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The book
Common Nouns in Arabic are by default
indefinite. This noun in default state is:
Firstly, we should refer to the
universal perception and generally agreed characteristics and definition
of a book and its purpose; and find the perception and meanings of its equivalent word in Arabic:
Encyclopedia Britannica describes a book: [quoted with thanks] "Although the form, content, and provisions for making books have varied widely during their long history, some constant characteristics may be identified. The most obvious is that a book is designed to serve as an instrument of communication—the purpose of such diverse forms as the Babylonian clay tablet, the Egyptian papyrus roll, the medieval vellum or parchment codex, the printed paper codex (most familiar in modern times), microfilm, and various other media and combinations. The second characteristic of the book is its use of writing or some other system of visual symbols (such as pictures or musical notation) to convey meaning. A third distinguishing feature is publication for tangible circulation. A temple column with a message carved on it is not a book nor is a sign or placard, which, though it may be easy enough to transport, is made to attract the eye of the passerby from a fixed location. Nor are private documents considered books. A book may be defined, therefore, as a written (or printed) message of considerable length, meant for public circulation and recorded on materials that are light yet durable enough to afford comparatively easy portability. Its primary purpose is to announce, expound, preserve, and transmit knowledge and information between people, depending on the twin faculties of portability and permanence. Books have attended the preservation and dissemination of knowledge in every literate society." [Unquote]
كتب
(مقاييس اللغة) ومن الباب الكِتَابُ وهو الفَرْضُ. قال الله تعالى: كُتِبَ علَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ [البقرة 183]
كتب
(لسان العرب) وكَتَبَ الدابةَ والبغلة والناقةَ يَكْتُبها، ويَكْتِـبُها كَتْباً، وكَتَبَ عليها: خَزَمَ حَياءَها بحَلْقةِ حديدٍ أَو صُفْرٍ تَضُمُّ شُفْرَيْ حيائِها، لئلا يُنْزَى عليها Lane's Lexicon transcribes the contents of Classical Arabic Lexicons in English in these words: Hence, كَتَبَ البَغْلَةَ, aor. كَتُبَ and كَتِبَ , inf. n. كَتْبٌ, He conjoined the oræ of the mule's vulva by means of a ring or a thong; as also كَتَبَ عَلَيْهَا. (A.) كَتَبَ, aor. كَتُبَ and كَتِبَ , inf. n. كَتْبٌ; and كَتَبَ عَلَيْهَا; He closed the camel's vulva, and put a ring upon it: or he put a ring of iron or the like upon it, conjoining the oræ, in order that she might not be covered.― كَتَبَ, aor. كَتُبَ , inf. n. كَتْبٌ; (S;) and ↓ اكتتب ; He sewed a قِرْبَة, or a سِقَآء, or a مَزَادَة, with two thongs: or, accord. to some, he closed it at the mouth, by binding it round with a وِكَاء, so that nothing [of its contents] should drop from it; [as also ↓ اكتب :] or كتب signifies he sewed a قربة; and ↓ اكتب , he bound it with a وكآء, i. e. bound it round the upper part. كِتَابِىٌّ.] كِتَابٌ [inf. n. of 1, q. v. ― -b2- as a subst.,] A thing in which, or on which, one writes: [a book:] a written piece of paper or [a record, or register; and a written mandate;] of skin: a writing, or writ, or thing written;---[unquote] It is thus evident that whatever is the context and whatever is the morphology of a word that originates from this Root: the basic meaning and signification shall be: : يدلُّ على جمع شيءٍ إلى شيءٍit leads to the perception of gathering, grouping, assembly, adjoining a thing with other thing. An act has a built in purpose/objective aimed at. It were/is employed to convey the perception and meanings of conjoining the os [plural ora/mouth opening] of she-camel’s vulva by means of a ring or thong in order to close the opening. The objective is that an unknown male without the will of her owner might not cover her in his absence. Its perception and meaning is to bring the mouth of some container together to conjoin it and sew it. It thereby signifies the act of writing or inscribing and denotes a book. It may be seen that in the act of writing [particularly Arabic text] and making a book, the basic perception of the Root is conspicuously dominant. Writing is nothing except to bring closer the letters-consonants of the alphabet of a language and stitching-sewing them together. It yields a word of meaningful import and grouping or assembly of words produces sentences. The gathering of sentences yields number of papers-parchments-scroll depending on the quantum of written material. Like the purpose of stitching the mouth of some receptacle-container; the purpose of writing is to keep the communication preserved and to transmit information and knowledge between people. The basic purpose of conjoining the mouth of she-camel's vulva is to ensure protection from the unwanted/undesirable entry into it, without the will of the owner when he is absent from her. The same objective is there when a person authors-put down his statement-thoughts in writing, whereby none can pollute - intermix any thing in that written matter/thought in time and space since it is physically available for reference and visual check.
The difference, between: قول with
meanings of an oral statement and: كتاب
a book is that the former is the sound a person:
The basic objective of conjoining os of she-camel’s vulva is to avoid entrance of undesirable matter in the absence and without the will of the owner. People are bound to add matter of their own perceptions while transmitting oral utterances forward in time and space. On the contrary, if that person had also put it in writing, his utterance would go into confinement in a conjoined and static state; and would thus reach people exactly in the words he had articulated. The writing of the spoken matter results in inscription fixedly attached or engraved on paper or tablet and covers a space. Anything, letter, treatise, book on having been put into writing attains the attribute of existence and permanence retaining its originality and purity, being the same for everyone in time and space for understanding, perceiving the words/statement/utterances/hadith of the author. Hence, it conveys the meanings: "to prescribe, ordain, make mandatory/obligatory".
The basic perception of Root: ك ت ب is to conjoin and sew together; and
ultimate objective of:
A nation-fraternity comes into being only when there is a book; a social contract or a constitution. Let us admit affectionately that no language of the world can match the Arabic, the language of the guide lord of humanity: the Last Messenger Muhammad Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam, the elevated and praised uninterruptedly. We will not find a better definition and comprehensive account as to what a book is than the factual information infolded in just three consonants of Arabic language sequenced as "ک ت ب". The best language is obviously the one that conveys volumes of information in few words. ["That language ranks highest which goes farthest in the art of accomplishing much with the little means, OR, in other words, which is able to express the greatest amount of meaning with the simplest mechanism"-Language, its nature, development and origin by Otto Jespersen]
Ayahs where:
The same noun in accusative and genitive case.
Progressive number of grammatical units: = 12,322 + 8 = 12,330
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is prefixed to it for referring to a certain known book. It occurs
in nominative, accusative and genitive states for a number of times;
details are given at the end.
:
(1)2:105(2)2:109(3)3:69(4)3:72(5)3:75(6)3:113(7)3:199(8)4:159(9)33:26(10)59:2(11)59:11(12)98:1(13)98:6=13
:
(1)43:4=1
