Three Sanskrit words in Quran

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WORD FOR WORD: Three Sanskrit words in the Quran —Khaled Ahmed

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_1-8-2004_pg3_3

 

According to Syed Suleiman Nadwi, the Quran itself bears witness to

the natural wealth of India by using three Sanskrit words only when

it was describing Paradise. His other purpose was to prove that

India was perceived by the Arabs as a kind of paradise or higher

civilisation

 

My friend Masood Ashar has sent me a book by Syed Suleiman Nadwi

titled Arab-o-Hind kay Ta'aluqaat (Indo-Arab relations) by Mashal

Books. I can't thank him enough because this was the book I had on

my `must read' list for a long time.

 

This is an old book and Syed Nadwi was the same man Allama Iqbal

corresponded with while writing his great but controversial Sixth

Lecture. Nadwi it was who went to Afghanistan with Allama Iqbal in

1930 at the invitation of Nadir Khan. But for Nadwi's account, we

wouldn't have known about this journey at all, apart from the

masnavi Musafir by Allama himself.

 

Syed Sahib was made a member of the first committee set up under the

Objectives Resolution in 1949 to provide guidance for the

Islamisation of the state of Pakistan. His progeny now lives in

South Africa.

 

After Muhammad Hussain Azad, Nadwi is the second man with endless

curiosity about words. He read widely among the Western orientalists

in emulation of his mentor, non-polyglot Shibli, who got them

translated to him in readings from Atiya Faizi.

 

Nadwi thinks that there are three Sanskrit words in the Quran and

all three point to the Arabs' realisation that India was the origin

of perfumes and medicines. The first word is zanjbeel. It is

referred to in verse 76:18 when Allah describes the plenty of

Paradise.

 

The inhabitants of Paradise will drink form cups mixed with

zanjbeel. Scholars have opined that this word came from Persian and

suggest various early forms of it. But Nadwi says it comes from

Sanskrit zaranjaber, the last part –ber being the name of common

berry in India.

 

Zanjbeel means common adrak in Urdu. In English we call it ginger.

In Heaven, the drink you will get will be mixed with ginger and will

smell nicely of camphor.

 

The other Sanskrit word to be found in Holy Quran is kafur. In verse

76:5 it further explains the quality of the wine in Paradise: it

will smell of kafur. We know the word camphor in English. Some

etymologists derive it from the Arabic root `kfr'.

 

My Klein says camphor comes from Sanskrit word kapur; that is what

Nadwi says too. Many Muslim slaves were named Kafur because the name

occurs in the Quran as an attribute of the pleasures of Paradise. I

have no idea why the slaves only were named thus.

 

It would not be right to equate proper name Kafur with the other

kafur (going down of tipsiness) that we use in Urdu from the Arab

root `kfr'.

 

The third word in the Quran could again be disputed. Once again the

account is of Paradise and once again the reference is to wine. This

time it is the aroma of the wine that is described as misk, 83:26.

Some etymologists take it from the root `msk' and relate it to

imsaak (niggardliness).

 

My dictionary says that perfume known as musk comes from substance

secreted by a gland located near the testicles of the musk deer. The

word musk is all over the place, including Greek. My Hindi

dictionary says mushk is testicle and small mouse.

 

The origin of the English word ginger is traced back to the Sanskrit

group of languages by Klein. It is no doubt an old borrowing because

it is there in Greek too and made its way westward from there. It

seems that in ancient times India was known for its perfumes and

medicinal plants.

 

According to Syed Suleiman Nadwi, the Quran itself bears witness to

the natural wealth of India by using three Sanskrit words only when

it was describing Paradise. His book shows how meticulous he was in

collecting and corroborating facts. His other purpose was to prove

that India was perceived by the Arabs as a kind of paradise or

higher civilisation.