The English satirical poet John Oldham is credited with having said: “I wear my pen as others do their sword.”
The quote reflects the idea, which many other writers and thinkers have expressed throughout history, that the pen and its function to record one's thoughts, is a powerful and noble tool.
This universal concept is embedded in a facet of the meaning in this week’s Arabic word of the week.
Qalam has at least two main meanings in classical Arabic.
The first is any cylindrical instrument that is sharpened and used to write with. The second specifically refers to a wooden instrument that has been carved into cylindrical shape that is filled with lead or graphite – a pencil. Colloquial in Arabic, qalam is used interchangeably between pen and pencil.
A qalam can be used to write or draw with and refers to any kind of writing instrument, from a fountain pen, to a colouring pen, a ballpoint, a felt pen, a calligraphy pen to a pencil. Various pencils or pens are differentiated from one another with the word following qalam. For example, qalam rasas refers to a pencil and qalam hibr refers to an ink pen.
Qalam also refers to a number of other things in classical Arabic. It can mean the stem of a flower and also the arrow in the roulette wheel on a gambling board.
Made up of the three Arabic letters, qaf, lam, meem, qalam is derived from the verb Qalama which has several meanings. The main one is to sharpen, cut, clip, prune, trim, snip, cut back or cut down. The second meaning is to fine tune something, particularly a musical instrument. In fact, a pick that is used to strum on an oud or guitar can be referred to as a qalam at times.
It may seem strange that qalam, the word to describe a writing instrument, is derived from qalama, a verb that means to prune, trim or fine tune. However, the evolution of qalam to mean a writing instrument can be connected to the idea that one uses writing to sharpen and fine tune their thoughts through the writing process.
While not officially proven, some academic research suggests that the word qalam may come from the Ancient Greek word kalamos, which refers to the reed. The tall grass-like plant has been used as a writing tool from as far back as the time of the Sumer and Mesopotamian civilisations.
Qalam is also used to refer to a writer’s voice or style.
To be specific, in Arabic the qalam is considered as the second tongue, another way in which an individual expresses their thoughts and uses their voice. So one might refer to any piece of writing as one that is expressed through the qalam of that particular writer.
The different styles and fonts of calligraphy also have qalam in their name. For example, qalam kufi is an old Arabic script that was used in early writings of the Quran and as architectural decoration, or qalam al naskh, which refers to the naskh font, a smaller, round, more legible script.
Qalam has has strong cultural significance in Islam. To start there is a surah, also known as a chapter, in the Quran named Al Qalam (The Pen). This 68th chapter consists of 52 verses and covers the themes of responding to those who object to faith, a warning to disbelievers, encouraging patience, and emphasising the importance of charity and performing good deeds. The qalam is also seen as a symbol of wisdom and education in Islam.
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British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
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Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
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Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
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- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
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16 years, 68 days old
SPECS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
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Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
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5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Sean Kirrane (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Falaj Hazza – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Arim W’Rsan, Dane O’Neill, Jaci Wickham
6pm: Al Basrah – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Kalifano De Ghazal, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Oud Al Touba – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Pharitz Oubai, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Sieh bin Amaar – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Oxord, Richard Mullen, Abdalla Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: AF Ramz, Sean Kirrane, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Al Saad – Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Sea Skimmer, Gabriele Malune, Kareem Ramadan
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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
On sale: Available to order now
