B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m
Assalaamu `Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam,
I pray you are all well by the grace of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala.
This invented "Mosque=Mosquito / Mecca=Whisky House / Mohd=A dog which has a
big mouth" email message has been in circulation for the past 8-9 years,
posted mostly by well-meaning but uninformed Muslims.
Quote: <<< FOR MUSLIM BROTHERS & SISTERS
CORRECTION
Assalamu Alaikum, Its been observed that most of us write "MOSQUE" for "Masjid"
and even calling it as Mosque in daily routine, what elders and teachers say
that the word "MOSQUE" means the house of mosquitoes not Masjid. So better be
careful next time instead of writing mosque, u can write MASJID it doesn't
matter. Most we have seen the spelling of MAKKAH as MECCA. the word MECCA means
"Sharab Khaana/(whisky house). So let all of us careful of writing MECCA. Many
people, whose names start with MUHAMMAD, write in a short form as "Mohd". This
"Mohd" means "A dog which has a big mouth". Guys please forward this message to
Muslim brothers & Sisters as possible. Thanks, Best Regards, Saifee Surka >>>
Unquote.
__________________________________
Here are some specifics vis-a-vis the above claims:
1. Quote: <<< "Its been observed that most of us write "MOSQUE" for "Masjid"
and even calling it as Mosque in daily routine, what elders and teachers say
that the word "MOSQUE" means the house of mosquitoes not Masjid, - unquote. >>>
The word Mosque from the French means mosquee - from old French mousquaie, from
old Italian moschea or moscheta, from old Spanish mezquita, from Arabic masjid,
has nothing whatsoever to do with the origin of Mosquito (Spanish and
Portuguese diminutive of mosca, and Latin musca, meaning fly - as in the
insect. A more interesting derivative of the same root is 'musket', the weapons
from which ammo flies out! In fact the 'shot' emanating from the musket shares
more characteristics with the insect: it flies, buzzes, and stings!).
Incidentally, Mosquito is also the name of an American Indian tribe.
Please read the following information answered by the Scientific Research
Committee - IslamToday.net
http://www.islamtoday.com/fat_archives/show_detail...cfm?q_id=676&main_cat_id=20
Etymology of the English word 'mosque'
Question: There is a book written by a Muslim revert, Yahiya Emerick entitled
"The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Islam." The author discusses
within it many things, including the etymology of the word “mosque”. He wrote
that this word is derived from the Spanish word for "mosquito". He claimed that
the word was first used during the Christian invasion of Muslim Spain in the
15th century when the forces of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella boasted they
would swat out Muslim prayer houses like so many mosquitoes. Is this true?
Answer:
This etymology is incorrect.
The Spanish word for "mosquito" is mosquito and literally means "little fly".
This is a case where the English language borrowed the word directly from the
Spanish.
The word for "fly" in Spanish is mosca, which is derived from the Latin musca.
The diminutive suffix "-ito" is attached to it to form the word mosquito or
"little fly".
The Spanish term for "mosque" is mezquita, derived from the old Spanish
mesquita. This word was most certainly derived from the Arabic word masjid,
which many Arabs then and now pronounce as masgid.
In Spain during the era of Muslim rule - and this was before the time of King
Ferdinand - Spanish speakers were using the word mosquito for the insect and
the word mesquita for the Muslim place of worship. The two words are not
related to one another in any way.
The word "mosque" was introduced into the English language in the late 14th or
early 15th century from the French. It comes from the French word mosque, from
the old French word mousquaie. The French, in turn, derived the word from the
Italian word moschea from moscheta. The Italians got it either directly from
the Arabic word masjid or from the old Spanish mesquita. - Unquote.
________________________________________
References:
1. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition; ©
2000 Houghton Mifflin Company.
2. Online Etymology Dictionary, ETYMOLOGY Moo-Muc http://www.etymonline.com
mosque c.1400, moseak, probably from M.Fr. mosquée, from It. moschea, from
Sp. mesquita (modern mezquita), from Arabic masjid "temple,
place of worship," from sajada "he worshipped" + prefix ma- denoting
"place." In M.E. as muskey, moseache, etc.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Mosque&searchmode=phrase
mosquito c.1583, from Sp. mosquito "little gnat," dim. of mosca "fly," from
L. musca "fly," from PIE base *mu-, perhaps imitative of the sound
of humming insects. Colloquial form skeeter is attested from 1839.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Mosquito&searchmode=phrase
___________________________
Here are two more links which refute the myth that the word mosque originated
from mosquito.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/defaul..._9-2-2003_pg3_7
http://www.takeourword.com/TOW175/page2.html
________________________________________
2. Quote: <<< " .... Mecca means "Sharab Khaana/(whisky house)" - unquote. >>>
The spelling of the name "Mecca", for most anglophones, Mecca has long been the
accepted spelling for the Holy City. The word is a transliteration of the
original Arabic, and has become part of the English language.
Where this claim is concerned, the word, Mecca, does not - for instance - mean
sharaab khaana! There are no such meaning/translation in any authentic Arabic,
English or foreign language dictionaries.
The common usage of the word Mecca - or mecca - in English (derived from the
position of Mecca among Muslims) implies 'centre' or 'important meeting point'
or a place to which people of a special group flock, as in "Wimbledon is the
Mecca of Tennis" and Hawaai is "the tourist mecca". Such derived usages in
English are common within the Western culture. For example, the Wisden Cricket
Monthly, Wisden Book of Cricket Law and Wisden Book of Test Cricket are often
called "The Cricket Bible" and Gibbon's is called the "Bible of stamp
collectors" are common similes used. Less used but seen in major writings are
phrases like "The holy grail of drug addicts ..."
The word Mecca now refers to more than just the geographical location (i.e. not
only the Holy City in Saudi Arabia) , and is used to describe any center of
activity sought or converged upon by a group of people with a common interest.
Las Vegas, for example, is sometimes described as 'the Mecca of gambling,' and
'Mecca Bingo' a division of The Rank Group Plc., which Muslims find these
out-of-context uses very offensive. There is no doubt in many minds that the
insensitivity displayed in the naming of the fairly old chain known as Mecca
Dancing Clubs (a very popular series of dance halls that may also house
drinking areas in the UK) was not entirely an act of naive usage of language.
Mecca is also used in the names of two towns in the USA, a soft drink and two
acronyms:
a.. Mecca, California, a town in Riverside County, California, USA.
b.. Mecca, Indiana, a town in Parke County, Indiana, USA.
c.. Mecca-Cola a cola-flavoured carbonated beverage[1]
d.. MECCA is also the acronym for Model Evaluation Consortium for Climate
Assessment and Missile Environment Computer Control Analysis that I know of ...
and there are bound to be others.
__________________________
[1] Mecca-Cola was launched in France, in November 2002, by entrepreneur Tawfik
Mathlouthi, as a means of aiding Palestinians by tapping into demand for
alternative products in European countries. He had been inspired by a similar
Iranian product, Zam Zam Cola, which was already successful in Saudi Arabia and
Bahrain, and in fact only decided to launch his own brand when he was unable to
agree on terms for a distribution contract with Zam Zam. Mecca-Cola in turn
inspired the creation of Qibla Cola in the United Kingdom.
__________________________
If Mecca means "whisky house," why was there no public condemnation from the
Saudi Arabian government when anglophones first started using the word "Mecca"
- for example when the British explorer Sir Richard Burton in 1853 disguised
himself as an Afghan Muslim to visit and write his "Personal Narrative of a
Pilgrimage to Al Madinah and Mecca?" (Whisky house? How utterly absurd!)
However, in an effort to distinguish between the metaphorical and official
references to the holy site, the Saudi Arabian government in the 1980s began
promoting a new transliteration, 'Makkah al-Mukarramah' ( مكة المكرمة), which
is closer to the original Arabic. While this new usage has been officially
adopted by the U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3584.htm, its spread is still incipient among
anglophones at large (i.e. it is not part of the active vocabulary of
English-speakers.)
3. Quote: <<< Many people, whose names start with MUHAMMAD, write in a short
form as "Mohd". This "Mohd" means "A dog which has a big mouth". - unquote. >>>
As for this other concocted description that the short form name "Mohd" for
Muhammad stands for "A dog which has a big mouth" - I could not find any
Islamic information to support this most absurd claim. Surprisingly, nor could
I find any refutation from any of the scholars.
Mohd is a non-word (the combination of letters has no possible base in any of
the Western Romance languages and gives away the inventor's illiteracy). I
think the people (non-Muslims or Muslims, only Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala
knows best) who 'invented' this definition - or, at least, gave currency to
this via email, to create alarm - is more guilty of 'blasphemy' than those he
or she deceptively accuses. Googling this in dictionaries or thesauri will not
offer up any such word, I assure you. However, with this emailed falsehood
being forwarded around the web by "well-meaning" Muslims, I have no doubt that
this insult to our Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam will become added to
the current usage in many languages. One test would be to google it now (all
across Google, as well as in the dictionary section alone) ... where it'll turn
up nothing ... and in a few months from now, when it will indicate the meaning
given it, in most cases, with reference to the above forwarded message. Years
later, the origin will have been forgotten and another obnoxious word set in
motion to further malign Islam.
These claims are nothing more than a deliberate fundamentalist prank preying
upon bristling Muslim senitivities to further divide the growing chasm proposed
(and engineered, in some ways) by those who created and supported the so-called
'clash of civilization' theories. That this is not considered by the Muslims
who believe in such faked information and copy, paste and forward it here,
there and everywhere used to amaze me ... but nothing about anyone leaning
towards the right path does that any more. Muslims are responsible for checking
and setting things straight - by what they say, read, write and transmit,
inshaa`Allaah.
Please read the following excerpt from an article entitled: "Verification"
http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/istiqaamah/nov1996_d.htm:
Quote: Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (hafidahullaah) relates: "Allaah - the
Majestic, the Most High - orders us to verify any news that reaches us
concerning a group or party from amongst the Muslims, when an evil news reaches
us which necessitates fighting or opposing this group. Allaah - the Mighty, the
Most High - orders us not be hasty and rush into this affair, until we have
verified the matter. Allaah - the Most Perfect - says:
"O you who believe! When a wicked person comes to you with some news,
ascertain and verify it, lest you harm someone in ignorance and then afterwards
regret for what you have done." (al-Hujuraat 49:6)
Meaning: If some news reaches you about a group or party from amongst the
people, concerning an action that they have done and which deserves to be
fought against, then do not be hasty about the matter, nor announce war against
them, nor attack them - until you have verified the authenticity of the
report." (Wujoobut-Tathbbat fil-Akhbaari wa Ihtiraamil-`Ulemaa, pp. 22-23)
Imaam Muslim related in the introduction to his Saheeh (no.5):
Aboo Hurayrah (radiyallaahu`anhu) states that the Prophet, Sall Allaahu `alayhi
wa sallam said: "It is enough to render a man a liar that he relates everything
he hears."
Shaykh `Alee Hasan al-Halabee (hafidahullaah) said:
"The daa`ee (caller) must be careful in everything, particularly in regards to
what he hears from people, or what he reads in books. So it is an obligation
upon him to check and verify everything which reaches his ears or eyes, before
spreading it and circulating it amongst the people. His carefulness will be
increased with regards to two cases:
Firstly: When what is being conveyed to him is connected to the Religion and
the Sharee`ah, such as something being quoted as a hadeeth, or a fiqh ruling,
and its like.
Secondly: If someone reports something bad about a person, or an evil word from
someone. He must check its correctness, carefully find out the reality and
what is correct, and not hasten to transmit it and add it to the stream of
news!" (Source: Arba`oon Hadeethan fid-Da`wah wad-Du`aat p. 63) - unquote.
4. Quote: <<< "Guys please forward this message to Muslim brothers & Sisters as
possible." >>> Unquote.
Yes!!! Please forward this message too, so our Muslim brothers and sisters will
know the above facts and be duly informed not to transmit these deliberately
engineered misinformation about Islam and our Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa
sallam, inshaa`Allaah.
"And do not follow (blindly) any information of which you have no direct
knowledge. (Using your faculties of perception and conception, you must verify
it for yourself). In the Court of your Lord, you will be held accountable for
your hearing, sight, and the faculty of reasoning." (Al Israa 17:36 -
interpretation of the meaning)
May Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala strenghten us in our Deen. Aameen.
Source: http://www.mail-archive.com/muslim@yahoogroups.com/msg01847.html
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
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