What is a "Buraq" (isn't this interesting?)

Nation Master Encyclopedia ^ | unknown | unknown

[Melpomene]

The Buraq (Arabic: البُراق al-buraaq, meaning lightning, also means the element boron; Turkish: Burak), is according to Islamic tradition a creature from the heavens that carried Muhammad from earth to heaven and back during the Isra and Miraj (Night Journey). An excerpt from a Sahih Muslim hadith describes a buraq:

“I was brought by the Buraq, which is an animal white and long, larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule, who would place its hoof at a distance equal to the range of vision.”

[DManA]

Interesting. What DO the two words mean?

"Buraq" and "baraq" can never mean the same thing

[wideawake]

"Buraq" is "lightning" and "baraq" is "blessing."

In Hebrew the two words are, respectively, "barak" and "beracha."

[wideawake]

As you said yourself in the previous post, baraq is the arabic word for “lighting”.

I said no such thing.

This thread is trying to spread the mistaken notion that "Barack", Obama's Arabic first name, is synonymous with "buraq", the Arabic word for "lightning."

They are not synonymous at all. Obama's first name means "blessing" or "blessed", not "lightning."

If Obama's first name were Hebrew, it could mean "lightning" but his name isn't a Hebrew name, it's an Arabic name.

[SolidWood]

Looking into it, I think you are correct. I am not overly familiar with Arabic, only with Farsi, where “barq” (borrowed from Arabic) means lightning, so I assumed that the vowel variation “baraq”, “barq” and “buraq” were the same. In Farsi there is also the blessing “mobarak”... you are right.

[Melpomene]

Thanks for the clarification. I know nothing about Semetic languages, and just heard this on the radio this morning. I knew someone on FR would be able to explain it.

[Charles Henrickson]

There are two different triliteral Semitic roots involved: B-R-Q, "lightning," and B-R-K, "blessing." The first two consonants are the same, the third consonant is completely different (although they sound somewhat similar and sometimes are transliterated similarly in English). Obama's first name is from the B-R-K "bless" root, not the B-R-Q "lightning" root.

I have two Master's degrees and extensive Ph.D. work in this stuff.

[wideawake]

Good point - this stuff is transliterated into English under so many schemes that it is easy to lose sight of the very real distinction between kaf and qof.

[Pyro7480]

Oddly enough, “Barack” is equivalent to the Latin “Benedict.”

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

Yes. I’ve posted regularly that the fixation on the “Hussein” in his name is misplaced, that having him named after the winged horse who conveyed Mohammed to Paradise is much more poetically potent.

Winged horse with tail of a peacock and breasts of a woman... dunno about the tail, but have you seen those shirtless beach-shots in People Mag? Guy’s got bodacious man-boobs.

[rabidralph]

LOL. Nice try, Infidel.

[rdl6989]

So a Buraq is a magical islamic jacka$$? Brilliant!

[tezcore]

You had the spirit but you were a little off in your information.
The Semitic root for bless is b-r-k and the Semitic root for lightning us b-r-q and they are indeed similar sounding, but have no relation at all.
this goes for either Arabic OR Hebrew.

Barak Obamas first name is based on brk for blessing
And the mythical creature called ‘buraq’ is based on brq for lightning.
Really it seems from the story that the prophet was saying ‘I rode the lightning’ and that metaphor became a permanent nickname for the creature.
Kinda like Travolta naming his car grease lightning