The classification of social units in the tribal system in the Holy Quran with an etymological approach

Social life in Arab societies from pre-Islamic periods relied on a tribal system, and internal relationships among its members were based on kinship and relative relationships. In this system, a specific division of social units is observed, both within tribes and in higher-level units such as "sha'ab" (branches), and it has often been assumed that these designations are primarily indicative of kinship. The Quran employs terms like "sha'ub," "qabila," "faseela," "raht," and "ashira" to describe these social structures, and this study aims to explore the relationship between these tribal divisions and how the multiplicity of words of the tribal system can be understood through etymological analysis. The focus of this study is on the etymological analysis of the words of the tribal system using a descriptive-analytical approach with the aim of defining common meanings and semantic differences in tribal divisions to show the diversity and lexical importance of these infrastructural principles. This investigation can contribute to a better understanding of the fundamental concepts and foundations of these structures in Arab societies and provide insights into the relationship between these divisions and the associated lexical differences. The primary hypothesis of this study is that the core meaning of these words within these structures refers to groups and communities, and the existence of various branches and subcategories within the tribe serves particular group-related functions, depicting activities and objectives of kinship groups, from small to large, in Arab culture.