Words Arabic Took In
kalon
قالُون
qālūn
'Ali asked the judge Shurayh a question and he answered rightly; 'Ali said: qālūn. Al-Azhari: 'more than one scholar said qālūn is Greek for "you are right"'. The editor F. Abdurrahim takes it as Greek kalon, 'good'. It became the nickname of Qalun, transmitter of the reading of Nafi'.
- Came
- From Greek
- Original meaning
- fine, good
- Meaning in Arabic
- a word of approval: 'well done'
«فقال عليٌّ كرّم الله وجهه: قالون. قال غيرُ واحدٍ من أهل العلم: قالون بالروميّة: أصبتَ.»
F. Abdurrahim (al-Mu'arrab, pp. 529–530) disputes the meaning: 'that it means "you are right" is not correct; what 'Ali said to Shurayh means "this is good"'. Lisan al-'Arab quotes, from the History of Damascus, 'Abdallah ibn 'Umar on a Byzantine slave-girl: 'I thought myself qālūn to her, but today I know I am not.'
Qalun is the nickname of 'Isa ibn Mina (d. 835), Qur'an reader of Medina and transmitter of Nafi''s reading. Al-Dani (al-Taysir): 'Nafi' is said to have given him the name for the excellence of his reading, for qālūn is "good" in the tongue of the Byzantines.' Others say Malik ibn Anas named him. His transmission is read in Libya and much of Tunisia.
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Sources
- الأزهريّ، تهذيب اللغة ٩/١٣٠
- الثعالبيّ، فقه اللغة وسرّ العربيّة: «قالون أي أصبتَ بالروميّة»
- الدانيّ، التيسير في القراءات السبع: لقب قالون
- أبو شامة، إبراز المعاني ص٢٦: لقّبه نافع، وقيل مالك
- الجواليقيّ، المعرّب، تحقيق ف. عبد الرحيم، ص٥٢٩–٥٣٠
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