Amin: Difference between revisions

'''Āmīn''' (Arabic: آمین) or '''Amen''' literally means “may it be so” or “it is so”. The word is from the root “a-m-n” which in ancient Semitic languages means steadfast. The use of the word in different global languages traces back to Hebrew. In Persian language and literature the word “Amin” is commonly used with the same pronunciation meaning “respond to me”, and the phrase “Ilahi Amin” (O God! Respond) is very common among people today. It is used in English as “Amen” (meaning: so be it). In Shiite [[fiqh]] (or jurisprudence), saying “Amin” after reciting [[Sura al-Hamd]] in a [[prayer]] invalidates that prayer.

There are new variations of the word in Persian: “Āmmīna” or “al-Āmīna”. They represent natural developments of the word in the language. And the variation, “Amīna”, is a less common form that is developed in poems. It was also conjugated as “ta’mīn” (meaning, to say “Āmīn”).

The Hebrew root of the word led many philologists to make unsubstantiated claims about its conjugations. Many of them take it to be a gerund meaning “conquest” and its meaning to be the well-known meanings in the Bible (the second and the third meanings). And the claim that Amin is a name of God is influenced by its Hebrew meaning (the fourth meaning).

In Persian language and literature, the word “Āmīn” is commonly used to mean “Respond [to my request]”. Iranians usually use the phrase “Ilāhī Āmīn” (O God, respond).

In Hebrew, the word “Āmin” was first used as an adjective meaning “correct” and “true”, but in the Book of Isaiah it was used as a noun. In available Persian and Arabic translations, it was translated as “right” (haqq). The word then turned into an invariant operator in Hebrew (meaning, “truly” and “of course”). It is used in this form 30 times in the Bible and 33 times in a Greek translation of the third century BC.

The occurrence of the word in the first book of ''Histories'' and the first book of ''Kings Books'' may show that the word was used even before the fourth century BC in Jewish supplications and rituals. In the ancient Jewish tradition, the word was used at the beginning or the end of supplications. Its reiteration at the end of supplications, prayers and psalms was both a confirmation and endorsement of the relevant contents, and an expression of the hope that everyone could share the blessings of the practice in vritue of mentioning “Amin”. In the period of Talmud and other Jewish traditions, it was important how to use the word in different conditions, and it was believed that God says “Amin” to any supplication that is addressed to Him.

The Jewish tradition found its way into Christian churches. The word “Amin” was used in the New Testament 119 times, 52 cases of which are used differently from how it is used in Judaism. Through the New Testament, the word entered almost all main languages in the world.

The word, “Amin”, as used in the New Testament, has 4 meanings:

* Request of divine response, meaning: “O God! Accept or respond!”

* Confirmation of a supplication or a pledge, meaning: “So be it” (today the word is used at the end of supplications to imply the latter two meanings).

Since both Judaism and Nazarene Christianity were popular in the Arabian Peninsula before the emergence of Islam, it is probable that Arabs, including those in [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]], were familiar with it, although no trace of it is found in poems of the [[Jahiliyya]] period. The word does not occur in the [[Quran]], but early Muslims were definitely familiar with the word. [[The Prophet Muhammad (s)]] used the word, but it seems that early Muslims were not sure about the meaning of the word, since the Prophet (s) gave them an explanation and an interpretation of the word (by saying that “Amin is a divine stamp on His faithful servants”). And [['Abd Allah b. 'Abbas]] tried to give a grammatical account of the word.

The word is mentioned in exegeses of the Quran 10: 88 and 89. According to almost all exegetes of the Quran, when the prophet [[Moses (a)]] cursed the [[Pharaoh]], he and his brother, the prophet [[Aaron (a)]], cited the word, “Amin”.

Sunni Muslims cite the word, “Amin”, after reciting [[Sura al-Fatiha]] in the [[prayer]] as a reply to the verse, “Show us the right path”, (the Quran, 1:6). If the worshipper says his or her prayer individually, then they cite the word on their own, and if they say a [[congregational prayer]], when the leader of the prayer finishes reciting Sura al-Fatiha, all worshippers cite “Amin” together. Shiite [[fuqaha]] (or jurisprudents) maintain that citing “Amin” in the prayer invalidates it, since this is a heretic practice in the prayer that is not known to be confirmed in the tradition of the Prophet (s).