all its words: cleansing a thing and refining it.

Urdu bridge

خالص (pure, unmixed: خالص دودھ) and اخلاص (sincerity) are everyday Urdu. (to be confirmed)

Quran

31 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: مُخْلِص ×11, مُخْلَص ×9, خَالِصَة ×5.

أَلَا لِلَّهِ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْخَالِصُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ زُلْفَىٰٓ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِى مَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى مَنْ هُوَ كَٰذِبٌ كَفَّارٌ

Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion. And those who take protectors besides Him [say], "We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allah in position." Indeed, Allah will judge between them concerning that over which they differ. Indeed, Allah does not guide he who is a liar and [confirmed] disbeliever.

Surah Az-Zumar (39), ayah 3 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: The very word الخالص: pure religion belongs to Allah.

In the Ihya

الخالص: 33 times; الإخلاص: 171 times. The Book of Intention, Sincerity and Truthfulness (Book 37) is devoted to it.

الدنيا · al-dunyā · this world, this present life

• Met in: V1 p2 ¶1: «والآخرة مقبلة والدنيا مدبرة»
• Dictionary form: دُنْيَا (corpus lemma, 115 times in the Quran)
• Pattern: فُعْلَى (fuʿlā), the feminine of أَدْنَى, "nearer, lower" (in the Quran 12 times). So الدنيا is literally "the nearer (life)", set against الآخرة, "the last (life)".
• Meaning here: This world, which is "turning its back" and leaving.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root دنو, vol 2, p 302

الدال والنون والحرف المعتل أصل واحد يقاس بعضه على بعض، وهو المقاربة

One origin, consistent throughout: nearness.

Urdu bridge

دنیا is everyday Urdu for "the world". The Arabic keeps the root sense "the near one", which Urdu has lost. (to be confirmed)

Quran

133 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: دُنْيَا ×115, أَدْنَى ×12.

بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا

But you prefer the worldly life,

Surah Al-A'laa (87), ayah 16 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: Preferring the life of this world: the problem the Ihya attacks. (The next ayah, 87:17, says the Hereafter is better and more lasting.)

In the Ihya

الدنيا: 2,377 times, the most frequent content word in the Ihya. Book 26 is the Condemnation of the World.

طريق · ṭarīq · road, path, way

• Met in: V1 p2 ¶1: «...والخطر عظيم والطريق سد...» and «وسلوك طريق الآخرة»
• Dictionary form: طَرِيق (corpus lemma, 4 times in the Quran); also طَرِيقَة (way, manner) ×5
• Pattern: فَعِيل (faʿīl).
• Meaning here: The road to the Hereafter (ṭarīq al-ākhira): Ghazali's image for the whole spiritual life, which needs a guide, a companion and provisions.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root طرق, vol 3, p 449

الطاء والراء والقاف أربعة أصول، أحدها: الإتيان مساء، والثاني: الضرب، والثالث: جنس من استرخاء الشيء، والرابع: خصف شيء على شيء

Four origins: coming by night; striking; a kind of slackness; and laying one thing over another. He places الطريق under the root only tentatively, saying himself «والله أعلم» (Allah knows best), so we do not claim an etymology.

Urdu bridge

Watch the shift: Urdu طریقہ means method, way of doing; Arabic طريق means road, and طريقة means way, manner. The Ihya uses both. (to be confirmed)

Quran

11 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus): طَرِيقَة ×5, طَرِيق ×4, طَارِق ×2.

قَالُوا۟ يَٰقَوْمَنَآ إِنَّا سَمِعْنَا كِتَٰبًا أُنزِلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مُوسَىٰ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ يَهْدِىٓ إِلَى ٱلْحَقِّ وَإِلَىٰ طَرِيقٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

They said, "O our people, indeed we have heard a [recited] Book revealed after Moses confirming what was before it which guides to the truth and to a straight path.

Surah Al-Ahqaf (46), ayah 30 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: The jinn describe the Quran as guiding "to a straight path" (طريق مستقيم).

In the Ihya

طريق: 627 times in the Ihya.

العلم · al-ʿilm · knowledge

• Met in: V1 p2 ¶5: «وصدرت الجملة بكتاب العلم لأنه غاية المهم»
• Dictionary form: عِلْم (corpus lemma, 105 times in the Quran)
• Pattern: فِعْل (fiʿl), a verbal noun of عَلِمَ, "he knew". The same root gives عَالِم (one who knows; fāʿil pattern), عُلَمَاء (scholars; the plural in ¶1), عَلِيم (All-Knowing), تَعْلِيم (teaching) and مُعَلِّم (teacher).
• Meaning here: Knowledge in general, and above all the knowledge of the road to the Hereafter, which is the book's subject.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root علم, vol 4, p 109

العين واللام والميم أصل صحيح واحد، يدل على أثر بالشيء يتميز به عن غيره

One sound origin: a mark on a thing that distinguishes it from others. (So ʿalam, a sign or flag, is from the same root.)

Urdu bridge

علم, عالم, علماء and تعلیم are all everyday Urdu with the same meanings. (to be confirmed)

Quran

854 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: عَلِمَ (knew) ×382, عَلِيم (All-Knowing) ×163, عِلْم (knowledge) ×105.

فَتَعَٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْحَقُّ وَلَا تَعْجَلْ بِٱلْقُرْءَانِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُقْضَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ وَحْيُهُۥ وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِى عِلْمًا

So high [above all] is Allah, the Sovereign, the Truth. And, [O Muhammad], do not hasten with [recitation of] the Qur'an before its revelation is completed to you, and say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge."

Surah Taa-Haa (20), ayah 114 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: The Prophet ﷺ is told to ask for more knowledge.

In the Ihya

العلم: 1,983 times in the Ihya, one of its most frequent words.

الخلق · al-khalq, al-khuluq · creation, people; a trait of character

• Met in: V1 p3 ¶1: «مع أصناف الخلق», "with the different kinds of people" (khalq); and ¶6: «كل خلق مذموم», "every blameworthy trait of character" (khuluq).
• Dictionary forms: خَلْق, creation, created beings (corpus lemma, 52 times in the Quran), and خُلُق, a trait of character (Lane's headword; corpus lemma, 2 times). Same letters, different vowels. The book is printed without vowels, so the sentence decides which one is meant.
• Pattern: خَلْق is فَعْل, the verbal noun of خَلَقَ, "he created" (corpus lemma, 184 times). خُلُق is فُعُل. Its plural is the أخلاق of «أخلاق النبوة» (V1 p3 ¶1) and «أخلاق النفس» (V1 p4 ¶2).
• Meaning here: In ¶1 and ¶5, people (the created beings). In ¶6 and ¶7, a trait of character, the unit the last two quarters of the Ihya are built from.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root خلق, vol 2, p 213

الخاء واللام والقاف أصلان: أحدهما تقدير الشيء، والآخر ملاسة الشيء

Two origins: one is measuring out a thing (taqdīr), the other the smoothness of a thing. (Creating is "measuring out": Lane's first sense of خَلْق is "the act of measuring; or determining the measure, proportion" of a thing.)

Urdu bridge

All three live in Urdu: خالق (Creator), مخلوق (creation, people), and اخلاق (manners, character), with خلیق (well-mannered). Urdu keeps the two senses apart with different words, as Arabic does with vowels. (to be confirmed)

Quran

261 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: خَلَقَ (created) ×184, خَلْق (creation) ×52, خَٰلِق (Creator) ×12. خُلُق (character) ×2.

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ

And indeed, you are of a great moral character.

Surah Al-Qalam (68), ayah 4 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: The Prophet ﷺ is praised for his khuluq; the Quarter of Customs ends with a book on "the character of prophethood".

In the Ihya

الخلق: 1,331 times in the Ihya. The count cannot tell khalq from khuluq, because the text has no vowels.

القلب · al-qalb · the heart

• Met in: V1 p3 ¶2: «كتاب شرح عجائب القلب», "the Book of Explaining the Wonders of the Heart"; and ¶6: «وتطهير القلب منه», "and to cleanse the heart from it".
• Dictionary form: قَلْب (corpus lemma, 132 times in the Quran). Plural قُلُوب, on the pattern فُعُول, as in قُلُوبِهِمْ (2:7).
• Pattern: فَعْل (faʿl). The same root gives the verb قَلَبَ, "he turned it over", and تَقَلُّب, "turning about" (corpus lemma, 5 times).
• Meaning here: The heart: not the organ, but the inner self that knows, loves and turns toward Allah or away from Him. The Ihya gives it a whole book (the first of the Quarter of Things that Destroy).

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root قلب, vol 5, p 17

القاف واللام والباء أصلان صحيحان: أحدهما يدل على خالص شيء وشريفه، والآخر على رد شيء من جهة إلى جهة

Two sound origins: one indicates the pure and noblest part of a thing, the other turning a thing from one direction to another. (Both fit the heart: the best part of a person, and the part that turns.)

Urdu bridge

قلب is Urdu too, in the same sense, though everyday Urdu says دل. قلبی (of the heart) and انقلاب (a turning over, a revolution) come from the same root. (to be confirmed)

Quran

168 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: قَلْب (heart) ×132, ٱنقَلَبَ (turned back) ×17.

إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى ٱللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ

But only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart."

Surah Ash-Shu'araa (26), ayah 89 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: What counts on the Day of Judgement is the state of the heart, which is what the Ihya is about.

In the Ihya

القلب: 1,626 times in the Ihya, one of its most frequent words.

النفس · al-nafs · the self

• Met in: V1 p3 ¶2: «وكتاب رياضة النفس», "the Book of Training the Self"; and ¶6: «وتزكية النفس عنه», "to purify the self of it".
• Dictionary form: نَفْس (corpus lemma, 295 times in the Quran). Plural أَنفُس, as in أَنفُسَهُمْ, "themselves" (2:9).
• Pattern: فَعْل (faʿl).
• Meaning here: The self, and especially the self with its appetites, which needs training and purifying. In other places نفس simply means "a person" or "oneself".

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root نفس, vol 5, p 460

النون والفاء والسين أصل واحد يدل على خروج النسيم كيف كان، من ريح أو غيرها، وإليه يرجع فروعه

One origin: the going out of a breath (nasīm), whatever it is, of wind or anything else; all its branches go back to it. (So نَفَس is a breath; and the Quran says of the dawn إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ, "when it breathes", 81:18, Saheeh International.)

Urdu bridge

نفس is Urdu with the same meaning, usually the lower self (نفسِ امّارہ). نفسانی (of the self, carnal) and نفسیات (psychology) come from it. Arabic also uses نفس for "himself, themselves", which Urdu does not. (to be confirmed)

Quran

298 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: نَفْس ×295.

وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ وَنَهَى ٱلنَّفْسَ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰ

But as for he who feared the position of his Lord and prevented the soul from [unlawful] inclination,

Surah An-Naazi'aat (79), ayah 40 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: Holding the self back from its desires is the "training of the self" that the Ihya gives a book to.

In the Ihya

النفس: 852 times in the Ihya.

المعاملة · al-muʿāmala · conduct, dealing with others

• Met in: V1 p4 ¶1: «وأعني بعلم المعاملة ما يطلب منه مع الكشف العمل به», "and by the knowledge of conduct I mean the knowledge in which, along with the uncovering, acting on it is sought". First named on V1 p3 ¶13.
• Dictionary form: مُعَامَلَة, the verbal noun of عَامَلَ, "he dealt with". Lane quotes it: «عَامَلَنَا مُعَامَلَةَ الْعَلُوقِ», "He dealt with us with the dealing of the ʿalūq" (under the root ع ل ق). It is not in the Quran.
• Pattern: مُفَاعَلَة (mufāʿala), the verbal noun of a verb of the pattern فَاعَلَ, which usually means doing something with someone: عَامَلَ, "to act with, to deal with". مُكَاشَفَة, the other word of the day, has the same pattern.
• Meaning here: The knowledge that is meant to be acted on: how to worship, how to live, which traits to uproot and which to grow. The whole Ihya is ʿilm al-muʿāmala.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root عمل, vol 4, p 145

العين والميم واللام أصل واحد صحيح، وهو عام في كل فعل يفعل

One sound origin, general for every act that is done. (عَمَل, a deed, and عَامِل, a doer.)

Urdu bridge

معاملہ is everyday Urdu, but it has shifted: in Urdu it is mostly "a matter, an affair, a case" (یہ کیا معاملہ ہے؟). The plural معاملات, dealings and transactions, keeps closer to the Arabic "dealing with others". عمل and عامل are the same in Urdu and Arabic. (to be confirmed)

A note from the dictionary: Lane says «عَامَلَنَا مُعَامَلَةَ الْعَلُوقِ» is said "of him who speaks a speech with which is no deed". The ʿalūq is a she-camel who seems to incline to her young but drives it away when it comes to suck: words without the deed. That is exactly the knowledge the Ihya refuses.

Quran

360 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: عَمِلَ (did) ×276, عَمَل (deed) ×71, عَٰمِل (doer) ×12.

مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ ٱلْعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّهِ ٱلْعِزَّةُ جَمِيعًا إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ ٱلْكَلِمُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ وَٱلْعَمَلُ ٱلصَّٰلِحُ يَرْفَعُهُۥ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَمْكُرُونَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَكْرُ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُوَ يَبُورُ

Whoever desires honor [through power] - then to Allah belongs all honor. To Him ascends good speech, and righteous work raises it. But they who plot evil deeds will have a severe punishment, and the plotting of those - it will perish.

Surah Faatir (35), ayah 10 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: Good speech rises, and righteous work raises it: word and deed together, which is Ghazali's case for the knowledge of conduct.

In the Ihya

المعاملة: 138 times in the Ihya.

المكاشفة · al-mukāshafa · unveiling

• Met in: V1 p4 ¶1: «بعلم المكاشفة ما يطلب منه كشف المعلوم فقط», "by the knowledge of unveiling (I mean) the knowledge in which only the uncovering of what is known is sought". First named on V1 p3 ¶13.
• Dictionary form: مُكَاشَفَة, which Lane gives as the verbal noun of كَاشَفَهُ, "he acted openly with him; it appeared to him".
• Pattern: مُفَاعَلَة (mufāʿala), like مُعَامَلَة. The simple verb is كَشَفَ, "he uncovered, removed" (corpus lemma, 14 times in the Quran), and its noun كَشْف, "uncovering", which Ghazali uses in the same sentence.
• Meaning here: Knowledge that is only seen, not acted on: the uncovering of realities about Allah and the unseen. It is the goal of the seekers, but Ghazali says there is no permission to put it in books, so the Ihya leaves it aside.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root كشف, vol 5, p 181

الكاف والشين والفاء أصل صحيح يدل على سرو الشيء عن الشيء، كالثوب يسرى عن البدن

One sound origin: taking one thing off another, as a garment is taken off the body. (So kashf is taking away a cover.)

Urdu bridge

کشف is Urdu for a spiritual unveiling, and مکاشفہ is used in the same Sufi sense. انکشاف, a disclosure or discovery, is from the same root. (to be confirmed)

Quran

20 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: كَشَفَ (removed, uncovered) ×14, كَاشِف (remover) ×3.

لَّقَدْ كُنتَ فِى غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ هَٰذَا فَكَشَفْنَا عَنكَ غِطَآءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ

[It will be said], "You were certainly in unmindfulness of this, and We have removed from you your cover, so your sight, this Day, is sharp."

Surah Qaaf (50), ayah 22 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: كَشَفْنَا ... غِطَآءَكَ, "We have removed your cover": Ghazali uses the same pair, «كشف الغطاء», on V1 p3 ¶12.

In the Ihya

المكاشفة: 75 times in the Ihya.

درجة · daraja · a degree, a rank

• Met in: V1 p5 ¶1b: «والذين أوتوا العلم درجات», "and those who were given knowledge, by degrees" (58:11), and Ibn ʿAbbās's «بسبعمائة درجة», "by seven hundred degrees". Again on V1 p5 ¶11 («وأدنى درجات الفقيه», "the lowest degree of the one who understands") and V1 p6 ¶2l («مقارنا لدرجة النبوة», "a companion to the degree of prophethood").
• Dictionary form: دَرَجَة. Lane, first: "a single stair, or step, of a series of stairs or of a ladder"; then "a degree, grade, or order, of rank or dignity". Plural دَرَجَات.
• Pattern: فَعَلَة (faʿala): one of the collective دَرَج, "steps" (Lane: it "is n. un. of" دَرَج, the noun of unity).
• Meaning here: A rank, pictured as a step up a stair. Lane adds that دَرَجَات are "stages upwards", used of Paradise, as دَرَكَات, stages downwards, are used of Hell.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root درج, vol 2, p 274

الدال والراء والجيم أصل واحد يدل على مضي الشيء والمضي في الشيء

One origin: a thing going on, and going on in a thing. (A step is where you go on to the next.)

Urdu bridge

درجہ is everyday Urdu: a rank, a grade, a class (پہلا درجہ). درجات is its plural, and تدریج, تدریجاً mean step by step, gradually. (to be confirmed)

Quran

20 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus): دَرَجَة (degree) ×18, نَسْتَدْرِجُ ×2.

فَبَدَأَ بِأَوْعِيَتِهِمْ قَبْلَ وِعَآءِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَخْرَجَهَا مِن وِعَآءِ أَخِيهِ كَذَٰلِكَ كِدْنَا لِيُوسُفَ مَا كَانَ لِيَأْخُذَ أَخَاهُ فِى دِينِ ٱلْمَلِكِ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَٰتٍ مَّن نَّشَآءُ وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِى عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ

So he began [the search] with their bags before the bag of his brother; then he extracted it from the bag of his brother. Thus did We plan for Joseph. He could not have taken his brother within the religion of the king except that Allah willed. We raise in degrees whom We will, but over every possessor of knowledge is one [more] knowing.

Surah Yusuf (12), ayah 76 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَٰتٍ مَّن نَّشَآءُ وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِى عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ», "We raise in degrees whom We will, but over every possessor of knowledge is one [more] knowing": degrees and knowledge together, as all through V1 p5.

In the Ihya

درجة: 269 times in the Ihya.

الفقه · al-fiqh · understanding

• Met in: V1 p5 ¶7a: «من يرد الله به خيرا يفقهه في الدين», "whoever Allah wants good for, He gives him understanding in the religion"; and the word itself on V1 p5 ¶10b: «فإنه ما أراد به الفقه الذي ظننته», "for he did not mean by it the fiqh you supposed". Ghazali first used it on V1 p4 ¶4, for the subject the jurists study.
• Dictionary form: فِقْه. Lane: "Understanding of a thing; and knowledge thereof; and intelligence"; and, as the lawyers use it, "the science of the law; jurisprudence". The verb فَقِهَ: "he understood".
• Pattern: فِعْل (fiʿl). Lane says فَقِهَ and فِقْه are like عَلِمَ and عِلْم "in measure and in meaning". The person is فَقِيه, plural فُقَهَاء: "any one possessing knowledge of a thing", and then, above all, "one possessing knowledge of the law".
• Meaning here: Understanding in the religion. Ghazali warns that it is not the fiqh of the jurists of his day (V1 p5 ¶10b). Its lowest degree is knowing that the next life is better than this world, so truly that it drives out hypocrisy (V1 p5 ¶11).

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root فقه, vol 4, p 441

الفاء والقاف والهاء أصل واحد صحيح، يدل على إدراك الشيء والعلم به

One sound origin: grasping a thing and knowing it.

Urdu bridge

In Urdu فقہ is Islamic law (فقہ حنفی), and فقیہ a jurist: the narrow sense Ghazali warns about. The hadith mean the wider one, سمجھ: understanding the religion. (to be confirmed)

Quran

20 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus), all verbs: يَفْقَهُ (understand) ×19, يَتَفَقَّهُ (gain understanding) ×1.

وَمَا كَانَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنفِرُوا۟ كَآفَّةً فَلَوْلَا نَفَرَ مِن كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ طَآئِفَةٌ لِّيَتَفَقَّهُوا۟ فِى ٱلدِّينِ وَلِيُنذِرُوا۟ قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ

And it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once. For there should separate from every division of them a group [remaining] to obtain understanding in the religion and warn their people when they return to them that they might be cautious.

Surah At-Tawba (9), ayah 122 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «لِّيَتَفَقَّهُوا۟ فِى ٱلدِّينِ», "to obtain understanding in the religion": the same pairing as the hadith on V1 p5 ¶7a and V1 p6 ¶2f, understanding in the religion.

In the Ihya

الفقه: 161 times in the Ihya.

ورثة · waratha · heirs

• Met in: V1 p5 ¶7b: «العلماء ورثة الأنبياء», "the scholars are the heirs of the prophets". Ghazali had already used the phrase in his own words (V1 p2 ¶1, V1 p4 ¶2); here it comes as a hadith.
• Dictionary form: وَارِث. Lane: "An heir: pl. وُرَّاث and وَرَثَة". The verb is وَرِثَ (corpus lemma, 13 times in the Quran).
• Pattern: فَعَلَة (faʿala), a broken plural of فَاعِل: وَارِث becomes وَرَثَة (see the sentence breakdown on V1 p5).
• Meaning here: The prophets left no money, only knowledge (the full hadith, V1 p5 note 2), so those who take up knowledge are their heirs. And since no rank is above prophethood, no honour is above inheriting it (V1 p5 ¶7b).

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root ورث, vol 6, p 104

الواو والراء والثاء: كلمة واحدة، هي الورث

One word only: al-wirth, inheritance.

Urdu bridge

وارث (heir), ورثاء (heirs), وراثت and میراث (inheritance) are all Urdu. Careful with ورثہ: in Urdu it usually means a heritage, a legacy (a thing), while Arabic وَرَثَة are heirs (people). (to be confirmed)

Quran

35 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: وَرِثَ (inherited) ×13, أَوْرَثَ (made to inherit) ×12, وَارِث (heir) ×7.

ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا ٱلْكِتَٰبَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا فَمِنْهُمْ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِۦ وَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌ وَمِنْهُمْ سَابِقٌۢ بِٱلْخَيْرَٰتِ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَضْلُ ٱلْكَبِيرُ

Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants; and among them is he who wrongs himself, and among them is he who is moderate, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds by permission of Allah. That [inheritance] is what is the great bounty.

Surah Faatir (35), ayah 32 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا ٱلْكِتَٰبَ», "Then we caused to inherit the Book": the Book itself as an inheritance, the idea behind «العلماء ورثة الأنبياء».

In the Ihya

ورثة: 23 times in the Ihya.

الشهداء · al-shuhadāʾ · the martyrs

• Met in: V1 p6 ¶2c: «مداد العلماء بدم الشهداء», "the ink of the scholars [weighed] against the blood of the martyrs"; and V1 p6 ¶2n: «الأنبياء ثم العلماء ثم الشهداء», "the prophets, then the scholars, then the martyrs". In V1 p6 ¶2d the singular شهيدا means "a witness".
• Dictionary form: شَهِيد, plural شُهَدَاء. Lane gives it first as the same as شَاهِد, a witness, and then: "A martyr who is slain in the cause of God's religion". He lists reasons for the name: "because the angels of mercy are present with him"; "because God and his angels are witnesses for him of his title to a place in Paradise"; "because he is still living, and present with his Lord".
• Pattern: فَعِيل (faʿīl), plural فُعَلَاء (fuʿalāʾ), like فَقِيه, plural فُقَهَاء.
• Meaning here: Those killed in Allah's way. Every reason Lane gives goes back to the root's sense of being present and witnessing. Ghazali weighs the scholars' ink against their blood (V1 p6 ¶2c), and ranks the scholars before them in intercession (V1 p6 ¶2n).

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root شهد, vol 3, p 221

الشين والهاء والدال أصل يدل على حضور وعلم وإعلام، لا يخرج شيء من فروعه عن الذي ذكرناه

One origin, showing presence, knowing, and making known; none of its branches leaves what we have said.

Urdu bridge

شہید and شہداء are Urdu, and شہادت means both martyrdom and testimony, just as in Arabic. شاہد (witness) and مشاہدہ (observation) come from the same root. (to be confirmed)

Quran

160 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: شَهِيد (witness) ×56, شَهِدَ (witnessed) ×44, شَهَٰدَة (testimony) ×23.

وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَٱلصِّدِّيقِينَ وَٱلشُّهَدَآءِ وَٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ رَفِيقًا

And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions.

Surah An-Nisaa (4), ayah 69 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «مِّنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَٱلصِّدِّيقِينَ وَٱلشُّهَدَآءِ وَٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ», "of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous": prophets and martyrs in one list, as in the hadith of intercession (V1 p6 ¶2n).

In the Ihya

الشهداء: 48 times in the Ihya.

العابد · al-ʿābid · the worshipper

• Met in: V1 p6 ¶2k: «فضل العالم على العابد كفضلي على أدنى رجل من أصحابي», "the excellence of the scholar over the worshipper is like my excellence over the lowest man among my Companions". Again in V1 p6 ¶2l and ¶2m, and «ألف عابد», "a thousand worshippers", in V1 p6 ¶3a.
• Dictionary form: عَابِد. Lane: "A server, a worshipper, or an adorer, of God: an obeyer of God with humility, or submissiveness: [a devotee]". The verb عَبَدَ اللّٰهَ: "He served, worshipped, or adored, God".
• Pattern: فَاعِل (fāʿil), the doer, like عَالِم, the one who knows. On this page the two stand side by side: العالم and العابد differ by one letter, ل and ب.
• Meaning here: Someone given to worship: prayer, fasting, devotion. Ghazali grants that the worshipper has knowledge too, of the worship he keeps up, or it would not be worship (V1 p6 ¶2l). The scholar's knowledge goes further.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root عبد, vol 4, p 205

العين والباء والدال أصلان صحيحان، كأنهما متضادان، و [الأول] من ذينك الأصلين يدل على لين وذل، والآخر على شدة وغلظ

Two sound origins, almost opposites: the first shows softness and lowliness, the other hardness and toughness. Worship belongs with the first: Lane's "obeyed God with humility".

Urdu bridge

عابد (a devout worshipper), عبادت, عبادت گزار and معبود are all Urdu, and عبد (servant) is in names like عبداللہ, "servant of Allah". (to be confirmed)

Quran

275 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: عَبْد (servant) ×131, عَبَدَ (worshipped) ×122, عَابِد (worshipper) ×11.

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.

Surah Adh-Dhaariyat (51), ayah 56 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ», "except to worship Me": worship is what people were made for. That is why it is so striking when the hadith put the scholar above the worshipper.

In the Ihya

العابد: 80 times in the Ihya.

خير · khayr · good; better

• Met in: V1 p7 ¶2a: «العلم خير من المال», "knowledge is better than wealth". Already on V1 p5 ¶11: «أن الآخرة خير من الدنيا», "that the Hereafter is better than this world".
• Dictionary form: خَيْر. Lane: "Good, moral or physical; anything that is good … a thing that all desire"; the opposite of شَرّ, evil. And: "xayorN is also used to denote superiority: one says, هذا خير من هذا This is better than this".
• Pattern: فَعْل (faʿl). With مِن after it, it means "better than", with no change of form: most Arabs say خَيْر, not أَخْيَر, Lane notes (see the sentence breakdown on V1 p7).
• Meaning here: "Better": ʿAlī compares knowledge and wealth, and the whole page asks which of two things is better.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root خير, vol 2, p 232

الخاء والياء والراء أصله العطف والميل، ثم يحمل عليه. فالخير: خلاف الشر

Its origin is inclining and turning towards; the rest is built on that. So khayr is the opposite of evil (because everyone inclines towards it, he goes on).

Urdu bridge

خیر (good, well-being), خیریت (are you well?), خیرات (charity: good things given) and خیر خواہ (well-wisher) are all Urdu. (to be confirmed)

Quran

196 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: خَيْر (good, better) ×178, خَيْرَٰت (good things) ×10.

وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ

While the Hereafter is better and more enduring.

Surah Al-A'laa (87), ayah 17 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ», "better and more enduring": خير as "better", about the Hereafter, the same comparison Ghazali draws on V1 p5 ¶9.

In the Ihya

خير: 773 times in the Ihya.

المال · al-māl · wealth, property

• Met in: V1 p7 ¶2a: «العلم خير من المال», "knowledge is better than wealth"; and V1 p7 ¶7b: «فاختار العلم فأعطي المال والملك معه», "he chose knowledge, and was given wealth and kingship with it".
• Dictionary form: مَال (corpus lemma, 86 times in the Quran), plural أَمْوَال, as in ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ (2:155).
• Pattern: on a root whose middle letter is و: م و ل gives مَال, and the و comes back in the plural أَمْوَال.
• Meaning here: Wealth of any kind: money, goods, property. ʿAlī sets it against knowledge point by point: you guard it, it does not guard you; spending shrinks it (V1 p7 ¶2a).

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root مول, vol 5, p 285

الميم والواو واللام كلمة واحدة، هي تمول الرجل: اتخذ مالا، ومال يمال: كثر ماله

One word: tamawwala, a man acquired wealth; and māla yamālu, his wealth grew.

Urdu bridge

مال is everyday Urdu for wealth and goods, and also for merchandise (مال گاڑی, a goods train). مالدار means wealthy. (to be confirmed)

Quran

86 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus), all مَال (wealth).

ٱلْمَالُ وَٱلْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْبَٰقِيَٰتُ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا

Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one's] hope.

Surah Al-Kahf (18), ayah 46 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «ٱلْمَالُ وَٱلْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا», "Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life": wealth as adornment, as in the father's letter on V1 p8 ¶11a, where knowledge is the adornment.

In the Ihya

المال: 984 times in the Ihya.

الآخرة · al-ākhira · the Hereafter

• Met in: V1 p8 ¶4a: «وفي الآخرة هي الجنة», "and in the Hereafter it is Paradise". Already on V1 p5 ¶11: «أن الآخرة خير من الدنيا».
• Dictionary form: ٱلْـَٔاخِرَة, the feminine of آخِر, "last" (corpus lemma آخِر, 155 times in the Quran), as in «وَبِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ» (2:4).
• Pattern: فَاعِلَة (fāʿila), the feminine of فَاعِل. It stands for الدار الآخرة, "the last abode", as in 29:64 below; its pair is الدنيا, "this world".
• Meaning here: The life after death: the world to come, which the whole Ihya is about reaching.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root أخر, vol 1, p 69

الهمزة والخاء والراء أصل واحد إليه ترجع فروعه، وهو خلاف التقدم

One origin to which its branches go back: the opposite of coming first. (So ākhir is what comes last.)

Urdu bridge

آخرت is Urdu for the Hereafter, and آخر and آخری mean "last". (to be confirmed)

Quran

250 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: آخِر (last; the Hereafter) ×155, آخَر (other) ×70.

وَمَا هَٰذِهِ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ وَإِنَّ ٱلدَّارَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ لَهِىَ ٱلْحَيَوَانُ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ

And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter - that is the [eternal] life, if only they knew.

Surah Al-Ankaboot (29), ayah 64 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «وَإِنَّ ٱلدَّارَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةَ لَهِىَ ٱلْحَيَوَانُ», "the home of the Hereafter: that is the [eternal] life": the full phrase behind the word, and the thought of V1 p8 ¶1a: people are asleep, and wake when they die.

In the Ihya

الآخرة: 1,081 times in the Ihya.

الدين · al-dīn · the religion

• Met in: V1 p8 ¶14a: «ليتفقهوا في الدين», "to obtain understanding in the religion" (9:122); and V1 p7 ¶7c: «الذين يأكلون الدنيا بالدين», "those who eat the world by means of the religion". The phrase «الفقه في الدين» runs through V1 p5 and V1 p6.
• Dictionary form: دِين (corpus lemma, 92 times in the Quran). Not to be confused with دَيْن, "a debt" (Lane: "A debt; such as the price of a thing sold").
• Pattern: فِعْل (fiʿl).
• Meaning here: The religion: Islam as a way of life and of obedience to Allah. In «يوم الدين» (1:4) the same word means recompense: the Day of Judgement.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root دين, vol 2, p 319

الدال والياء والنون أصل واحد إليه يرجع فروعه كلها. وهو جنس من الانقياد، والذل. فالدين: الطاعة

One origin to which all its branches go back: a kind of yielding and humbling oneself. So al-dīn is obedience.

Urdu bridge

دین is Urdu for religion (دینی, religious; دیندار, devout). (to be confirmed)

Quran

101 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: دِين (religion; recompense) ×92, دَيْن (debt) ×5.

مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ

Sovereign of the Day of Recompense.

Surah Al-Faatiha (1), ayah 4 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ», "Sovereign of the Day of Recompense": the same word, in its other sense, in the first sura.

In the Ihya

الدين: 799 times in the Ihya.

الموت · al-mawt · death

• Met in: V1 p8 ¶1a: «فإذا حط الموت عنه أعباء الدنيا», "then, when death lifts the burdens of the world off him"; and V1 p8 ¶5a: «هلاك بدنه بالموت», "the ruin of his body by death".
• Dictionary form: مَوْت. Lane: "Death; lifelessness; contr. of حَيَاة".
• Pattern: فَعْل (faʿl), a verbal noun of مَاتَ, "he died" (corpus lemma, 39 times in the Quran). The dead person is مَيِّت (38 times).
• Meaning here: Death, which in Ghazali's picture is a waking up: it lifts the world's numbness, and a person feels at last what his heart has lost (V1 p8 ¶1a).

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root موت, vol 5, p 283

الميم والواو والتاء أصل صحيح يدل على ذهاب القوة من الشيء. منه الموت: خلاف الحياة

One sound origin: the going of strength out of a thing. From it, death: the opposite of life.

Urdu bridge

موت is everyday Urdu for death, میت for the body of the dead, and اموات is the plural. (to be confirmed)

Quran

165 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: مَوْت (death) ×50, مَاتَ (died) ×39, مَيِّت (dead) ×38.

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ

Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.

Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3), ayah 185 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ», "Every soul will taste death": the word in its most quoted place.

In the Ihya

الموت: 800 times in the Ihya.

الجنة · al-janna · Paradise; a garden

• Met in: V1 p9 ¶1f: «فبينه وبين الأنبياء في الجنة درجة واحدة», "between him and the prophets in Paradise there is a single degree". Already a key term on V1 p8 ¶4a.
• Dictionary form: جَنَّة. Lane: "A [garden, such as is called] busotaAn … or any bstAn having trees by which the ground is concealed"; "then, with the article Al, [Paradise,] the abode of recompense".
• Pattern: فَعْلَة (faʿla), from the root of covering: Lane says it is "as though it were originally the inf. n. of un. of jan~ahu, and meaning 'a single act of veiling' or 'concealing'". The plural is جَنَّات, the Quran's "gardens" (2:25).
• Meaning here: Paradise, where the one who dies seeking knowledge to bring Islam to life stands one rank below the prophets.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root جنن, vol 1, p 421

الجيم والنون أصل واحد، وهو [الستر و] التستر. فالجنة ما يصير إليه المسلمون في الآخرة، وهو ثواب مستور عنهم اليوم

One origin: covering and being covered. So al-janna is where the Muslims go in the Hereafter: a reward covered from them today. He goes on: a garden is called janna too, "because the trees cover with their leaves".

Urdu bridge

جنت (Paradise) is Urdu. From the same root of covering: جن (the jinn, hidden from sight) and جنون, مجنوں (madness: the mind covered over). (to be confirmed)

Quran

201 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: جَنَّة (garden, Paradise) ×147, جِنّ (jinn) ×22, مَجْنُون (madman) ×11.

وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ

But they who believe and do righteous deeds - those are the companions of Paradise; they will abide therein eternally.

Surah Al-Baqara (2), ayah 82 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْجَنَّةِ», "the companions of Paradise": the word with the article, as on V1 p9 ¶1f.

In the Ihya

الجنة: 836 times in the Ihya.

رسول · rasūl · messenger

• Met in: V1 p9 ¶1e: «فقيل يا رسول الله ومن قراءة القرآن», "it was said: O Messenger of Allah, and better than reciting the Quran?"
• Dictionary form: رَسُول. Lane: "One who has a message; i. e. a messenger … one sent with a message … [and often meaning an apostle of God; and with the article Al especially applied to Mohammad]".
• Pattern: فَعُول (faʿūl), here with the sense of "one sent": Lane notes it is "of the measure faEuwlN in the sense of the measure mafoEuwlN". The verb is أَرْسَلَ, "he sent" (130 times in the Quran).
• Meaning here: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, addressed by name in a question: is a scholar's gathering better even than reciting the Quran?

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root رسل, vol 2, p 392

الراء والسين واللام أصل واحد مطرد منقاس، يدل على الانبعاث والامتداد

One origin, regular and consistent: it points to being sent out and going on and on. Further down the entry he adds «والرسول معروف», "and the messenger is well known".

Urdu bridge

رسول (messenger) and رسالت (being a messenger) are Urdu; so are ارسال (sending, as in ارسال کرنا) and رسالہ (a treatise or magazine: a message on paper). (to be confirmed)

Quran

513 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: رَسُول (messenger) ×332, أَرْسَلَ (he sent) ×130, مُّرْسَل (one sent) ×35.

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى بَعَثَ فِى ٱلْأُمِّيِّـۧنَ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ لَفِى ضَلَٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ

It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom - although they were before in clear error -

Surah Al-Jumu'a (62), ayah 2 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ», "a Messenger from themselves", who teaches them the Book and wisdom: one of the three ayat behind V1 p9 ¶13c.

In the Ihya

رسول: 2,140 times in the Ihya.

طلب · ṭalab · seeking

• Met in: V1 p9 ¶1b: «طلب العلم فريضة على كل مسلم», "seeking knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim"; and V1 p9 ¶8a: «طلب العلم أفضل من النافلة», "seeking knowledge is better than voluntary worship".
• Dictionary form: طَلَب, the verbal noun of طَلَبَ. Lane on the verb: "He sought it, desired it, demanded it, or asked for it". The seeker is طَالِب, which Lane notes is "used for TaAlibu EilomK a student of science or knowledge".
• Pattern: فَعَل (faʿal), a verbal noun. From it: طَالِب (ṭālib), the one who seeks, and مَطْلُوب (maṭlūb), the one sought: the pair in Ibn ʿAbbās's saying, «ذللت طالبا فعززت مطلوبا» (V1 p9 ¶1g).
• Meaning here: Seeking: «طلب العلم», "seeking knowledge" (¶1b, ¶8a, ¶10a); its verb, يطلب, "he seeks", runs through the rest of the page (¶1f, ¶3a, ¶3b).

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root طلب, vol 3, p 417

الطاء واللام والباء أصل واحد يدل على ابتغاء الشيء

One origin: it points to wanting to find a thing. He goes on: «يقال: طلبت الشيء أطلبه طلبا», "one says: I sought the thing, I seek it, a seeking".

Urdu bridge

طلب (demand, a craving), طالب علم (a student), طلبہ (students), مطلوب (wanted, required) and مطلب (meaning, purpose: what is sought) are all Urdu. (to be confirmed)

Quran

4 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus), each once: يَطْلُبُ (it pursues), طَلَب (seeking), طَّالِب (the pursuer), مَطْلُوب (the pursued).

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَٱسْتَمِعُوا۟ لَهُۥٓ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَن يَخْلُقُوا۟ ذُبَابًا وَلَوِ ٱجْتَمَعُوا۟ لَهُۥ وَإِن يَسْلُبْهُمُ ٱلذُّبَابُ شَيْـًٔا لَّا يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ضَعُفَ ٱلطَّالِبُ وَٱلْمَطْلُوبُ

O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke besides Allah will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for that purpose. And if the fly should steal away from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and pursued.

Surah Al-Hajj (22), ayah 73 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «ضَعُفَ ٱلطَّالِبُ وَٱلْمَطْلُوبُ», "Weak are the pursuer and pursued": the same two words, ṭālib and maṭlūb, that Ibn ʿAbbās uses of himself.

In the Ihya

طلب: 387 times in the Ihya.

حديث · ḥadīth · a saying, a report

• Met in: V1 p10 ¶3f: «ما أفاد المسلم أخاه فائدة أفضل من حديث حسن بلغه فبلغه», "a Muslim gives his brother no benefit better than a good saying that reached him and that he passed on".
• Dictionary form: حَدِيث. Lane gives two senses: "New, recent; … contr. of qadiymN", and "Also i. q. xabarN [Information; a piece of information; … news, or tidings; … a narration, or narrative; a story; &c.]".
• Pattern: فَعِيل (faʿīl). From the same root, تُحَدِّثُ, "it will tell" (3 times in the Quran).
• Meaning here: A saying, something told and passed on: «حديث حسن», "a good saying". The same word names the reports of the Prophet ﷺ that al-ʿIrāqī traces in every note.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root حدث, vol 2, p 35

الحاء والدال والثاء أصل واحد، وهو كون الشيء لم يكن. يقال حدث أمر بعد أن لم يكن

One origin: a thing coming to be that was not. One says: a matter came to be (ḥadatha) after it was not. He goes on: «والحديث من هذا ; لأنه كلام يحدث منه الشيء بعد الشيء», "and ḥadīth is from this, because it is speech from which one thing comes after another".

Urdu bridge

حدیث (a hadith) is Urdu, and so are محدث (a scholar of hadith) and حادثہ (an accident: something that suddenly comes to be). (to be confirmed)

Quran

36 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: حَدِيث (a statement, a story) ×28, تُحَدِّثُ (it tells) ×3, يُحْدِثُ (he brings about) ×3.

ٱللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ ٱلْحَدِيثِ كِتَٰبًا مُّتَشَٰبِهًا مَّثَانِىَ تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْهُ جُلُودُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمْ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ هُدَى ٱللَّهِ يَهْدِى بِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْ هَادٍ

Allah has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance of Allah. That is the guidance of Allah by which He guides whom He wills. And one whom Allah leaves astray - for him there is no guide.

Surah Az-Zumar (39), ayah 23 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «أَحْسَنَ ٱلْحَدِيثِ», "the best statement": ḥadīth with ḥasan, the same pair as «حديث حسن» on V1 p10 ¶3f.

In the Ihya

حديث: 894 times in the Ihya.

مثل · mathal · a likeness, a parable

• Met in: V1 p10 ¶3i: «مثل ما بعثني الله عز وجل به من الهدى والعلم كمثل الغيث الكثير», "the likeness of the guidance and knowledge with which Allah sent me is the likeness of abundant rain"; and V1 p10 ¶3j: «فالأول ذكره مثلا للمنتفع بعلمه», "the first he gave as a likeness for the one who benefits from his knowledge".
• Dictionary form: مَثَل. Lane: "in the language of the Arabs it means a description by way of comparison"; "a similitude is a description by way of comparison".
• Pattern: فَعَل (faʿal). Written the same way, without vowels, is مِثْل (mithl), "A like; a similar person or thing" (Lane).
• Meaning here: A likeness, a parable: the Prophet ﷺ pictures the knowledge he brought as rain, and the people who receive it as three kinds of land.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root مثل, vol 5, p 296

الميم والثاء واللام أصل صحيح يدل على مناظرة الشيء للشيء. وهذا مثل هذا، أي نظيره

One sound origin: it points to one thing matching another. "This is like this" means it is its counterpart. He goes on: «والمثل المضروب مأخوذ من هذا», "and the parable that is 'struck' (told) is taken from this".

Urdu bridge

مثال (an example), مثلاً (for example), ضرب المثل (a proverb), تمثیل (an allegory) and بے مثال (without equal) are all Urdu. (to be confirmed)

Quran

169 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: مَثَل (a likeness, an example) ×88, مِثْل (the like of) ×75.

مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ ٱلَّذِى ٱسْتَوْقَدَ نَارًا فَلَمَّآ أَضَآءَتْ مَا حَوْلَهُۥ ذَهَبَ ٱللَّهُ بِنُورِهِمْ وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِى ظُلُمَٰتٍ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ

Their example is that of one who kindled a fire, but when it illuminated what was around him, Allah took away their light and left them in darkness [so] they could not see.

Surah Al-Baqara (2), ayah 17 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ», "Their example is that of": the same build as the hadith on V1 p10 ¶3i, «مثل … كمثل».

In the Ihya

مثل: 641 times in the Ihya (the spelling of both مَثَل and مِثْل).

رجل · rajul · a man

• Met in: V1 p11 ¶1c: «رجل آتاه الله عز وجل حكمة فهو يقضي بها ويعلمها الناس», "a man to whom Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has given wisdom, and he judges by it and teaches it to people".
• Dictionary form: رَجُل. Lane: "A man, as meaning the male of the human species".
• Pattern: فَعُل (faʿul). The plural is رِجَال (rijāl), 28 times in the Quran.
• Meaning here: A man: the hadith names two men worth envying, one given wisdom and one given wealth.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root رجل, vol 2, p 492

الراء والجيم واللام معظم بابه يدل على العضو الذي هو رجل كل ذي رجل

Most of this root points to the limb that is the leg (rijl) of everything that has legs.

Urdu bridge

Urdu meets the plural in علمِ رجال, the study of the men who carried the hadith, and the root in رجولیت, manliness. (to be confirmed)

Quran

73 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: رَجُل (a man) ×29, رِجَال (men) ×28, رِجْل (a leg, a foot) ×15.

وَجَآءَ مِنْ أَقْصَا ٱلْمَدِينَةِ رَجُلٌ يَسْعَىٰ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ

And there came from the farthest end of the city a man, running. He said, "O my people, follow the messengers.

Surah Yaseen (36), ayah 20 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «رَجُلٌ يَسْعَىٰ», "a man, running": the word on its own: one man who comes running to tell his people, "follow the messengers".

In the Ihya

رجل: 1,146 times in the Ihya.

السنة · al-sunna · the way, the practice

• Met in: V1 p11 ¶1d: «الذين يحيون سنتي ويعلمونها عباد الله», "those who bring my sunna to life and teach it to the servants of Allah".
• Dictionary form: سُنَّة. Lane: "A way, course, rule, mode, or manner, of acting or conduct or life or the like"; "it signifies also [particularly] a way of acting &c. that is commended, or approved, and right".
• Pattern: فُعْلَة (fuʿla).
• Meaning here: The Prophet's ﷺ way: «سنتي», "my sunna". Those who bring it back to life and teach it are his successors.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root سنن, vol 3, p 60

السين والنون أصل واحد مطرد، وهو جريان الشيء وإطراده في سهولة، والأصل قولهم سننت الماء على وجهي أسنه سنا، إذا أرسلته إرسالا

One regular origin: a thing running on, smoothly and steadily. Its root is the saying "I poured water over my face", when you let it run freely. Then: «ومما اشتق منه السنة، وهي السيرة. وسنة رسول الله عليه السلام: سيرته», "among what comes from it is al-sunna, a way of life; and the sunna of the Messenger of Allah is his way of life". It is so called, he says, «لأنها تجري جريا», "because it runs on".

Urdu bridge

سنت (the Prophet's ﷺ way, and a sunna prayer), سنتیں and اہلِ سنت are everyday Urdu. (to be confirmed)

Quran

21 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: سُنَّة (a way) ×16, مَّسْنُون ×3.

سُنَّةَ ٱللَّهِ فِى ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوْا۟ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ ٱللَّهِ تَبْدِيلًا

[This is] the established way of Allah with those who passed on before; and you will not find in the way of Allah any change.

Surah Al-Ahzaab (33), ayah 62 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «سُنَّةَ ٱللَّهِ», "the established way of Allah": the same word, here for Allah's own way, which "you will not find … any change" in.

In the Ihya

السنة: 589 times in the Ihya (the spelling of both سُنَّة, a way, and سَنَة, a year).

معرفة · maʿrifa · knowing, recognition

• Met in: V1 p12 ¶2a: «اعلم أن المطلوب من هذا الباب معرفة فضيلة العلم ونفاسته», "know that what is sought in this chapter is knowing the excellence of knowledge and its preciousness".
• Dictionary form: مَعْرِفَة, a verbal noun of عَرَفَ, which Lane gives as "He knew it; he had cognition of it". Lane also quotes al-Rāghib: maʿrifa "is the perceiving a thing by reflection, and by consideration of the effect thereof", "so that it has a more special meaning than" ʿilm.
• Pattern: مَفْعِلَة (mafʿila). The verb عَرَفَ is in the Quran 20 times.
• Meaning here: Knowing: Ghazali's aim in this section is to know what the excellence of knowledge is. Maʿrifa and ʿilm (العلم, one of our first words) are close, and Ghazali uses both.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root عرف, vol 4, p 281

العين والراء والفاء أصلان صحيحان، يدل أحدهما على تتابع الشيء متصلا بعضه ببعض، والآخر على السكون والطمأنينة

Two sound origins: one points to a thing following on, joined piece to piece; the other to stillness and being at rest. Maʿrifa belongs to the second: «وهذا يدل على ما قلناه من سكونه إليه، لأن من أنكر شيئا توحش منه ونبا عنه», "this shows what we said, his being at rest with it, for whoever does not know a thing is wary of it and shies away from it".

Urdu bridge

معرفت (knowing Allah), عارف (one who knows), تعارف (an introduction), معروف (well known) and عرف (the name one is known by) are all Urdu. (to be confirmed)

Quran

70 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: مَّعْرُوف (what is right and known) ×38, عَرَفَ (he knew) ×20.

ٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيْنَٰهُمُ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ يَعْرِفُونَهُۥ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِّنْهُمْ لَيَكْتُمُونَ ٱلْحَقَّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ

Those to whom We gave the Scripture know him as they know their own sons. But indeed, a party of them conceal the truth while they know [it].

Surah Al-Baqara (2), ayah 146 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «يَعْرِفُونَهُۥ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ», "know him as they know their own sons": knowing as recognising. Ghazali quoted the second half of this ayah on V1 p9 ¶13a.

In the Ihya

معرفة: 563 times in the Ihya.

النظر · al-naẓar · looking; consideration

• Met in: V1 p12 ¶5a: «فالسعادة في الآخرة ولذة النظر لوجه الله تعالى», "happiness in the Hereafter, and the delight of looking at the Face of Allah".
• Dictionary form: نَظَر, the verbal noun of نَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ, which Lane gives as "He looked at, or towards, in order to see, him, or it; he considered, or viewed, him or it with his eye". Lane also notes the phrase «وفيه نظر»: "But it requires consideration, by reason of its want of clearness".
• Pattern: فَعَل (faʿal).
• Meaning here: Looking: the delight of looking at the Face of Allah, which Ghazali names, with the happiness of the Hereafter, as the one thing wanted purely for itself.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root نظر, vol 5, p 443

النون والظاء والراء أصل صحيح يرجع فروعه إلى معنى واحد وهو تأمل الشيء ومعاينته، ثم يستعار ويتسع فيه

One sound origin, whose branches go back to one meaning: considering a thing and seeing it with one's own eyes; then it is borrowed and widened. One of his examples: «نظرته، أي انتظرته», "I looked for him, that is, I waited for him".

Urdu bridge

نظر (sight, a glance), منظر (a view), نظریہ (a theory: a way of looking), ناظر (an onlooker) and انتظار (waiting: looking out for) are all Urdu. (to be confirmed)

Quran

129 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus). Most common: نَّظَرَ (he looked) ×87, يُنظَرُ ×12, يَنتَظِرُ (he waits) ×8.

وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاضِرَةٌ

[Some] faces, that Day, will be radiant,

Surah Al-Qiyaama (75), ayah 22 · Saheeh International

إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ

Looking at their Lord.

Surah Al-Qiyaama (75), ayah 23 · Saheeh International

Why these ayat: «إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ», "Looking at their Lord": the looking that V1 p12 ¶5a calls a delight wanted for itself.

In the Ihya

النظر: 678 times in the Ihya.

العقل · al-ʿaql · the intellect, reason

• Met in: V1 p13 ¶7d: «والعقل أشرف صفات الإنسان», "and the intellect is the noblest quality of a human being".
• Dictionary form: عَقْل. Lane: "Intelligence, understanding, intellect, mind, reason, or knowledge"; "or the knowledge of the qualities of things, of their goodness and their badness, and their perfectness". It is so called, Lane reports, "because it withholds, or restrains, its possessor from doing that which is not suitable".
• Pattern: فَعْل (faʿl), the verbal noun of عَقَلَ.
• Meaning here: The intellect: by it the religious sciences are grasped, by it Allah's trust is taken up, and by it one comes near to Allah.

Ibn Faris, Maqāyīs al-Lugha, root عقل, vol 4, p 69

العين والقاف واللام أصل واحد منقاس مطرد، يدل عظمه على حبسة في الشيء أو ما يقارب الحبسة

One regular origin: most of it points to a holding back in a thing, or something close to it. From it: «العقل، وهو الحابس عن ذميم القول والفعل», "the intellect, which holds one back from blameworthy words and deeds". And al-Khalīl, he says: «العقل: نقيض الجهل», "the intellect is the opposite of ignorance".

Urdu bridge

عقل (sense, reason), عاقل and عقلمند (sensible), معقول (reasonable) and عقلی (rational, as in عقلی دلائل) are all Urdu. (to be confirmed)

Quran

49 words from this root (Quranic Arabic Corpus), all of them the verb: عَقَلُ ×49. The noun عقل is not in the Quran; it always speaks of using the intellect.

إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ قُرْءَٰنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an that you might understand.

Surah Yusuf (12), ayah 2 · Saheeh International

Why this ayah: «لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ», "that you might understand": the verb, as the Quran always has it.

In the Ihya

العقل: 411 times in the Ihya.