‘Qussa’: Our word of the week addresses the simple, universal art of storytelling

In all cultures, storytelling is a fundamental component of the human experience

Qussa is the Arabic word for story

One of the ways human beings differ from other species on Earth is the way we use complex language to describe thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Qussa or qissas, meaning story and stories, are a universal means through which human beings connect, communicate and have survived over time.

This week’s Arabic word of the week originates from only two letters, qaf and saad, and, very simply, means story.

There are no hidden meanings and no major developments of the word over time. The meaning of qussa is straightforward. However, the cultural significance of its meaning and the function qussa has had, not only in the Arab region but across the timelines of the rest of the world, is immeasurable.

Qussa can refer to a long or short story. It also refers to a story that can be performed orally or one that is recorded through writing. A qussa can be an imagined story, one that is based on fact or one that is a combination of both. It can be based on news or a current happening or entail a long and epic history of a place, person or object.

In all these varied cases, a qussa is only a qussa, however, if it is built on the specific foundations and the basics of the literary art of storytelling.

It’s important to note here that the foundation, guidelines or rules of storytelling will differ depending on genre, trends and the time a story is created.

See The National's pick of Arabic words of the week

Hob is the Arabic word for love, but can be used in many contexts

The Arabic word helu translates, in English, to sweet

Nashef is the Arabic word for dry, but has many connotations, depending on the context in which you use it

The Arabic word hurriyeh translates to freedom in English

The Arabic word tayeb can mean delicious or good, depending on the context

The Arabic word mustaqbal is best expressed as future in English

Waqaa, the Arabic word for fall, can signify a loss of power, stature, health or grace

Hudood means borders in English

The Arabic word rooh translates to spirit or soul in English

The Arabic word ain means eye in English

Waraq, the Arabic word of the week means paper in English

Bahr, the Arabic for sea, has a poetic lilt

Kareem means generous in English

Bab means door in English

Eid means holiday or festival

Najm means star for the night sky and cosmos, but also has plenty of other meanings, including ambition or fame

Alwan, the Arabic word for colours, has many shades of meaning

Akel can refer to home-cooked meals, embezzlement, fire and rust

Jamal is the Arabic word for beauty, be it literal or figurative

Herfe translates to profession or craft

Tabiaa translates to nature and can frame landscapes and portraits

Sehha is the Arabic word for health

Ijaza is Arabic for holiday and shines in summer but is not stress-free

Aamal is the Arabic word for work

Al dahr translates to time

Qalb is a word for heart, with poetic roots

Lugha in Arabic translates to language in English

Insaan means human being

Na'eeman is an idiomatic expression used when someone has had a shower or bath, a haircut or had their beard trimmed

The Arabic word for life touches on eternity, death and accomplishment

Qamar is the Arabic for moon

The Arabic word for strength or power is quwwa

Burj is Arabic for tower

The Arabic word for sun is shams

Sabr in English can translate to patience

Hayba is the Arabic word for prestige

The Arabic term al shay'e translates as 'the thing' in English

The Arabic word for road is tareeq

The Arabic word for read has mystical and scholarly connotations

Istikan is the Arabic word for a type of tea cup

The Arabic word hanan means affection in English

The Arabic word atlal means ruins in English

Kura is the Arabic word for ball, in all its forms

Janaah in Arabic means wing in English

The Arabic word sana translates to year in English

Qasida is the Arabic for poem, not poetry

Ameer, the Arabic word for prince, which influenced another English title

Nakhla translates to palm tree in English

Al samt is the Arabic for silence

Kalimaat translates to words in English

Markaz is Arabic for centre

Beshara is the Arabic word for good news

Bayt is the Arabic for house or home

Fann is the Arabic word for art, and can be either a verb or an adjective

Isim, which means name, is made up of three letters, alif, seen and meem

Dunya is the Arabic word for world

Nazaafah translates to cleanliness in English

Many traditions revolve around drinking coffee, including weddings, funerals and business meetings

Fajr is the Arabic word for dawn

Maghrib is the Arabic word for sunset

The Arabic language is filled with idioms, quotes and colloquial quips involving the mirror

Raei is the Arabic word for opinion

Wa'ed is a multifaceted word for 'promise', as well as a female name

Qussa is the Arabic word for story

Sadaaka is the Arabic word for friendship

Akhbaar is the Arabic word for news

Rasem is made up of the three Arabic letters Rah, Seen and Meem. While it can simply mean a drawing or a sketch it’s also a malleable word whose definition can change depending on context and dialect – particularly between colloquial and classical Arabic.

As well as finishing a task, khatem denotes a deeper sense of finality

Commonly translated to blessed, mubarak is used as a popular greeting on auspicious days

The Arabic word for lighthouse is also a term that has become closely associated with Islam

Siyaam, the Arabic word for fasting is also connected to silence

Tawbah, the Arabic word for repentance, is also connected to Ramadan

Safar, the Arabic Word for travel can also refer to sunny days, a brighter-blazing fire or exile. The National

It is generally agreed that a long qussa would entail many characters and themes, as seen in novels and long epics. while a short qussa would describe specific incidents and themes with fewer characters and more concentrated ideas. These can be anything from an article to a work of fiction, such as a fable or parable.

There are two types of storytellers as they relate to the word qussa. Qasaas is the person who orates a story to people and qas or qassasi is one who records a story through the act of writing.

There is also a narrative form of poetry called qassasai, which can be performed or written down.

When qussa is used in reference to a person, event, location or object, it means that the subject has a history, a story or is in some way a thing of relevance.

Another word, qassas, which is derived from the same root as qussa, relates to the traces of a person, thing or incident that has occurred. For example, if someone was to leave a room there would be signs that they occupied that room for some time — a coffee mug, their scent, a strand of hair. These signs or the evidence of them having occupied the room are called qassas.

And from there we have the verb taqasasaa, which is the specific action of investigating these signs of occupation or previous presence. And from here taqasasaa, used in different contexts, can mean one who memorises words or investigates the happenings of a topic or incident, like a journalist who would then write a story, a qussa, on said subject.

The 28th surah or chapter in the Quran is Al Qissas, which translates as The Stories. Consisting of 88 verses, the chapter details the story of the prophet Moses and focuses on how those who are oppressed are capable of defeating their oppressors.

From The Epic of Gilgamesh to the 1001 Nights, and numerous localised Arabic fables and tales from the region, the form and retelling of qussa have had a great significance on Arab culture and been influential around the world.