What is the origin of the words: Qur'an, Sirat, Sijjin, Marqoom, Illiyyin, Surah, and are they non-Arabic?
Al-Suyuti, in "Al-Itqan," discussed the issue of the presence of foreign words in the Holy Quran. He mentioned that Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam was of the view that the origins of these words were foreign, but the Arabs arabized them, so they became Arabic. The Quran was revealed with these words already intermingled with the speech of the Arabs.
Al-Suyuti mentioned that among the words said to be foreign are: - "Sijjin": Abu Hatim stated in "Kitab al-Zinah" that it is non-Arabic, while Ibn Abbas and Abu Ubayda said it is derived from "sijn" (prison). - "Al-Sirat": Al-Naqqash and Ibn al-Jawzi mentioned that it means "the path" in the language of the Romans. - "Marqum": Al-Wasiti said it means "written" in the Hebrew language.
As for the other three words: "Quran," "Illiyyin," and "Surah," they are Arabic words: - "Quran": It was named as such because it gathers rulings, stories, and chapters. It means collection and inclusion. - "Illiyyin": Al-Farra mentioned that it signifies elevation after elevation to an unlimited extent. It is pluralized with "waw" and "nun" because it does not refer to a single or dual entity. - "Surah": It refers to each level of a building. A surah of the Quran was named as such because it is a distinct, separate section from others.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/133973