‘Maghrib’: Arabic word for sunset marks a significant, and specific, time

In its simplest definition, the Arabic word maghrib means sunset.

The root of the word is the verb gharaba, made of the three Arabic letters, ghayn, rah and bah. It means to be distant or disappear. From it, many other words are derived, which have similar meanings depending on how they are spelt and the context in which they are used.

Maghrib is one such word, a noun, which means the place, time and the direction of where the sun sets into the horizon. To be more specific, it is also the exact moment when the sun begins to set.

Ghuroob, which is also derived from those three Arabic letters, can colloquially also mean sunset, but in fact refers specifically to the action of the setting below the horizon during maghrib.

Maghrib is a significant time in Islam.

It’s the moment the maghrib prayer, the fourth of the five daily prayers and the second shortest prayer, is performed. It’s also the moment during Ramadan when those who observe can break their fast, which began at dawn, fajr.

There is a phrase in Arabic, “Fe mashariqy al arthi wa magharibiha”, which loosely translates to, “Across all the sun rises and the sunsets in the world”. This is used to mean “all over the world” and refers to the importance of sunrise and sunset as all-encompassing and significant times and places.

Also from the root word gharaba, the word gharb is formed. Gharb means west and refers not only to the direction in which the sun sets, but also to western countries and cultures, such as the continents of Europe and America.

From this perspective, the word maghrib takes on another meaning.

In Arabic, bilaad al maghrib also refers to the North African countries Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, because they are located west of Egypt. Morocco is also referred to as Al Maghrib, because it’s the Arab country located farthest west in North Africa.

Al mugharib, a noun derived from the root word, means everything that positively covers and protects and surrounds you in a positive way. Similar to the way sunset can look and feel all-consuming as the sun disappears behind the horizon.

There are several words derived from gharaba, which mean leaving, disappearing, foreign or strange, all of which are reflected in the meaning and action of maghrib, and of the sun disappearing from the sky.

Sunrise and sunset, or fajr and maghrib, bear significant symbolic significance across the Arab world. Signifying new beginnings or the end of a chapter, the terms are commonly used in popular culture.

Ghuroob Wa Shurooq (Sunset and Sunrise) is a popular Egyptian political film from 1970. Starring the biggest stars of the time, Suad Hosny, Rushdy Abaza and Salah Zulfikar and directed by the renowned Kamal El-Sheikh. The story is set in 1952, when a group of politically active youths were plotting to overthrow the king and the regime.

Here the idea of sunset and sunrise is connected to the era of the time as well as the group’s time together.

Scroll through the gallery below to see The National's pick of Arabic words of the week