The Arabic word “muallim”: teacher, mentor and master craftsman
In the UAE, The National explained the meaning of the Arabic word muallim. It usually means a teacher, but can also refer to a person who passes on professional skills, a craft or knowledge connected with it to others.
Teacher and knowledge
The expression muallim al-lugha al-arabiya means “Arabic language teacher,” while muallim khususi means a private tutor. The feminine form of the word is muallima. In formal Arabic, the plural forms muallimun and muallimin are used.
The word derives from the root letters ayn, lam and mim, associated with knowledge, learning and teaching. Related words include ilm, meaning “knowledge,” and taalīm, meaning “education.” The verb allama means “he taught,” while taallama means “he learned.” The word maluma means a piece of information, while malum means “known.”
As the publication notes, in Abu Dhabi taxis, drivers who recognize the intended destination may say ana malum, meaning approximately “I know this place.”
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Craft and everyday form of address
Classical Arabic dictionaries also define muallima as a person qualified to independently practise a craft. For example, muallim najjar may mean a master carpenter, while muallim bina means a master builder.
Respect for a teacher is reflected in well-known lines by Egyptian poet Ahmed Shawqi, written in the late 1920s: they call for the teacher to be honoured, as he almost becomes a messenger. In everyday conversation, the address ya muallim may have a respectful or joking tone and, depending on the context, mean “boss,” “chief” or “buddy.”
This meaning is used in the song Lm3allem by Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred, released in 2015. In the chorus, the word is used to mean a person from whom one learns.
