Aalim aalam

Anshuman Pandey apandey at U.WASHINGTON.EDU
Fri Sep 19 22:53:08 UTC 1997


On Fri, 19 Sep 1997, Anand Nayak wrote:

> Could someone help me to find out what "Aalim aalam" means in Islam? Some
> students have come across this term and have approached me for its meaning.
> I have absolutely no idea what that can mean.   Is it a coranic or islamic
> concept? Or could it be some new islamic  computer software?  Thanks.  A.
> Nayak

With no intent of offense, there is a phrase "allam .gallam" meaning
"nonsense", as in the Urdu "allam .gallam bakanaa" (= to talk nonsense).
But I doubt this would be found in an Islamic text. In Arabic "`alim"
means "wise, one who knows" (an epithet applied to God) and "aalam" means
"world" (as in the epithet of a Mu.gal emperor "Aalamgiir"), so roughly
"`alim aalam" would mean "one who knows the world/knower of
everything(?)". Could very well be the name of a software company.

Regards,
Anshuman Pandey





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