Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis

Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis

Rethinking the Qur'anic Root Q-R-B: New Evidence from Swahili and Arabic Dialects

Document Type : Original article

Author
Associate Professor, Department of Quranic Sciences, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/naghdeara.2026.592504.1415
Abstract
This article re-examines the semantic range of the Qurʾānic entry Q-R-B through a historical-etymological and comparative linguistic approach. It argues that restricting the interpretation of this lexical entry to the conventional meaning of “nearness” overlooks important semantic layers that have been rooted in Arabic and preserved in Arabic dialects, Swahili, and other African languages that have borrowed extensively from Arabic. Drawing on evidence from Swahili, related African languages, Arabic dialects, and a broad corpus of Semitic and other Afro-Asiatic languages, the study distinguishes three major semantic spectra associated with the entry: (1) approaching or being near, (2) presenting or offering, and (3) welcoming, receiving, or extending hospitality. These reorganized meanings are then examined in the light of Qurʾānic usage, with particular attention to passages traditionally interpreted solely through the concept of proximity. The analysis demonstrates that several Qurʾānic occurrences—including qurbān, qarrabā, fa-qarrabahu ilayhim, qurbāt, and lā taqrabūn—can be understood more coherently when interpreted within the semantic spectra of “offering” and “welcoming,” rather than exclusively “drawing near.” The article has the additional outcome that Arabic loanwords preserved in Swahili and related languages constitute valuable evidence for reconstructing semantic developments that have become marginalized or disappeared in Classical Arabic lexicography.
Keywords
Subjects

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Volume 7, Issue 1 - Serial Number 13
September 2026
Pages 205-242

  • Receive Date 18 July 2026
  • Accept Date 25 July 2026