ع م لdoing, action

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.