The Arabic word for sand is rich with poetry, divinations and timeless advice.
Raml (sand) is made up of fine minerals (ma’aden). It is finer than gravel (hassa) and larger than silt (altamy or alghareen). In singular form, raml becomes ramla, whereas rimal is its plural derivative. The word sandy, meanwhile, translates as ramly. A grain of sand is habat raml.
There are several classifications of sands based on grain size, including: raml al na’em (fine sand); raml al mutawasset (medium sand) and raml al kheshn (coarse sand).
Kuthban ramliyya are dunes. A single dune is known as kathib.
When someone tumbles or becomes bogged down in the sands, literally or metaphorically, you could say ta’athara fil rimal. On the other hand, ramala could be used when a person rushes to accomplish a particular task, without much attention to detail.
Darb al raml is an antiquated custom of projecting the future, and assuming the unknown, by interpreting lines and shapes in the sand. The term was also the title of a trilogy by Saudi novelist Muhammad Al Muzaini that followed the transformations in Saudi society in the second half of the 20th century. The novels were adapted into a television series in 2020.
Raml al demagh, or brain sand, refers to the calcified forms in the pineal gland.
Rimal al mutaharrika is quicksand. Sa’at al raml is an hourglass. Hajar ramli is sandstone. Raml al shu’ab al marjaniyya are coral sands.
Mala’ab raml, meanwhile, refers to a sandy playground. Qal’at raml is a sandcastle and rimal al shaate’a is the sand on a beach, which is also known as rimal almaghsula (washed sands) or rimal fiddiyya (silver sands). On that same note, the Arabian Gulf is known for its golden sands, or rimal dhahabiyya.
Raml is also one of 16 buhoor alshe'er (literally, the seas of poetry), which is a term used to classify a group of iambic meters. Al Khalil ibn Ahmad Al Farahidi, an eighth-century philologist and grammarian known as the Genius of Arabic Language, is credited as the developer of the classification. Besides his work in developing the study of prosody and poetic meter, Al Farahidi was also the scholar who penned the first dictionary of the Arabic language and introduced the harakat system.
Finally, an old proverb that beckons the sands for sound advice: Iaa’al khatawatuka fil khair kaman yamshi a’la al rimal, la yusma’ sawtuhu walaakin atharahu waadeh.
Perform your good deeds like footsteps in the sand, inaudible but with clear traces.
-
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
