Sod Lam Kha

I just finished my arabic exam. By the end of the two hour exam, my neck became stiff, out of stress looking down on the paper. There were two short essays of which one of them I err memorised beforehand (because I target it will come out and it did). But I am not saying it will be good though. Another one was an impromptu one about the kaabah. Insya Allah khayr.

So in the spirit of learning arabic, not that I am good at it, but I thought of sharing. One definitely cannot learn arabic using the transliteration. One must know how to read arabic from the font itself. Only after that, the words will jump at you if you look at it with contemplation and reflection. And that is just by tracing a word to word arabic word in quran without actually learning arabic formally.

For example if one transliterates the word 'ilm. You cannot tell that the word 'ulamak, 'alam, 'ulum, mu'alim are the derivatives of the word 'ilm. But you can sort of tell when you read it in arabic.

علم علماء عالم علوم معلم

Most arabic words are derived from a three letter word. For example 'ilm (علم) is the three letter word and from it other derivatives can be made as the examples above.
Can you spot the similarities?

Most of the times the meaning are similar. However any change of tashkil or harakat or baris can sometimes make the meaning difference. And that is why it is important to recite the quran correctly and to not make mistake in the harakat.

عالم can be read as 'alam or 'aim. The former meaning world and the latter meaning the one who knows.

I use to wonder how do the arabs understand or even read their paper without harakat. But slowly I am beginning to get the feeling of it. You have to know the word and also the context of the word in the sentence. Knowing grammar of arabic helps you to know the harakat of the letters also and is really important in understanding the meaning of the quran.

Anyway, today I just want to bring you the word soleh. صلح

The word صلح is usually translated as righteous. Or in malay just plain soleh/ salih.
The root word (صلح) actually carries the meaning of rectification, and being worthy or suitable, etc.

If you notice in one of the morning adzkar,

ياحـي يا قـيـوم، بـرحمـتك
استـغـيث، اصلـح لي شَ ـانـي ِ
كلـه، ولا تكلـني الى نفـسي طـرفة عـين

Ya hayyu Ya Qayyum birahmatik astaghis, Aslih li shakni kullahu wa la takilni ila nafsi torfata ain.
O You Who is Everliving and Sustains and Protects everything, I seek assistance through the means of your mercy, rectify for me all my affairs and do not leave me to myself,even for the blink of an eye.

The word aslih أصلح is translated as Rectify.


Then we have the word amilus solihat عَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ

solihat is صالحات

this is derived from the word صلح

وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ - amilus solihat is translated as good deeds.


Why Allah calls it solihat – because the deeds make them proper and good. The deeds are to correct and rectify the person. It makes them good and rectify the world affair and akhirat.

What it also means is doing deed that will rectify you so that you become among the solihin (صاليحين). The soleh people (solihin is the plural for soleh) are the people who did deeds that rectified them and they become those who are rectified or those who are worthy because they are rectified.

Becomes worthy for what? Rectified and only then will be يصلح suitable/ worthy/ fit to be among Ar Rahman in His Jannah.

Jannah is only for the one who are rectified and had taqwa and did deeds that rectified them and made them worthy.

Jannah is only for the righteous people who had taqwa and did righteous deeds.

Jannah are for the صاليحين who had taqwa and did عَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ. They become يصلح for jannah with the mercy of Allah

May we be among them.