Reinterpretation of Faqr and Ġinā in the Holy Qur'an; the Study of the Anthropological Context of the Meaning-Formation

The Arabic words "Faqr" and "Ġinā" are repeatedly found in the Holy Qur'an in the syntagmatic axis and have shaped the recurring opposite couple in the Qur'anic verses. A glance at the Muslim scholars' opinion shows that they have just mentioned the lexical meaning of these words and did not have much knowledge about the process of their meaning-formation. Using historical linguistic data and general Anthropological patterns, this study tries to explore the cultural backgrounds in which "Faqr" and "Ġinā" were formed. This study indicates that the distinctions between sedentary lifestyle and nomadic one in Arabian Peninsula could lead to different perceptions of the world, and hence to distinctive or sometimes contrary meaning-formation of the same phenomena. This study shows that "Faqr" and "Ġinā" are born out of the mentality of sedentary Arabs towards poverty and wealth in cultural-economic context in Arabian Peninsula.