In his poem Black Tulips in my Palm, the Palestinian poet and writer Mahmoud Darwish writes: “A stray hit in the sand, and another in the clouds … I think I'm angry, the beginning of fire is anger.”
While in the poem Become Angry by the Syrian poet Nizar Qabani, in which he explores anger from a different facet, he writes: “Become angry as you like, and hurt my feelings as you like.”
This week’s Arabic Word of the week, ghathab, which means anger, is a complex, nuanced emotion. Ghathab has its roots in the three Arabic letters Gha, Tha and Bah, derived from the verb ghatheeba. It means to be or become angry. Or, if pronounced differently, as yagthabu, it can indicate a continuing action of anger.
To feel ghathab one must be angry at a situation, at another person or even at themselves. It is also described as a strong feeling of irritation that occurs when a person feels that a situation is wrong or unfair.
Ghathab is also described as one of the emotions that can cause an extreme and very visible physical reaction. The western term and idea of “blood boiling” also exists in Arabic in connection to ghathab. The physical reactions of ghathab from this perspective include a change of how fast your heart pumps blood in and out to your body and a sensation in one’s chest.
There is another word derived from the same root word of ghathab: Bagath. It means someone who is tiring and is difficult to deal with. And while the two words aren’t directly related in meaning, they both describe negative feelings and an emotion that is challenging to deal with.
Ghathban describes a man who is very angry generally or is experiencing anger in that moment. Ghathbana is the feminine version of that.
While predominantly meaning anger, ghathab can also imply passion in certain contexts. However, the Arabic word shaghaf is often used for intense feelings of passion.
It’s interesting to note that in Arabic, the opposite of the word ghathab is ritha, which means to be satisfied or to be accepting of a situation. This indicates that ghathab can also have the meaning or come from the feeling of not being accepted or satisfied in a number of different contexts.
The symptoms of extreme anger can result in several symptoms such as having fast reactions, raising one’s voice, becoming physical by either damaging objects around you or getting in a physical altercation with someone.
Feeling constant ghathab or having common bursts of it can also have a lasting effect on one’s health, from headaches to blood pressure issues and even heart attacks.
Ghathab is mentioned several times in the Quran as an emotion one should attempt to control. In the third chapter, Surah Al-e-Imran in passage 133-134, emphasis is placed on letting go of anger and forgiving those who have wronged them. Once again in the 42nd chapter, Surah Al-Shurah Allah, the idea of forgiveness is highlighted and the need to restrain one's anger and not say anything, which cannot be taken back.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
MANDOOB
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
