Browse Tag
ألف
16 posts
Aleph (ألف) is the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, representing a glottal stop or a long vowel sound “ā” in various contexts.
The Ultimate Guide to Gender-Neutral Language in Arabic
This guest article by Lisa Schor examines gender-inclusive language in Arabic, discussing grammatical androcentricity, societal taboos, and how the Quran's language influences the debate. It offers practical strategies for gender-neutral communication.
Can You Find the Arabic Root? An Analysis of 5 Deceptively Complex Arabic Words
Beyond simple derivations, some Arabic words like اِزْدَحَمَ (to be crowded), تَارِيخٌ (history), and مِينَاءٌ (harbor) feature complex roots and morphological changes. This article deciphers their linguistic patterns for advanced learners.
Special Arabic Characters: A Copy and Paste Guide – ﷺ, ٰ , ٱ
Arabic keyboards often lack essential symbols like the dagger aleph (ألف خنجرية) or isolated tashkeel. This guide provides Unicode characters for these special Arabic signs, along with keyboard shortcuts, to enhance your Arabic typing.
How to Write Allah in Arabic Correctly
Many fonts fail to display Allah (اللّٰه) in Arabic correctly, often missing the crucial dagger Aleph. This article guides you on writing "Allah" and common Islamic salutations like "Peace be upon him" (ﷺ) beautifully and accurately. It covers how fonts handle these forms automatically and how to use specific Unicode characters for perfect display in various documents.
Ism al-Fi’l (اسم الفعل): Understanding Arabic’s Unique “Nouns with Verbal Force”
The Islamic phrase حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلاةِ (Come to prayer!) features a special type of Arabic word: a noun with verbal force (اسم الفعل). This article explains these unique indeclinable words, which carry verb-like meaning and governing power, and how to use common imperative forms like صَهْ (hush!) or آمِينَ (Amen!).
Arabic “but” (لكن): the Dagger Aleph (أَلِف خَنْجَرِيَّة) explained
Many Arabic words, including لٰكن (but/however) and even "Allah" (اللّٰه)), are written with a subtle mark called the dagger Aleph (أَلِف خَنْجَرِيَّة). This article explains why these words appear different from their pronunciation, delving into the historical evolution of Arabic script and how this short vertical dash signifies a long vowel, especially in Quranic and common words.
