In Notes from the Underground, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s nameless protagonist is probably not one we should be referring to for insight.
Bitter, nihilistic and self-aggrandising as much as he is self-deprecating, the underground man is a saturation of misanthropy. He champions free will over reasoning. For him, what human beings want is “simply independent choice, whatever that independence may cost and wherever it may lead. And choice, of course, the devil only knows what choice”.
Of course, the matter is not so reckless. Our decisions reverberate with consequences that teach us, often ruthlessly, that our choices should be handled with responsibility, lest they hurt us and those around us. Dostoevsky intended the underground man as a cautionary figure in many aspects, but it is from these notions of choice that we will cross to this week’s Arabic word.
Ikhtiyar means choice, and the Arabic word is heavy with the gravity of every decision. In verb form, the word becomes ikhtara/ikhtaret (he chose/she chose) or, in the present yakhtar/takhtar (he chooses/she chooses). My choice is ikhtiyari. Ikhtiyar ashwaa'ei is a random selection. Soo'a al ikhtiyar is usually said when a person surrounds themselves with bad company.
The nature of a choice is that it is a decision that is not mandatory (ghayr ijbari). However, there are choices that feel forced, or ikhtiyar id'tirari. An arbitrary choice is an ikhtiyar i’tibati. Hurriyat al ikhtiyar is freedom of choice. Al ikhtiyar al khate'a is the wrong choice.
Students pursuing a higher education enrol for courses that are either mandatory (ilzamiyya) or elective (ikhtiyariyya). Another word for choice in Arabic is khayar. Khayar saeb is a difficult decision. Laisa lahu khayar (he has no choice).
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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
Choice features in numerous popular sayings, for example:
Moazam al anwaa al fashal tahduth bisabab aadam al ikhtiyar wa lays bisabab al ikhtiyar al khate'a – most failures come from the inability to decide and not from a bad decision.
Indama yafqud al insan qudtratahu lil'ikhtiyar yafqud insaniyyatahu – when a person loses their ability to decide, he loses his humanity.
Finally, a line from a poem by Syrian writer Nizar Qabbani that has been adapted by Iraqi Kazem Al Saher in his hit song Inni Khayyartoki.
Inni khayyartoki fa ikhtari ma bayna al mowti ala sadri aw ala dafatiri ash'aari. Ikhtari al hob aw laa, fa jubnun an la takhtari.
I have given you a choice, so choose between dying on my chest or over my poems. Choose between love or non-love for it is cowardice not to choose.
