His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, recently discussed a ground-breaking new research project, 'The Origin of Language,' that will soon be brought to light after roughly 50 years of study. This project provides evidence that the origin of language in the world is one language, the language of Adam, the Arabic language.
His Highness also shared news of two upcoming historical works: 'The History of the Prophets,' a work based on research into ancient history and interpretation of the original language, and a book on the history of the Nabhani dynasty (Nabhanids) that he is offering as a present to the Sultanate of Oman.
His Highness made the following remark during a recent phone talk on Sharjah Broadcasting Authorty's 'Direct Line' programme: "I am working on a very accurate research project, 'The Origin of Language,' that has taken about 50 years of research, writing, addition, and modification, and it will feature a valuable study and benefit to the nation, and the word 'language' came from Arabic origin, 'Lagh,' describing the sound of water slurping in the bowl, and in English it is 'language,' but in Latin 'lingua' means moonshine (chatter)."
Adam's language
His Highness said, "This study effort indicates to us that the root of the languages is one spoken language, which is the language of our father Adam, and the proof for it is the Almighty's words, 'And He taught Adam the names—all of them.'"
"Adam learned Arabic from the Almighty himself. This was the language Gabriel spoke as well. Our forefather Adam, peace be upon him, supposedly descended on the Ethiopian plateau, and from there the peoples of the world fanned out; those who eventually made their way to the Arabian Peninsula spoke Arabic, while the rest dispersed to the north, where I focus on studying the people who eventually settled in Europe and brought Adam's language with them, which transformed over time. For instance, the word 'street' is a distortion of the Arabic word 'sirat,' meaning 'the path,' and the word 'road' is derived from the Arabic verb 'yartad,' meaning 'to travel.'"
His Highness elaborated, adding, "I am undertaking extremely deep study in this field, to the degree that I am working on a dictionary of Adam's sons' language that people who travelled to the north spoke, and I'm researching the origins of the old Latin language that has an Arabic origin, all for the good of our wonderful Arabic language and the nation."
"About half a century of constant effort went into this study because I revise and update it constantly until it contains only the most relevant and useful material."
Respect Arabic
His Highness addressed native speakers of Arabic, saying, "This Arabic language that you speak is the language of the Qur'an and the angels, and it is the language that the Lord of the Worlds, the Almighty, spoke to Adam, peace be upon him, and this research that I am working on will see the light soon, God willing, and I call on those who belong to the Arabic language and tell them, the Arabic language must be respected and given its due and not distort the way it is spoken in our time by its people. We have Koreans who studied in Sharjah and are fluent in classical Arabic, as well as Poles who studied in Sharjah and are fluent in Arabic. Classical Arabic is spoken in Sharjah; therefore, look at these immigrants who appreciate the Arabic language, which is not their native tongue."
Who are the Arabs?
His Highness researched the origin of the word 'Arabs' and the rationale for referring to Arabs as such. The Arabic word 'Arab' was originally associated with water; hence, the name Ismail's Araba denotes Ismail's will. The wheel that drives the water is also known as 'Araba.' Those in charge of Ismail's will were named Arabs.
Hebrew is not a language
His Highness explained that 'Hebrew' is not a language and said: "Those who spoke Hebrew were coming from Egypt and settled for 40 years outside Palestine in 'Midian,' crossed the Jordan River to Palestine and spread there and were called Hebrews, meaning passers-by, which is why they called their language 'Hebrew' meaning 'the language of the passers-by,' and the word is taken from the Arabic origin Abar meaning 'to traverse' or 'to pass over.'"
"Even in the English dictionary, the word 'Hebrew' means 'crossing the river from one side to the other.' They took their language from Arabic and then distorted it with some words from the Pharaonic language because it was their language that they brought to Palestine, and when they arrived, they were referred to as 'the passers-by' by 'Goliath' and his people, and their language was 'the language of the passers-by.'"
Prophetic History
His Highness stated that he is working on another historical project: "I have another historical project I am working on, which is the 'History of the Prophets."
"The research foundation of this work sets it apart from other interpretations. In the ancient history and interpretation of the original language, for example, the story of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) when he arrived at Mount Sinai, the Holy Qur'an recounts his story, saying, 'And [mention] when Moses said to his servant, I will not cease [travelling] until I reach the junction of the two seas or continue for long periods.'"
"We understand that the junction of the two seas meant here the last area of Sinai, where the Sea of Qalzam, which is 'Suez,' meets the Sea of Aqaba, 'Eilat.' Prophet Moses said, 'Continue for long periods,' which is commonly interpreted as meaning 'sit in this place for centuries waiting,' but when we consult Arabic dictionaries, we learn that 'Huqaba,' which is traditionally interpreted as periods, actually means 'carry.'"
A present for Oman
His Highness revealed another historical project, saying, "I am writing now a book on the history of the Nabhani dynasty (Nabhanids) that will be a gift to the Sultanate of Oman, and it will be published soon, God willing." It is the second book after 'Sultan Al Tawarikh,' followed by 'The History of Al Ya'ariba' and 'History of Bo Saeed Imams'.