Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 467
! ! 467 For example , take the word ! ٱ ّم or [ ‘ umm ’ , me an ing ‘mother’]. In the Arabic language , the word ‘ umm ’ actually means ‘fou ndation’ and ‘purpose’, namely that from which other things emanate or proceed, or that which others direct their attention towards. Now , if some word other than ‘ umm ’ is used for mother in Arabic, then the meaning of the word will change completely. Yet, if in Punjabi or Urdu , another word is used for mother, for example, ‘ paa(n) ’ or ‘ taa(n) ’, it makes no difference. One can say ‘bay – alif – noon’ or ‘thay – alif – noon’ or ‘dal – alif – noon’ , you may infer from it what you will , and it does not affect the meaning in any way. As far as Arabic is concerned , if we change the name, it become s meaningless. It will become merely a symbol without any meaning, as we have mentioned with the example of ‘ umm ’. If it is replaced with the Arabic word, ‘ kum ’, it will be merely a symbol. It will not contain the meanings which are found in the word ‘ umm ’. A m other is called ‘ umm ’ in Arabic because she is ostensibly the foundation for her children. Secondly, children are dependent upon her to fulfill their needs. Hence, the meaning of ‘ umm’ in the Arabic language is that of a foundation , or that towards whic h others focus their attention. This is why a mother is called ‘ umm ’, for she is the root and the central source for her children’s training, towards whom her children direct their attention in order to fulfill their needs. If the word ‘ umm ’ is replaced with another word, the meaning of the [new] word will in no way reflect the meaning of the word ‘ umm ’. O nly a symbol will remain. Similarly , the Holy Qur’ān refers to human beings, i. e. , men and women, with the word ‘ insaan ’ [ human ]. The word ‘ bani nau ’ gives root to the word ‘ insaan ’. The word ‘ insaan ’ also holds a deep meaning. In reality , the word is ‘ in saan’ , which means ‘two loves. ’ Thus , this word encompasses both men and women and its meaning implies an entity which exhibits two loves. On the one hand, this word reflects the rel ationship between God and man and on the other, it reflects the relationship between human beings. The word ‘ insaan ’ signifies such an entity who possesses love for both God and his fellow beings. No other bein g [with this capacity] except for a human , exists in this world. If longevity is to be found in a human , it can be found in