How to say "serenity, tranquility" in Arabic
CognateMeaningserenity, tranquility
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
sakīnaסכינה
سكينة
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
shalvaشَالْڤَا
How the two words are related
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
س-ك-نHebrew root
ש-כ-ןThe root s-k-n, 'to dwell, settle, be still', is Hebrew ש-כ-ן — as in שָׁכֵן 'neighbor' and מִשְׁכָּן 'dwelling'. Quranic sakīna, the God-sent tranquility, mirrors the Aramaic-Hebrew שכינה so closely that many scholars think the term was borrowed along with the idea.
Related Hebrew word:שכינהshkhinaشْخِينَا
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In a phrase
the calm of the evening
The root family
س-ك-نש-כ-ן· dwelling
The dwelling root of שכן and שכונה: sakana is שכן, and maskan "residence" is the same shape as משכן, the Tabernacle — God's dwelling. A bonus twin: Israeli מסכן "poor thing" and Arabic miskīn are one word, an ancient loan (ultimately Akkadian muškēnu) that both languages folded into this root. Even the sukūn diacritic belongs here — the mark of a consonant at rest.
- سَكَنَ sakanahe lived (in), dweltשָׁכַןhe dwelt
- سَاكِن sākinresident; living (in)שָׁכֵןneighbor
- سُكَّان sukkāninhabitants, populationשְׁכֵנִיםneighbors
- مَسْكَن maskandwelling, residenceמִשְׁכָּןthe Tabernacle — God's dwelling
- مِسْكِين miskīnpoor, pitifulמִסְכֵּןpoor thing — the same ancient loanword
- سُكُون sukūnstillness; the sukūn (no-vowel) mark