Arabic
Arabic ranks sixth in the world's league table of languages. It is spoken by almost 200 million people in more than twenty-two countries, from Morocco to Iraq, and as far south as Somalia and the Sudan. It belongs to the Semitic group of languages which also includes Hebrew and Amharic, the main language of Ethiopia. As the language of Koran, the Holy book of Islam, it is thought as a first language in Muslim states throughout the world.
Arabic language originated in Saudi Arabia in pre-Islamic times, and spread rapidly across the Middle East. The languages of northern India, Turkey, Iran, Portugal and Spain are full of words of Arabic origin. Modern Arabic varies a good deal from country to country, differing as much as, say Spanish and Portuguese. However, the classical written Arabic has changed little over the centuries.
There are many Arabic dialects. Classical Arabic - the language of the Koran - was originally the dialect of Mecca in what is now Saudi Arabia. An adapted form of this, known as Modern Standard Arabic, is used in books, newspapers, on television and radio, in the mosques and in conversation between educated Arabs from different countries (for example in International conferences).
Local dialects vary and a Moroccan might have difficulty understanding an Iraqi, even though they speak the same language.
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ALLAH
AR-RAHMÂN
AR-RAHÎM
AL-QAWIYY
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