Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur'anic Usage

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The Astrolabe

An ancient instrument for solving problems of location and distance, as well as time

Astrolábon órganon is the word used in Ptolemaeus Syntaxis 5.1 to describe a form of armillary sphere consisting of both fixed and rotating rings for determining the ecliptic co-ordinates of stars. Also called astrolabe were two-dimensional representations of the celestial sphere: over fixed disks with a representation of the horizon of the earth (in each case for a specific geographic latitude) and its parallels up to the zenith lies a rotating representation of the heavens (called ‘spider’ or ‘net’) with zodiac and indicators for some of the brightest stars. On the back is an indicator (‘alidade’) with visor plates for calculating the height of the stars. The astrolabe allows its user to determine the hours of day and night, the positions of stars, and the height and depth of objects on earth (mountains, buildings, wells). The oldest extant descriptions of the flat, planispheric astrolabe come from Iohannes Philoponus, 6th century AD, and (in Syrian) from Severus Sebokht, c. 660 AD. Indirect references may date back as early as Theon (4th cent.). Between the 8th and the 9th centuries the Arabs appropriated the knowledge of the astrolabe. At the end of the 10th century and again in the 12th century, they passed it on to Western Europe, where astrolabes were constructed up until the 17th cent. Today, one Byzantine astrolabe (from 1062) is extant, as are some 750 Arabic-Islamic astrolabes and approximately the same number of European astrolabes.

This information is abstracted from Brill's New Pauly, the English edition of the authoritative Der Neue Pauly, Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World. The encyclopaedic coverage and high academic standard of the work, the interdisciplinary and contemporary approach and clear and accessible presentation have made the New Pauly the unrivalled modern reference work for the ancient world. For more information see www.brillsnewpauly.com or visit our website catalog: www.brill.nl/bnp
Brill’s New Pauly and the complete original Der Neue Pauly, the recognized standard reference works for students and scholars of the ancient world are also available online. This dual-language edition offers basic and advanced search facilities and is fully browsable. New English translations are added as they become available. See www.paulyonline.brill.nl for more information and a demo version.

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Publications & Services> Books> Book Series> Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur'anic Usage

Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur'anic Usage

Elsaid M. Badawi and Muhammad Abdel Haleem

Handbook, Language Ref. Works

Available
Publication year: 2008


Series:	Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1 The Near and Middle East, 85
ISBN-13 (i)The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) has been changed from 10 to 13 digits on 1 January 2007:	978 90 04 14948 9
ISBN-10:	90 04 14948 1

Cover:	Hardback
Number of pages:	xxvi, 1070 pp.

List price:	€ 229.00 / US$ 339.00

Reviews

'As a treasure trove of etymological, grammatical, phonological, theological, and historical information relating to the Qur'an, it surpasses the heretofore standard, J. Penrice's Dictionary and Glossary of the Koran (1873)'. Essential. Choice, July 2008
World Prize for the Book of the Year of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2010

About the author(s)

Elsaid M. Badawi, Professor of Arabic Studies and Linguistics, American University in Cairo . Educated at al-Azhar and London Universities, Professor Badawi is currently Professor of Arabic Studies and Linguistics, American University in Cairo, editor for the Journal of Qurʾanic Studies, and has broadcast a complete commentary on the Qurʾān in the Gulf and S.E. Asia. Publications include Modern Written Arabic(2004) with M.G. Carter and Adrian Gully, and A Dictionary of Egyptian Arabic (1986) with M. Hinds.

Muhammad Abdel Haleem, Professor of Islamic Studies, University of London. Educated at al-Azhar, Cairo and Cambridge Universities, Professor Abdel Haleem is currently Director of the Centre of Islamic Studies, and Chief Editor of the Journal of Qurʾanic Studies. Recent publications include: Understanding the Qurʾān: Themes and Style (2001), and The Qurʾān: a New Translation (2004).

The Qur'an is the living source of all Islamic teaching, and is of singular importance to those interested in Islam and the study of religions. Despite this, there exists a long-felt lack of research tools for English first-language speakers who wish to access the Qur'an in the original Arabic.
The Dictionary of Qur'anic Usage is the first comprehensive, fully-researched and contextualised Arabic-English dictionary of Qur'anic usage, compiled in accordance with modern lexicographical methods by scholars who have a lifelong immersion in Qur'anic Studies. Based on Classical Arabic dictionaries and Qur'an commentaries, this work also emphasises the role of context in determining the meaning-scatter of each vocabulary item. Illustrative examples from Qur'anic verses are provided in support of the definitions given for each context in which a particular word occurs, with cross-references to other usages. Frequently occurring grammatical particles are likewise thoroughly explained, insofar as they are used in conveying various nuances of meaning in the text.

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