حنيف

Arabic

Etymology

Of the root ح ن ف (ḥ-n-f). Probably an Aramaic loan, borrowing first the plural of Classical Syriac ܚܢܦܐ (ḥanpā, “pagan, impious”) and back-forming the Arabic singular, or from a differently vocalized Nabataean Aramaic relative of it, the details are disputed, like the semantics were a source of disagreement from the beginning.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ħa.niːf/

Adjective

حَنِيف • (ḥanīf) (masculine plural حُنَفَاء (ḥunafāʔ))

1. inclining
   1. inclining from one religion to another
      1. belonging to the right religion, of true belief
      2. (more often obsolete) someone connected to a wrong religion, impious, deviatory

Declension

Declension of adjective حَنِيف (ḥanīf)

Singular	Masculine		Feminine
	basic singular triptote		singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	حَنِيف ḥanīf	الْحَنِيف al-ḥanīf	حَنِيفَة ḥanīfa	الْحَنِيفَة al-ḥanīfa
Nominative	حَنِيفٌ ḥanīfun	الْحَنِيفُ al-ḥanīfu	حَنِيفَةٌ ḥanīfatun	الْحَنِيفَةُ al-ḥanīfatu
Accusative	حَنِيفًا ḥanīfan	الْحَنِيفَ al-ḥanīfa	حَنِيفَةً ḥanīfatan	الْحَنِيفَةَ al-ḥanīfata
Genitive	حَنِيفٍ ḥanīfin	الْحَنِيفِ al-ḥanīfi	حَنِيفَةٍ ḥanīfatin	الْحَنِيفَةِ al-ḥanīfati
Dual	Masculine		Feminine
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	حَنِيفَيْن ḥanīfayn	الْحَنِيفَيْن al-ḥanīfayn	حَنِيفَتَيْن ḥanīfatayn	الْحَنِيفَتَيْن al-ḥanīfatayn
Nominative	حَنِيفَانِ ḥanīfāni	الْحَنِيفَانِ al-ḥanīfāni	حَنِيفَتَانِ ḥanīfatāni	الْحَنِيفَتَانِ al-ḥanīfatāni
Accusative	حَنِيفَيْنِ ḥanīfayni	الْحَنِيفَيْنِ al-ḥanīfayni	حَنِيفَتَيْنِ ḥanīfatayni	الْحَنِيفَتَيْنِ al-ḥanīfatayni
Genitive	حَنِيفَيْنِ ḥanīfayni	الْحَنِيفَيْنِ al-ḥanīfayni	حَنِيفَتَيْنِ ḥanīfatayni	الْحَنِيفَتَيْنِ al-ḥanīfatayni
Plural	Masculine		Feminine
	basic broken plural diptote		sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	حُنَفَاء ḥunafāʔ	الْحُنَفَاء al-ḥunafāʔ	حَنِيفَات ḥanīfāt	الْحَنِيفَات al-ḥanīfāt
Nominative	حُنَفَاءُ ḥunafāʔu	الْحُنَفَاءُ al-ḥunafāʔu	حَنِيفَاتٌ ḥanīfātun	الْحَنِيفَاتُ al-ḥanīfātu
Accusative	حُنَفَاءَ ḥunafāʔa	الْحُنَفَاءَ al-ḥunafāʔa	حَنِيفَاتٍ ḥanīfātin	الْحَنِيفَاتِ al-ḥanīfāti
Genitive	حُنَفَاءَ ḥunafāʔa	الْحُنَفَاءِ al-ḥunafāʔi	حَنِيفَاتٍ ḥanīfātin	الْحَنِيفَاتِ al-ḥanīfāti

References

• Denny, Frederick Mathewson (1977) “Some Religio-Communal Terms and Concepts in the Qurʾān”, in Numen. International Review for the History of Religions, volume 24, number 1, →DOI, pages 26–59
• Faris, Nabih Amin with Glidden, Harold W. (1939) “The Development of the Meaning of the Koranic Ḥanīf”, in The Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society, volume 19, pages 1–13
• Freytag, Georg (1835) “حنيف”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[1] (in Latin), volume 3, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 436
• Jeffery, Arthur (1938) The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, pages 112–115
• Lane, Edward William (1863) “حنيف”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎^[2], London: Williams & Norgate, page 658
• Lyall, Charles James (1903) “The Words ‘Ḥanīf’ and ‘Muslim’”, in The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, number 4, →DOI, pages 771–784
• Margoliouth, David Samuel (1903) “On the Origin and Import of the Names Muslim and Ḥanīf”, in The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, number 3, →DOI, pages 467–493
• المسعودي (956) Michael Jan de Goeje, editor, كتاب التنبیه والأشراف [kitāb at-tanbīh wa-l-ʾišrāf]. Accedunt indices et glossarium ad tomos VII et VIII (Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum; 8)‎^[3] (in Arabic), Leiden: E. J. Brill, published 1894, page 91
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[4] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 30
• Sirry, Munʾim (2011 June 27) “The Early Development of the Quranic Ḥanīf”, in Journal of Semitic Studies, volume 56, number 2, →DOI, pages 345–366
• Wehr, Hans with Kropfitsch, Lorenz (1985) “حنيف”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart‎^[5] (in German), 5th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, published 2011, →ISBN, page 300