A Whisper of the Soul Through the Voice of Eternity

By: Roa Adel Ali

I used to think I was alone in my deep fascination with the Arabic language—the language in which revelation descended, rising to the peaks of eloquence and entrusted with the secret of eternity: “This language was built upon a magical foundation that keeps its youth eternal, so that it neither ages nor dies.” — Al-Rafii

It is eternal wherever it resides, even within our souls. You will never find anyone struck by this disease of love who found a cure for it; rather, its hold soon tightens and its magic takes over, turning them captive with no way to heal.

Writers deepen our yearning and longing for it, weaving threads of rhetoric that stir our deepest feelings, revive our spirits, and bring us before the language of revelation as it shines in its most splendid attire, uniting the beauties of eloquence and the masterpieces of expression until literature turns to magic: “They draw near what flees from it, gather what strays from it, and string its pearls like a master jeweler threading pearls, so that people receive it from them by the shortest and closest paths, the most pleasing to the soul, and the most clinging to the heart.” — Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti

How small the mind is before the vastness of this world! How many minds have dived into the seas of Arabic, drunk from the spring of its expression, and explored its miraculous facets to reveal its great worth and high standing. Centuries have passed over it and generations have succeeded one another, yet its sway has extended; its resolve has never faltered, nor has its light dimmed. Instead, it has remained standing tall against time, firmly rooted in the soul, an inexhaustible spring, continually renewing its bounty. It is as if God deposited within its secrets such treasures of expression that their stores never deplete, remaining a beacon of eloquence, a witness to a deep-rooted civilization, and a tongue whose memory the Quran immortalized across the ages, bearing witness to its clarity when God revealed it in a clear Arabic tongue.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing someone who has found in the Arabic language the passion of their soul, found in its love a life where their spirit flourishes, and found in delving into its seas a goal they continually pursue.

It is just as the writer Abdul Wahhab Azzam described it: “It is as if its words are the footsteps of conscience, the beats of hearts, and the tones of life.”

Published by Hany Sallam

Hany Sallam, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Scientific Magazine Ahram
An independent Arabic science magazine operating since 2008, dedicated to simplifying science, technology, space, natural phenomena and scientific stories for Arabic readers. The magazine includes sections such as “Zodiac Group” and “Stories and Tales”, alongside science topics that combine knowledge with a spirit of discovery. It operates independently and is not affiliated with Al-Ahram Press Foundation or any governmental body.