THE LOGIC OF NAMING IN ARABS
ARAPLAR’DA İSİM KOYMA MANTIĞI

Author : Yaşar ACAT -- Sümeyye SATİ
Number of pages : 348-368

Abstract

This paper begins with the assumption that the Arabs have named themselves by acting on their own ideas. The act of naming was taking place in connection with the living environment. The Arabs wanted their children to have the power and brilliance of a predatory, wild, venturous animal, so they named their children with the animal names such as "Lion, Wolf, Tiger", and the bitter and thorny desert plants names like "Hanzalah, Katade, and Murrah". Sometimes they would prefer names such as "Seyf, Mohannad, and Sahm" with the meanings of war and weapons, that would connotate the meaning of power, victory and winning. The environment they were living was decisive rather than their beliefs in choosing names. When the Islam religion emerged, it made a revolution against the manners and customs of Jahiliyyah era (the days of ignorance), and affected the different life styles of Arabs. One of these affected areas was the tradition of naming. From then on, the main factor in naming became the religion. When naming a child, Islam required that the name should have a good meaning, or a meaning that gives peace to the soul and calmness to the heart.

Keywords

Name, Arab, Philosophy, Naming, Names, Proper name

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