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Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Alhamdulillahi rabbil-'alamin. Was-Salatu was-Salam 'ala Sayyidina wa Azimina, Wa Habibi Qulubina wa Shafii Nufusina, Abul Qasim Muhammad. Wa 'ala Ahli Bayti tayyibina tahireen.

It seems to me that "Amen" is originally not Arabic word. Meybe it was adopted into Arabic from Hebrew?

So the question is, Is "Amen" originally Arabic word?

Or, was "Amen" originally Arabic word at the time of the Prophet Muhammad SAW?

Wikipedia says it is originally Hebrew word. I hope experts of Arabic language will respond to my inquiry.

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  • Is your question about the word "alamin"?
    – Jeschu
    Commented May 19, 2022 at 22:37
  • No. It is about "Amen" or "Amin", uttered after Al-Fatiha. Or at the end of prayer.
    – user31217
    Commented May 20, 2022 at 1:23

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I am unfortunately not an expert in Arabic but I have found the following note in my Hebrew and Aramaic dictionary that also mentions the usage of the same roots in Arabic and Geez words.

אמן (alef mem nun) Amen or amin, also Aramaic and Ancient Southern Arabic امن (alif mim nun): firm, solid.

So, this word already existed in Arabic before the time of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.).

The usage of the word as an affirmation behind the prayer has most probably been introduced by Christians and Jews who settled in Arabia or Arabs who converted to Christianity before Muhammad (p.b.u.h.). So,

  • it is an originally Arabic word
  • the use after the prayer goes back to a Judeo-Christian tradition
  • it was used in this sense before Muhammad (p.b.u.h.)
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  • Aramaic came before Hebrew which came before Arabic
    – A P
    Commented Oct 31, 2023 at 15:08
  • You cannot really say which language is older; they all developed from the same root and gradually developed locally. But they were the three distinct reference languages known in the Arabia in the time of Muhammad (p.b.u.h)
    – Jeschu
    Commented Oct 31, 2023 at 17:39
  • Then you should write it is originally an aramaic word and not arabic
    – A P
    Commented Oct 31, 2023 at 18:57

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