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))

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
Dual	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 (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, 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 . Accedunt indices et glossarium ad tomos VII et VIII (Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum; 8)‎ (in Arabic), Leiden: E. J. Brill, published 1894, page 91
Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎ (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 (in German), 5th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, published 2011, →ISBN, page 300