حنيف
Arabic
Etymology
Of the root ح ن ف (ḥ-n-f). Probably an Aramaic loan, borrowing first the plural of Classical Syriac ܚܢܦܐ (ḥanpā, “pagan, impious”) and back-forming the Arabic singular, or from a differently vocalized Nabataean Aramaic relative of it, the details are disputed, like the semantics were a source of disagreement from the beginning.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ħa.niːf/
Adjective
حَنِيف • (ḥanīf) (masculine plural حُنَفَاء (ḥunafāʾ))
- inclining
- inclining from one religion to another
- belonging to the right religion, of true belief
- (more often obsolete) someone connected to a wrong religion, impious, deviatory
- inclining from one religion to another
Declension
Declension of adjective حَنِيف (ḥanīf)
Singular | Masculine | Feminine | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
basic singular triptote | singular triptote in ـَة (-a) | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Informal | حَنِيف ḥanīf | الْحَنِيف al-ḥanīf | حَنِيفَة ḥanīfa | الْحَنِيفَة al-ḥanīfa |
Nominative | حَنِيفٌ ḥanīfun | الْحَنِيفُ al-ḥanīfu | حَنِيفَةٌ ḥanīfatun | الْحَنِيفَةُ al-ḥanīfatu |
Accusative | حَنِيفًا ḥanīfan | الْحَنِيفَ al-ḥanīfa | حَنِيفَةً ḥanīfatan | الْحَنِيفَةَ al-ḥanīfata |
Genitive | حَنِيفٍ ḥanīfin | الْحَنِيفِ al-ḥanīfi | حَنِيفَةٍ ḥanīfatin | الْحَنِيفَةِ al-ḥanīfati |
Dual | Masculine | Feminine | ||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Informal | حَنِيفَيْن ḥanīfayn | الْحَنِيفَيْن al-ḥanīfayn | حَنِيفَتَيْن ḥanīfatayn | الْحَنِيفَتَيْن al-ḥanīfatayn |
Nominative | حَنِيفَانِ ḥanīfāni | الْحَنِيفَانِ al-ḥanīfāni | حَنِيفَتَانِ ḥanīfatāni | الْحَنِيفَتَانِ al-ḥanīfatāni |
Accusative | حَنِيفَيْنِ ḥanīfayni | الْحَنِيفَيْنِ al-ḥanīfayni | حَنِيفَتَيْنِ ḥanīfatayni | الْحَنِيفَتَيْنِ al-ḥanīfatayni |
Genitive | حَنِيفَيْنِ ḥanīfayni | الْحَنِيفَيْنِ al-ḥanīfayni | حَنِيفَتَيْنِ ḥanīfatayni | الْحَنِيفَتَيْنِ al-ḥanīfatayni |
Plural | Masculine | Feminine | ||
basic broken plural diptote | sound feminine plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Informal | حُنَفَاء ḥunafāʾ | الْحُنَفَاء al-ḥunafāʾ | حَنِيفَات ḥanīfāt | الْحَنِيفَات al-ḥanīfāt |
Nominative | حُنَفَاءُ ḥunafāʾu | الْحُنَفَاءُ al-ḥunafāʾu | حَنِيفَاتٌ ḥanīfātun | الْحَنِيفَاتُ al-ḥanīfātu |
Accusative | حُنَفَاءَ ḥunafāʾa | الْحُنَفَاءَ al-ḥunafāʾa | حَنِيفَاتٍ ḥanīfātin | الْحَنِيفَاتِ al-ḥanīfāti |
Genitive | حُنَفَاءَ ḥunafāʾa | الْحُنَفَاءِ al-ḥunafāʾi | حَنِيفَاتٍ ḥanīfātin | الْحَنِيفَاتِ al-ḥanīfāti |
References
- Denny, Frederick Mathewson (1977), “Some Religio-Communal Terms and Concepts in the Qurʾān”, in Numen. International Review for the History of Religions, volume 24, issue 1, DOI:, pages 26–59
- Faris, Nabih Amin; Glidden, Harold W. (1939), “The Development of the Meaning of the Koranic Ḥanīf”, in The Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society, volume 19, pages 1–13
- Freytag, Georg (1835), “حنيف”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum (in Latin), volume 3, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 436
- Jeffery, Arthur (1938) The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, page 112–115
- Lane, Edward William (1863), “حنيف”, in Arabic-English Lexicon, London: Williams & Norgate, page 658
- Lyall, Charles James (1903), “The Words ‘Ḥanīf’ and ‘Muslim’”, in The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, issue 4, DOI:, pages 771–784
- Margoliouth, David Samuel (1903), “On the Origin and Import of the Names Muslim and Ḥanīf”, in The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, issue 3, DOI:, pages 467–493
- المسعودي (956), Michael Jan de Goeje, editor, كتاب التنبیه والأشراف [kitāb at-tanbīh wa-l-ʾišrāf]. Accedunt indices et glossarium ad tomos VII et VIII (Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum; 8) (in Arabic), Leiden: E. J. Brill, published 1894, page 91
- Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 30
- Sirry, Munʾim (2011-06-27), “The Early Development of the Quranic Ḥanīf”, in Journal of Semitic Studies, volume 56, issue 2, DOI:, pages 345–366
- Wehr, Hans; Kropfitsch, Lorenz (1985), “حنيف”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart (in German), 5th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, published 2011, →ISBN, page 300