When you take your first steps in the language of Islam, you quickly realize that a word as simple as "man" in Arabic has a rich variety of meanings. Which must be adapted to the particular context. This particular term will be our main example here. So we're going to take a look at the different ways of saying "man" in Arabic. We'll also explain what kind of audience it can target.
And in particular, the precise terms used in the precious book of truth. Zoom in on the term man in Arabic and its particularities.
The common Arabic word for man
As we said, the term man in Arabic will differ depending on the context and the desired language. In fact, to say man in Arabic, spoken commonly it will be appropriate to use the word: رَجُل. This is the most common way of referring to man in Arabic. Moreover we can note, that The Most High uses this term in His Noble Word.
As in Sura An-Nissa', in the translation of the approximate meanings of verse 7: "To men comes a share of what has been left by fathers and mothers and relatives; and to women, a share of what has been left by fathers and mothers and relatives, whether a little or a lot: a fixed share."
But there are two other forms present in the Koran.
Man in Arabic in the Koran
Indeed, in the Holy Koran, we also find two other words that also designate man in Arabic. The first is the widely used word الإنسان. In particular, we find it again in Sura An-Nissa' when Allah says in the translation of the approximate meanings of verse 28: "Allah wants to lighten you (the obligations,) for man was created weak."
After that, there is also another term to refer to the male person, in particular. This is the word: ذكر. Indeed, this word is notably used in Sura Al 'Imran, verse 195. In this case Allah says: "Their Lord then granted them (saying):
"Verily, I do not let lose the good that anyone among you has done, man or woman, for you are one from another. So those who have emigrated, who have been expelled from their homes, who have been persecuted in My way, who have fought, who have been killed, I will certainly hold their evil deeds atoned for, and will admit them to the Gardens beneath which the streams flow, as a reward from Allah."
As for Allah, with Him is the most beautiful reward."
Finally, there are still other words for man in Arabic in general. For example: المرء or: شخص, precisely. The above terms then, as we've just detailed, can refer to man in Arabic as a creature. And so depending on the discourse, women will be included.
The term man in the sense of creature
In fact, there's another word for man in literary Arabic. And it is: نا س. More precisely, this term translates as man in the sense of "people", the community or: "men", the creature. So, for example, Allah ta3al says in His Noble Word of Surah Al Baqarah, in the translation of the approximate meanings of verse 21: "O men! Worship your Lord, Who created you and those before you. Thus will you attain piety."
So we've seen here the particular richness of the Arabic language, through just the term man. We'll end with a reminder of the importance of learning the language of Islam.
The importance of learning Arabic
Clearly, the Arabic language is of vital importance to every Muslim. Indeed, in addition to being an obligation, as explained by the great scholars of the community. Arabic enables us to understand the word of Allah, to meditate and to reform ourselves.
In this sense, learning Arabic is more than necessary. And as we've seen, being able to understand a precise term will bring an explanation that is itself precise. And give meaning to the lesson to be learned.
To be able to perform in the language of the religion of truth, you need to persevere, be constant and invoke a lot. For let's not forget that if we succeed, we owe it above all to Allah subhanahu wa ta3la.