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
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Started: Established in 2020
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Sector: PropTech
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Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
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Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
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TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
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On sale: May or June
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Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
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Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
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Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
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%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Dh3.7 million
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46
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50
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Scoreline
Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')
Bournemouth 0
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
