Someone, Please, Help!

[Juliet324]

Okay, So this is a little of topic from the Islamic religion, But if someone who speaks arabic could help me translate 'Kayfa Haloke', I'd be very happy! `Juliet

[beautybabe]

You should send a u2u to KMJ. She speaks arabic and helped me translate some things.

[KMJ]

Hi Juliet,

Kaif Halak means "how are you"?

You use Kaif Halak when addressing a male and Kaif Halik when addressing a female :)

[KMJ]

Arabic professor to the rescue here...lol

Beautybabe ;)...Superwoman here..:P

Oh! you must be thinking, think of a Devil and devil is here :o......BUT I am no Devil :D

[Ladyjinx]

stupid question ...but are the words pronounced as they are spelled?

[KMJ]

Yes Ladyjinx they are and no it's not a stupid question :)

[Ladyjinx]

Thank you Kmj:)

[Juliet324]

You rock! Thanks so much!

[pax_vobiscum]

KMJ, a question. Is an Arabic speaker automatically an Arab. Or do the
inherited semitic genes, in addition to speaking Arabic, make one an Arab?
Or is it all about geography @ birth??
I have read three different hypothesis on the topic. Educated Opinion ,please.
TYIA

you may u2u me if you prefer - TYIA
:)

[KMJ]

awww, u r welcome!

[SweetGal]

pax i know arabic (some) and my parents are both fluent in Arabic but im not an Arab.... i think it just depends on yr background or the region u live in say if it is a muslim country most of the time people speak arabic because its the language of the Qur'an (holy book) and most muslim countries are Arabic speaking countries... but thats just my take
i don't know if its correct or not :cool:

[KMJ]

Hi Pax,

Well different people base this on different aspects. I mean usually a person who speaks Arabic and lives in an Arabic Peninsula and is related to an Arabian culture is called an Arab. But this is not always the case. There are some countires that consists of population that speak arabic language but do not call themselves arabs. So no, knowing how to speak the language alone doesn't make u an Arab. It has to do with your origin and relation to the Arabian culture.

[pax_vobiscum]

Thank you , both for your input. I find it endlessly fascinating .It seems so many aspects of Islam and the relationship to the Arab people are so fluid.

Is the sect or school of your belief system the deciding factor in one's definition right and wrong? Just in a very general way. I'm not looking to have other arguements today.
If you'd prefer to keep your comments private feel free to u2u me.:)

[cyounus]

KMJ
Please correct me if I am wrong. My husband is from Cairo and we live in Maadi during the winter. When I called an Egyptian an Arab years ago I was told under no uncertian terms that they are not and they speak true Arabic. FYI, then I was told that I while I do have an Egyptian citizenship and I am covered, I would never be Egyptian. I do not mean this to sound bad but in general Egyptians have a tendicy to think they hold the key to the arabic language.

[Hashman]

Originally posted by pax_vobiscum
KMJ, a question. Is an Arabic speaker automatically an Arab.
There's supposedly a saying of Prophet Muhammad to that effect -- "Being an Arab is not because of your father or mother, but being an Arab is on account of your tongue. Whoever learns Arabic is an Arab." ... But the authenticity of that saying is questionnable (i.e., it may have been fabricated).

Even if he actually said it back then, meanings of words are dynamic and can change with time and environment. The way "Arab" is used now, it applies to more than just knowledge of the language (for example, I'm sure the caucasian members of US military organizations who have learned Arabic would not consider themselves Arab).

[pax_vobiscum]

Yes, Hashman that is exactly how the question was formed in my mind.In some of the material MPR has provided,I read about the Prophet Muhammad
(p.b.u.h.) making this statement. I then thought about the people like kay's friend ,Michael. he speaks Arabic,but I had never heard him referenced as
being an Arab.
-------------------------------------------------------
cyounus,it is said the most pure and most difficult of the forms of Arabic is
in fact, what is called Egyptian Arabic.I researched it when I was looking for the best dialect(?) to learn,to better understand the Qur'an.
I feel so fortunate to have such generous and Knowledgeable friends.:)

[cyounus]

Even though I live there 4 months out of the year (I go back on the 15th) I can not seem to get the hang of it. My sons just laugh at me. I understand Urdu and Punjabi better and I haven't lived in Islamabad in years.