The English satirical poet John Oldham is credited with having said: “I wear my pen as others do their sword.”
The quote reflects the idea, which many other writers and thinkers have expressed throughout history, that the pen and its function to record one's thoughts, is a powerful and noble tool.
This universal concept is embedded in a facet of the meaning in this week’s Arabic word of the week.
Qalam has at least two main meanings in classical Arabic.
The first is any cylindrical instrument that is sharpened and used to write with. The second specifically refers to a wooden instrument that has been carved into cylindrical shape that is filled with lead or graphite – a pencil. Colloquial in Arabic, qalam is used interchangeably between pen and pencil.
A qalam can be used to write or draw with and refers to any kind of writing instrument, from a fountain pen, to a colouring pen, a ballpoint, a felt pen, a calligraphy pen to a pencil. Various pencils or pens are differentiated from one another with the word following qalam. For example, qalam rasas refers to a pencil and qalam hibr refers to an ink pen.
Qalam also refers to a number of other things in classical Arabic. It can mean the stem of a flower and also the arrow in the roulette wheel on a gambling board.
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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
Made up of the three Arabic letters, qaf, lam, meem, qalam is derived from the verb Qalama which has several meanings. The main one is to sharpen, cut, clip, prune, trim, snip, cut back or cut down. The second meaning is to fine tune something, particularly a musical instrument. In fact, a pick that is used to strum on an oud or guitar can be referred to as a qalam at times.
It may seem strange that qalam, the word to describe a writing instrument, is derived from qalama, a verb that means to prune, trim or fine tune. However, the evolution of qalam to mean a writing instrument can be connected to the idea that one uses writing to sharpen and fine tune their thoughts through the writing process.
While not officially proven, some academic research suggests that the word qalam may come from the Ancient Greek word kalamos, which refers to the reed. The tall grass-like plant has been used as a writing tool from as far back as the time of the Sumer and Mesopotamian civilisations.
Qalam is also used to refer to a writer’s voice or style.
To be specific, in Arabic the qalam is considered as the second tongue, another way in which an individual expresses their thoughts and uses their voice. So one might refer to any piece of writing as one that is expressed through the qalam of that particular writer.
The different styles and fonts of calligraphy also have qalam in their name. For example, qalam kufi is an old Arabic script that was used in early writings of the Quran and as architectural decoration, or qalam al naskh, which refers to the naskh font, a smaller, round, more legible script.
Qalam has has strong cultural significance in Islam. To start there is a surah, also known as a chapter, in the Quran named Al Qalam (The Pen). This 68th chapter consists of 52 verses and covers the themes of responding to those who object to faith, a warning to disbelievers, encouraging patience, and emphasising the importance of charity and performing good deeds. The qalam is also seen as a symbol of wisdom and education in Islam.
