Monday, October 11, 2010

13th Letter: shiin

MaRHabaen to the 13th dreamscape.  Can you find the 5 symbols in the Suura?




1) The old (original) American Flag in the image of this shipwreck (with it's 13 strips and stars) tells us that this dreamscape is for the 13th letter of the Arabic alphabet.


2) The shape of the shark fin sticking out up over the waves gives us the silhouette of the letter shiin.  Also note, in printed text the letter will appear with three dots in the shape of a triangle, but in hand written Arabic the dots will be connected with two lines like this ^ so that it will look more like the shark's fin above the waves.  This letter is exactly the same shape as the scorpion's siin at letter number 12, except for the addition of the three dots, or two lines at the top.


3) The sound of the letter is the first sound in the word shark, so it's and "sh" sound.


4) The shark is white and grey, so it's a Light letter.


5) This shipwreck scene is during the day, so we know it is a Solar letter.


AS A WORD


shae'a (pronounced like the "sha" in "shame" followed up the "uh" terminal "a" sound) means:


I. to want, wish, desire, will, be willing (to)
II. to intend, purpose, have in mind.


Arabs very often say "God willing" as "En'sha'allah" or "Enshallah," so that many people are familiar with this phrase.  You may have heard the phrase used in movies or in speaking with Arabic speakers in English.  It is perhaps the most ubiquitous phrase used by native Arabic speakers.  It denotes that one hope things will go well and as one plans, but that humans don't have control of fate.  Imagine the survivor of the shipwreck still in grave danger in the water saying "Ensha'allah, I will be saved!"  Literally it means, "As God wants it, I will be saved."


How appropriate that the word for the number 13 -- thought of as unlucky on one hand, and yet a symbol of American hope and promise on the other -- would be a word full of dread and hope and desire.  To want, to will, and to be willed--this is a powerful and potent letter in Arabic.

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