Bøger af Saad D Abulhab

This book is the second book by the author examining, from a historical Arabic linguistic perspective, a lengthy ancient Mesopotamian text containing both Akkadian and Sumerian words. The first book offered Arabic transliterations and Arabic and English translations of three tablets from the Epic of Gilgamesh written in a late Babylonian literary language style, while this current book provides similar transliterations and Arabic and English translations of a much earlier non-literary work written in an old Babylonian language style, namely the Codex of Hammurabi, the oldest known law code in the world. When used in conjunction with the author's previous Epic of Gilgamesh book, the two books would provide students and scholars a detailed insight into the pioneering methodology used by the author to decipher old Mesopotamian texts primarily using the historical etymological Arabic manuscripts which were written by hundreds of accomplished scholars more than a thousand years ago. The result of using this methodology does not only provide more accurate, non-speculated, translations, and preserve the spirit and linguistic style of the original texts, but also provide more realistic phonetic values of the cuneiform signs leading to more realistic text pronunciations suitable to the natural and homogeneous geographical and historical environment where these texts were produced, namely the greater Arabian peninsula. The old Arabic linguistic tools provide us the opportunity to correct the many awkward translations currently presumed for both of these texts. The text of the Hammurabi stele offers students of both Arabic and Assyriology a perfect and unique opportunity to accurately study the language and grammar of its ancient Arabic language. To offer a textbook reference value, the author provided the numbered, phonetic transcriptions for each law right above its corresponding, numbered Arabic transcriptions. Furthermore, he translated the text of each line literally, into Arabic and English, in order to illustrate how he came up with his translations, and to account for each and every word included in the actual text and preserve its writing style. A full subject guide to the laws of Hammurabi is also given, to illustrate the well-thought organization of the codex and to facilitate easier reading experience. For ease of use, the full reference entries from both the historical Arabic manuscripts and the modern linguistic tools of Assyriology are provided as author's referenced words index in the appendix. In his expanded introduction, the author also discussed the layout, script, and language of the Hammurabi stele, and discussed through the evidence of Hammurabi's own words in a key paragraph in his prologue, the meaning possibilities of his nickname.

This book investigates the Mesopotamian roots of two key monotheist characters, Adam and Noah, and their stories, through an exhaustive reading of relevant texts from the ancient literature; it includes original Arabic transliterations, and Arabic and English translations of sections from Akkadian and Sumerian inscriptions, and the Hebrew Genesis. The common, biblical beliefs in an initial, single human creation, and a subsequent survival of a punishing, catastrophic flood were among the key forming pillars of the Near East monotheist religions. The other key pillar was, arguably, the belief in the existence of a one, supreme god and creator. However, neither the two stories of human creation and catastrophic flood, nor the belief in one supreme god, were originally introduced by these monotheist religions. Key inscriptions from ancient Mesopotamia have clearly indicated that various versions of these beliefs were commonplace for thousands of years before. Despite the differences in details, and at times ambiguities, the monotheist faiths seem to have derived their defining themes from one source: early Mesopotamian mythology. Unfortunately, several key inscriptional facts supporting this hypothesis were lost in the current transliterations, translations, and interpretations of the ancient texts. The work presented in this book attempts to highlight these historical facts.

The pioneering work presented in this book introduces the earliest known literary and mythology work in the world, the Epic of Gilgamesh, in its actual language: early Classical Arabic. It provides a more accurate translation and understanding of the important story of the flood, one of the key stories of the monotheistic religions. In this book, the author, a known Arabic type designer and an independent scholar of Nabataean, Musnad, and early Arabic scripts, was able to decipher the actual meanings and pronunciations of several important names of ancient Mesopotamian gods, persons, cities, mountains, and other entities. He was able to uncover the evolution path of the concept of god and the background themes behind the rise of the monotheistic religions. Utilizing a generous text sample from the Akkadian and Sumerian languages, this book is an excellent reference textbook for scholars and students of Arabic and Assyriology who are interested in translating these ancient languages through both, the historical Arabic etymological references and the deciphering tools of Assyriology. To illustrate his breakthrough Arabic-based deciphering methodology, the author used a sample text consisting of more than 900 lines from three tablets of the Standard and Old Babylonian editions of the Epic of Gilgamesh. By "digging out" the actual language of the epic, he was not only able to resurrect the actual word soundings and linguistic literary style of its original text, but also to provide more accurate and coherent translations. Following his three years of research, he was able to demonstrate through undisputed linguistic evidence that the epic was in fact written in a beautiful, powerful early Classical Arabic language! And the so-called Sumerian and Akkadian languages that the epic was recorded with, which we are told today are unrelated languages, were in fact one evolving early Arabic language, written with one evolving writing system, passing through two major time periods. Although this book is primarily written as a reference textbook for scholars, it is equally suitable for anyone interested in reading the translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh, a fascinating Mesopotamian Arab mythology work documenting eloquently some of the most important and lasting ancient myths invented by humankind.

This handbook is a reference tool intended to help authors, scholars, and anyone else provide accurate and standardized quotations from the Quran, both from linguistic and historical perspectives. The first volume of the handbook includes the full text of the Quran using a font mimicking its earliest script, Mashq or Early Kufic, and it is provided in two formats, with and without diacritic vowel marks. The font used to generate the full texts in the first volume, Arabetics Mashq, was designed and implemented by the author after years of in-depth research of the actual historical Quranic manuscripts, notably the copy of Muṣḥaf ʿUthmān kept today in the Topkapi Museum in Turkey. The second volume of the handbook also includes two full texts of the Quran. The full text of the first part is a complete, word-by-word Latin transliteration of the modern Arabic script full text of the Quran, using the ALA-LC Romanization Standards. The second part includes a modern Arabic script full text of the Quran, including the full set of modern Arabic diacritic vowel marks. It is generated using Arabetics Latte, a multilingual font designed and implemented by the author to emphasize simple, clear shapes, and facilitate easy reading. Letters change shapes only minimally and are designed to have a large x-height. The diacritic vowel marks are placed intentionally away from the letters for clarity. Reading the Quran in this font can be very helpful to both native and non-native Arabic readers. The full text of the Quran contained in this book is based on the Tanzil Quran Text, a carefully produced, highly verified and continuously monitored text by a group of specialists at Tanzil project. Possibly, this handbook includes the first Latin transliterated copy ever of the Quran using the ALA-LC Romanization Standards. Both volumes include indexes for Quran chapters and verses and the necessary tables needed to help the readers understand the early Quranic Kufic script and the ALA-LC Romanization Standards.

This book discusses a highly-debated research topic regarding the history of the Arabic language. It investigates exhaustively the ancient roots of Classical Arabic through detailed tracings and readings of selected ancient inscriptions from the Northern and Southern Arabian Peninsula. Specifically, this book provides detailed readings of important Nabataean, Musnad, and Akkadian inscriptions, including the Namarah inscription and the Epic of Gilgamesh. In his book, the author, a known Arabic type designer and independent scholar, provides clear indisputable transcriptional material evidence indicating Classical Arabic was utilized in major population centers of the greater Arabian Peninsula, many centuries before Islam. He presents for the first time a new clear reading of Classical Arabic poetry verses written in the Nabataean script and dated to the first century CE. Furthermore, he offers for the first time a clear detailed Classical Arabic reading of a sample text from two ancient editions of the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, separated by more than1000 years. Throughout his readings, the author provides verifiable evidence from major historical Arabic etymological dictionaries, dated many centuries ago. The abundant of in-depth analysis, images, and detailed original tables in this book makes it a very suitable reference for both scholars and students in academic and research institutions, and for independent learners.

This book is a comprehensive reference on the history of Arabic Language and script, which goes beyond the sole discussion of technical matters. It studies objectively the evidence presented by modern-day western archeological discoveries together with the evidence presented by the indispensable scholarly work and research of the past Islamic Arab civilization era. The book scrutinizes modern western theories about the history of the Arabs and Arabic language and script in connection with the roles played by Western Near East scholarship, religion and colonial history in the formation of current belief system vs. Arab history and language, which is an essential step to study this correlated and complex topic objectively. In his book, the author explores the relevant facts of history and geography as crucial defining factors in the study of history of Arabic language and script. He offers a brief balanced account on the important topic of Muhammad leadership and Islam in the formation of Arabia, and investigates the Quran as a key evidence and reference of the Arabic language and script. As a research tool, this book presents in-depth tracings and readings of the most relevant inscriptions and the findings accumulated by the author over one and a half year of research. Particularly, it presents new comprehensive readings of the important Umm al-Jimal and al-Namarah Nabataean Arabic inscriptions. The al-Namarah stone which was discovered by French archeologist Dussaud in 1901 (displayed today on a wall in the Louvre Museum of Paris) was assumed for more than a century to be the tombstone of the prominent pre-Islamic Arab king, Umru' al-Qays bin 'Amru. After re-tracing and re-reading its complex inscription, the author concluded it was actually about a previously unknown personality named 'Akdi, possibly a high ranking Arab soldier in the Roman army or an Arab tribal leader, not the burial stone of King Umru' al-Qays or even about him. Similarly, the author proves beyond doubt that the important Umm al-Jimal Nabataean Arabic inscription was not the burial stone of Faihru bin Sali, but Faru' bin Sali. The two inscriptions are among only four Nabataean inscriptions believed by Western scholars to be written in the old Arabic language. These are referenced heavily today as evidence linking the Arabic script to the Nabataean Aramaic script. Utilizing classic Arabic and grammar tools and challenging their accuracy at times, the author findings in this book could potentially amend several historical and linguistic facts as told today by history textbooks. In his book, the author, a known Arabic type designer, studies with an investigative expert eye the early shapes of the pre-Islamic Arabic script and compares them to those of Musnad Arabic and late Nabataean Aramaic inscriptions, in addition to those of the early Islamic Arabic manuscripts and papyri. He concludes that the early Arabic script was not an evolved Nabataean script, but likely an independently derived script of the old Musnad Arabic script, with clear Nabataean influence. Although this book is conceived as a reference tool for scholars and researchers, other readers may find its topics and captivating arguments valid enough to debate and to study further. All chapters can be read independently. There are more than 40 figures and illustrations to aid the reader throughout the book. The first two chapters are intended as introductory essays regarding the history of Arabia (people and language) and the role of Western scholarship. To facilitate the selective and independent reading of the last three chapters, which presents the author research findings and conclusions, the book included (in addition to the chapter-specific references already offered throughout the whole book) chapter-specific introductions and conclusions.

A comprehensive reference on the history of Arabic Language and script, which goes beyond the sole discussion of technical matters. It scrutinizes the overall mainstream western theories about the history of the Arabs and Arabia, in connection with the roles played by Western Near East scholarship, religion, and colonial history in the formation of the current belief system, which is an essential step to study this correlated and complex topic objectively. As a reference tool, the book studies objectively the evidence presented by modern-day western archeological discoveries together with the evidence presented by the indispensable scholarly work of the past Islamic Arab civilization era. Specifically, it investigates the early shapes of the pre-Islamic Arabic script, Jazm, and compares them to those of Musnad Arabic and late Nabataean Aramaic inscriptions, in addition to those of the early Islamic Arabic manuscripts and papyri.