With the 2026 World Cup reaching the round of 16 and advancing towards the final on July 19, Arabic commentary will probably use the word hakam more prominently.
In the context of the football ground, it refers to the referee or official responsible for applying the rules of the sport.
The word also appears in hakam musaid, meaning assistant referee, and al hakam al rabi, the fourth official, who carries out their duties outside the pitch.
When commentators question a referee’s decision, something they often relish, they may describe it as khata tahkimi, or a refereeing error. A qarar al hakam is the referee’s decision, while saffarat al hakam is the referee’s whistle.
Supporters also chime in with al hakam zalamna, meaning “the referee was unfair to us,” a familiar complaint after a disputed penalty, red card or disallowed goal.
Hakam comes from the root letters ha, kaf and mim, which carry meanings connected to judgment, decision and restraint.
From the same root come hukm, meaning a judgment or ruling; hikma, meaning wisdom; and mahkama, meaning a court.
Long before the word entered the sporting arena, it referred to a judge or arbiter entrusted to settle a dispute between opposing sides.
The responsibility carried by a hakam is reflected in the Quran, where the word refers to arbiters appointed to help resolve a dispute.
In modern legal usage, hakam more often describes an arbiter appointed or accepted by the sides involved, while qadi is the Arabic word for a court judge.
Arabic reflects this distinction, with hakam linked to restraint and the prevention of injustice, while a qadi is formally appointed to hear cases and issue legal judgments once a dispute or alleged legal breach is brought before the court.
Moving easily beyond law and sport, hakam is a word used in contexts of praise or disillusionment. Whatever the ruling or final score, its sense of responsibility is never diminished.
