In his book The Hero's Journey, writer and professor of literature Joseph Campbell said: “Passion makes most psychiatrists nervous.” The Lebanese-American writer and poet Khalil Gibran also used the phrase “rest in reason; move in passion".
In both quotes and many others by writers and poets, this week’s Arabic word of the week, shaghaf is often described as a powerful and all-consuming feeling.
It is a noun that translates to passion.
It refers to a feeling of intense longing or desire that cannot be resisted toward a person, object or concept. It can also mean an obsessive interest or admiration for an idea, scenario or fantasy. Shaghaf can also mean having a pleasurable fixation on a specific person or activity that borders on obsession.
Shaghaf is derived from the verb shagheefa, made up of the three Arabic letters Sheen, Ghayn and Fah. Shagheefa is the act of being in love with someone or something and actively expressing that affection. However, it usually refers to a deep, passionate and obsessive love.
Pronounced slightly differently as shaghafa, the verb refers to the act of when an arid piece of land becomes green, fruitful and fertile.
Several words are derived from shaghaf and are connected to the idea of intense passion.
The outer skin of the human heart is referred to as sheghaf or sheghaf al qalib. For the name of this piece of anatomy to be derived from the Arabic word that denotes passion is a testament to the connection between the intensity of this type of love and how it metaphorically travels to and from the heart.
Inshaghafa is another word connected to shaghaf, which refers to the act of someone becoming passionate or obsessed with a hobby or activity. These hobbies can include the fine arts, sports or literature. Another word, tashaghafa, refers to when one's thoughts are completely occupied with a piece of news that they overthink and start to feel concerned and worried.
Shaghoof is someone who is very passionate and mashgoof is the one who the passion is directed towards.
Shaghaf and the idea of shaghaf is referenced in the Quran several times in the story of the Prophet Youssef, known as Joseph in English.
In aya (verse) 23, it describes the story of when the wife of an aziz, or minister, attempts to seduce the Prophet Youssef. There, she is referred to have shaghaf or strong and intense feelings of passion and desire for him. But the prophet isn’t interested and is unwilling to submit to it, due to his loyalty to her husband who has given him lodgings.
