Arab. “Tanwín al-Izáfah ma’zúl” = the nunnation in construction cast out. “Tanwín” (nunnation) is pronouncing the vowels of the case-endings of a noun with n—un for u (nominative)—in for i (genitive) and—an for a (accusative). This nunnation expresses indefiniteness, _e.g._ “Malikun” = a king, any king. When the noun is made definite by the Ma’rifah or article (al), the Tanwín must be dropped, _e.g._ Al-Maliku = the King; Al-Malikun being a grammatical absurdity. In construction or regimen (izáfah) the nunnation must also disappear, as Maliku ’l-Hindi = the King of Hind (a King of Hind would be Malikun min Mulúki ’l-Hindi = a King from amongst the Kings of Hind). Thus whilst the wife and the lover were conjoined as much as might be, the hocussed and sleeping husband was dismissed (ma’zúl = degraded) like a nunnation dropped in construction. I may add that the terminal syllables are invariably dropped in popular parlance and none but Mr. G. Palgrave (who afterwards ignored his own assertion) ever found an Arab tribe actually using them in conversation although they are always pronounced when reading the Koran and poetry.
This was a saying of Mohammed about over-frequency of visits, “Zur ghibban, tazid hubban” = call rarely that friendship last fairly. So the verse of Al-Mutanabbi,
Preston quotes Jesus ben Sirach, μὴ ἔμπιπτε ἵνα μὴ ἐπωσθῇς, καὶ μὴ μακρὰν ἀφίστω ἵνα μὴ ἐπιλησθῇς. Also Al-Hariri (Ass. xv. of “The Legal”; De Sacy p. 478 l. 2.) “Visit not your friend more than one day in a month, nor stop longer than that with him!” Also Ass. xvi. 487, 8. “Multiply not visits to thy friend.” None so disliked as one visiting too often (Preston p. 352). In the Cent nouvelles (52) Nouvelles (No. lii.) the dying father says to his son:—Jamais ne vous hantez tant en l’ostel de votre voisin que l’on vous y serve de pain bis. In these matters Moslems follow the preaching and practice of the Apostle, who was about as hearty and genial as the “Great Washington.” But the Arab had a fund of dry humour which the Anglo-American lacked altogether.
Arab. “’Amal” = action, operation. In Hindostani it is used (often with an Alif for an Ayn) as intoxication _e.g._ Amal pání strong waters and applied to Sharáb (wine), Bozah (Beer), Tádí (toddy or the fermented juice of the Tád, _Borassus flabelliformis_), Naryáli (juice of the cocoa-nut tree), Saynddi (of the wild date, _Elate Sylvestris_), Afyún (opium and its preparations as post = poppy seeds) and various forms of _Cannabis Sativa_, as Ganja, Charas, Madad, Sabzi etc. for which see Herklots’ Glossary.