(al-Ta‘aāṭuf): A Study in the Semantics of the Term and Its Usage from the First through the Thirteenth Centuries AH.

Abstract

The Arabic term al-ta‘aāṭuf (usually translated as empathy) is noticeably present in the language of daily life and other media. It correlates with many cultural and intellectual fields, including philosophy, psychology, sociology, education, and political discourse. Despite the importance and prevalence of this term, I did not find any previous study tracking the history of its usage and transformations. This research examines the meanings of the term in Arabic texts, from the first through the thirteenth centuries AH. Through a structural-semantic approach to component analysis, two main aspects of the meaning are examined: 1) types of practices referred to, and 2) relationships in which these practices occur. The meanings are classified thematically, and the meanings in each section are ordered diachronically. The importance of this research lies in its attempt to study the meanings of the term in its cultural specificity, as a mirror reflecting the cultural and social structure of the linguistic group in the selected period. Its three main sections discuss al-ta‘aāṭuf as an instinctive state, a motor activity, and an active emotional practice. It concludes that the term was used to express various meanings, including coexistence, as a kind of biological communicative behavior between creatures; physical actions such as turning away/around, enwrapping and enfolding, gathering, and returning; active expressions of solidarity such as financial or other support; emotional states; intellectual and faith attitudes; general moral practice calling for virtues and religion; and other meanings.