The Arabic word for iron manages to retain all the dense, sturdy and sonorous properties of the metal – both phonetically and semantically.
Hadid is Arabic for iron. The word has been made an international one, courtesy of a certain pair of famous siblings and a prolific architect. But apart from being a family name, the word resonates on a metaphorical level and can denote the resolute, cruel and formidable.
Hadaed, ahdaa and hidad are plurals of hadid.
Haddad is a blacksmith and is also a common last name in the Levant. Sada al hadid is when iron rusts, due to conditions including humidity (rutuba).
When a person is stubborn, you could say aslab min al hadid, which literally translates to coarser than iron. Someone cruel or unfeeling could be said to have an iron heart – qalbuhu hadid.
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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 -
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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
Haaraba bil hadid wal nar is when someone fights with tenacity and weaponry. A firm disciplinarian may be said to have an iron hand, or yadun min al hadid. Daraba fi al hadid al bared is to strike a cold piece of iron, or in less symbolic terms, a wasted effort.
The 57th chapter of the Quran is called Al Hadid, which has 29 verses. It is part of the Al Musabbihat suras as it begins with the glorification of God.
Wrought iron is hadid mutawe. Cast iron is hadid alzahar. Iron ore is kham al hadid. A railway is sikkat alhadid. Ahma al hadid is to heat iron.
Al hadid bil hadid is a similar proverb to iron sharpens iron, meaning two people can change each other through interaction. Baida min al hadid, literally iron egg, usually refers to the medieval pointed helmets that soldiers would wear. Al sitara al hadidiyya is the iron curtain. Al qubba al hadidiyya is the iron dome.
Naqs min al hadid is said when a person has low iron in their blood, for which, they could take huboob hadid or iron pills.
Finally, for a saying that likens rusted iron to a docile mind.
Yasdaa al hadid iza lam yustakhdam, wa haza ma yahdoth lil aql iza la yufakir, which means iron rusts if it is not used, and that is what happens to the mind if it does not think.
