A platform of devotion and stability, a precipice between the ethically sound and the morally dubious, the Arabic word for carpet is interwoven with rich symbolism and myriad meanings.
Sijadda is a religiously potent word. It is derived from a root that means to prostrate or bow down. The word shares the same root as sujud, or the act of prostrating, particularly in prayer. Sujud al ibadah, for instance, is the prostration of worship, an act of gratitude and devotion. Prostrating when hearing or reciting specific verses from the Quran is known as sujud al tilawah.
Sijadda also shares its root with masjid, which literally translates to a place of prostration. The names Sajid and Sajida similarly trace to the same family of words, meaning a worshipper or one who prostrates.
While sijadda can signify a prayer rug, if you want to be more specific, you could say sijaddat al sala.
A Persian carpet is often labelled as sijaddat a’jmiya. Sijaddat sharqiya is an eastern carpet. A doormat or one on which you clean your feet can be referred to as sijaddat almadkhal or sijaddat alarjol.
Sijaddat al qanab is a drugget, or the thick, woven fabric used as a floor covering, while a red-carpet event is referred to as sijaddat al hamra. An outdoor carpet is sijadd khariji; a carpet moth is farashat al sijadd; and a carpet sweeper is maknasat sijadd.
There are also other, less expected connotations tied to sijadda. A rookie, in regional military lexicon, can be designated as – mujannad mustajad. Something that is a novelty can be described as shi mustajad.
As in English, there are plenty of idioms that utilise the carpet as a metaphorical device between the private and the public, the conspicuous and the suspicious.
For instance, to roll back the carpet – as in, to reveal what has been hidden – can be expressed as yutwa taraf al sijadda.
