20 questions for: Eamonn Gearon (#34)

Ibn Khaldun was a highly respected scholar, born in Tunis on May 27, 1332. He is known for his important works in history, economics, sociology, and anthropology. Living in the 14th century, a time of turmoil in the Islamic world, Ibn Khaldun took on various roles such as advisor to royal courts.

Ibn Khaldun's insightful observations on history, politics, and society earned him a place as one of the pioneers of modern sociology and the study of history. His important work on these subjects was remarkable, especially considering the time in which he lived.

He had a deep understanding of how history works and the complex ways in which people and their societies are interconnected. Ibn Khaldun was excellent at combining field research and stories from the past with analysis. His ideas about community solidarity, the recurring rise and fall of civilizations, and how economies work are still celebrated and studied by scholars today.

He died in Cairo on March 17, 1406.

Ibn Khaldun made an important contribution to the study of history with his famous book “Al-Muqaddimah” (lit. The Introduction). This book is considered his greatest work and gives us a new way of understanding how societies change over time. He went beyond simply recounting historical events to develop an idea that explains why civilizations rise and fall.

Ibn Khaldun looked closely at society, the workings of governments, and economic issues. He has often been neglected in the history of economic dogma, even though some of his ideas did not appear in Western economics until centuries later. His ideas were ahead of his time and touched on topics that are now part of modern subjects such as history and social sciences.

This quote is a Hadith (حديث) of the Prophet Muhammad (found in Sahih Muslim 2588). A hadith is an account that documents the words, actions, and tacit approvals attributed to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. These accounts were transmitted through successive narrations by different individuals, forming chains of trustworthy narrators.

Let's take a quick look at the construction, grammar, and underlying subtleties of this short but inspiring sentence.

The negation with ما

The device ما is very powerful when it is used to convey a negation. It is stronger than لا (for the present tense) or لَمْ (for the past tense -> verb in the jussive/مجزوم) because it can go beyond the scope of denying a certain action in a certain time frame.

When is ما suitable to work as a negation particle (حَرْفُ نَفْيٍ) for a verb?

• The negation device ما has to stand at the beginning of a sentence.
• You may encounter ما as a negation device used for the past or, though rare, present tense of an Arabic verb.
• You should be careful not to blindly translate the Arabic tense into English, but rather the meaning, as time may not be the main focus here.
• If used to negate the past tense, ما denies the entire matter. So, the ما strengthens the meaning of the negation. Therefore, depending on the context, we may translate it into English with the present tense as it can be interpreted as universally true (see our example of the Hadith).
• If used to negate the present tense, ما denies not only the action – but also its possibility. Therefore, in certain contexts, we may translate ما with ‘not at all'.

The verb نَقَصَ

The I-verb نَقَصَ – يَنْقُصُ means to reduce/decrease; to become less/be reduced (among other things). It is a transitive verb, so it can take a direct object. A direct object takes the accusative case (منصوب).

However, the I-verb is often used when there is NO direct object. For example, if you want to express that “his volume has decreased” = “he has lost weight”, you can say in Arabic نَقَصَ وَزْنُهُ. Notice that we have a subject and a verb, but no direct object. In English, we have one (Question: What has he lost? Answer = direct object: weight.)

The II-verb, on the other hand, نَقَّصَ – يُنَقِّصُ also means to reduce; to decrease but has a much stronger force and transitive effect, i.e., the action of the verb, performed out by the (verbal) subject, has the direct object as its “target”. The II-verb is usually used when a direct object is involved.

In the Hadith, the I-verb is used. We also see that there is a direct object: charity does not decrease WHAT? => money = direct object). So why do we use مِن instead of just putting the word money as the direct object?

The word مِنْ used as an amplifier

The prepositions ب and مِنْ can both be used to convey emphasis (تأكيد). In this type of application, they do not perform their original function, which is to direct or give direction.

Instead, they are extra, additional devices (حَرْفٌ زائِدٌ). However, they retain their governing power which means that the word following بِ or مِنْ must be in the genitive case (مَجْرُورٌ).

Interpretation of this construction in this Hadith

If you think about the construction, you will find that the sentence denies the decrease, but not only that. We could also understand that there was even an increase despite the taking of money.

The ما is a powerful device of negation, and the مِن here, although some people have translated it literally as ‘from money,' most likely works as an amplifier here in this hadith, expressing and underlying the following idea:

➤ Charity (sadaqah) has not decreased any money or even any part of the money that was taken from it for charity.

What is the difference between صَدَقةٌ and زَكاةٌ?

• Zakah (زَكاة) refers to growth, blessing, and purification. In Islamic law, it means giving a certain amount of money to certain groups of people as an act of worship and following the rules set by Islam.
• Sadaqah (صَدَقة) is based on the Arabic word sidq (صِدْقٌ) for honesty, sincerity. When someone gives Sadaqah, it shows that the believer is truly faithful. It is a voluntary act of giving charity for the sake of God, without being required by Islamic law. Although Sadaqah is usually voluntary, sometimes the word is sometimes used to refer to the obligatory charitable giving of Zakah.

P.G. Wodehouse (15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English author and humorist best known for creating the iconic characters Jeeves and Bertie Wooster.

His writing is celebrated for its wit, light-hearted satire, and quintessentially British sense of humor. Wodehouse's expansive career spanned more than seventy years, producing an impressive oeuvre that included novels, short stories, plays, poetry, and song lyrics.

Charles Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was a naturalist and geologist, best known for his groundbreaking work in evolutionary biology, articulated in his famous book, “On the Origin of Species“. His theory of natural selection revolutionized the way scientists understand the process of evolution and the diversity of life on Earth.

“The Code of the Woosters” is part of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves series and follows the misadventures of the good-natured but dim-witted Bertie Wooster, under the guidance of his sharp and resourceful valet, Jeeves.

The plot revolves around a silver cow creamer that Bertie's Aunt Dahlia insists he must stealthily acquire for her. A series of comedic events unfolds as Bertie navigates the tricky social landscape involving his overbearing Aunt Agatha, his friend Gussie Fink-Nottle, the formidable Sir Watkyn Bassett, and Bassett's sly daughter Madeline.

Throughout the novel, Bertie finds himself entangled in misunderstandings, romantic entanglements, and the absurdities of the British upper classes, all while trying to adhere to the gentlemanly ‘code' of the Woosters. With Jeeves' inimitable cunning, the duo works together to untangle the mess and restore equilibrium to Bertie's life.

“Lawrence of Arabia” is a movie about T.E. Lawrence, a British soldier who was known for helping Arab tribes fight against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The movie is famous for its great storytelling, beautiful scenes of the desert, and wonderful music.

The story takes place in the Arabian desert and follows Lawrence as he goes from working as an intelligence officer in Cairo to leading guerrilla attacks with the Arabs. Lawrence is a charming and mysterious person who creates strong ties with Arab leaders and plans daring attacks against the enemy, resulting in important wins at Aqaba and Damascus. As the movie goes on, it shows Lawrence dealing with the terrible side of war, confusion over who the Arabs and British really support, and his own personal struggles.

With its impressive desert scenes and the excellent acting of Peter O'Toole as Lawrence, along with the remarkable musical background by Maurice Jarre, “Lawrence of Arabia” is considered a classic film.

The movie Withnail and I is a dark comedy from the UK about two friends in the late 1960s. Both friends are actors without jobs living in a messy apartment in London. They are bored and unhappy, so they decide to go on a trip to the countryside, staying in a cottage owned by Withnail's flashy Uncle Monty.

Their holiday doesn't go as planned. The weather is terrible, they don't know how to take care of themselves in nature, and they meet some odd local people. All of this leads to funny but uncomfortable situations. The trip also shows some problems between the friends, especially after Uncle Monty shows up and starts showing romantic interest in ‘I,' the unnamed narrator.

The film looks at themes like friendship, dealing with addiction, and the fear of moving from youth to grown-up life. It's well-known for its sharp writing, interesting characters, and the way it touches on what success really means and the struggles of growing up.