Reason as an Act of Referential BindingToward : Reflections on عـقـلʿAql in Arabic

Morphology
Written By Mohammad Awad

Abstract

This article proposes a definition of the concept of ʿaql عَقـل (reason/mind) in Arabic as an act rather than a faculty, whose primary function is to bind meaning to a stable reference that prevents its fluidity and dispersion, thereby leading to its settlement in the self as a binding, obligating understanding. The study proceeds from a linguistic analysis of the root (ʿع–قq–لl), alongside an implicit comparison with linguistic conceptions of mind in English. It concludes that taʿaqqul تَعَقُّل  (the act of reasoning) in Arabic is not the mere presence of meaning, but its consolidation through binding it to a limit that is appealed to and at which it comes to rest.


Introduction

In contemporary discourse, the concept of  عَقل ʿaql is often used loosely and treated as synonymous with thinking, intelligence, consciousness, or mental activity in general. Such usage, however, overlooks the deep semantic structure carried by the term in Arabic. Linguistically, ʿaql does not originally denote the mere presence of meaning in the mind, but rather a specific act performed upon meaning after it has become present.

This paper proceeds from the central hypothesis that:

ʿAql in Arabic is the act of binding meaning to a stable reference, such that it does not remain fluid, but instead settles in the self.

The aim of this paper is to analyze this hypothesis linguistically and conceptually, and to demonstrate its validity and epistemic implications.

ʿAql عَقـل Between Noun and Verb

From a morphological perspective, the term ʿaql in Arabic is originally a verbal noun (maṣdar)—that is, a noun denoting an action. This morphological fact is not incidental, but rather reveals the nature of the concept itself: ʿaql is not a mental space nor a cognitive container, but an operation that is carried out.



In classical Arabic usage, the verb ʿaqala denotes:

  • binding

  • restraining

  • preventing

  • holding back from dispersion

These material meanings (such as tethering a camel with an ʿiqāl) were transferred directly into the abstract domain without loss of their core sense. Thus, taʿaqqul is a form of binding that prevents dispersion—here, the dispersion of meaning rather than of a body.

Reference:
https://almojam.org/?id=30724&wordId=185879

Presence Is Not Reason

It is necessary to distinguish between several closely related concepts that are often conflated:

  • recalling meaning

  • the presence of meaning in consciousness

  • thinking about meaning

  • thinking

Recall and presence are prior conditions, but they are not sufficient for the occurrence of ʿaql. Meaning may be present in the self and circulated mentally without being reasoned through. This is clearly reflected in Arabic usage, as in the expression: “He knew, but did not reason (ʿaqala).”

Accordingly, one may say:

There is no ʿaql without presence, but not every presence constitutes ʿaql.


The ‘qaal العِقال is placed over the headscarf to prevent it from slipping or dispersing, keeping it firmly in place despite movement and wind.

From the same root (ʿ–q–l) comes the word ʿaql (reason), not as mere thinking, but as an act of binding and restraint that prevents meaning from slipping away.

Just as the agal gathers the cloth and secures it around the head,

reason gathers meaning and secures it around a reference that can be appealed to.

The function is one; the domain is different.

The mechanism of Reasoning: From Fluidity to Stability

This paper proposes that the act of ʿaql unfolds through three interconnected moments:

Presence of Meaning

This is the moment in which meaning enters the field of awareness, whether through sensation, memory, or reflection.

Determination (Limit)

At this stage, a defining boundary is placed upon meaning: What is it? What is it not? Where does it begin and where does it end? Without such a limit, meaning remains fluid, prone to dispersion and uncontrolled interpretation. Here, the dimension of prevention emerges—what belongs to the meaning and what does not.

Referential Binding

This is the decisive moment in which meaning is bound to a stable reference that can be appealed to—such as a rule, a value, a consequence, or a comprehensive system. Through this binding, meaning moves from mere passage to stability. Here, the act of ʿaql itself takes place. There is no ʿaql without a reference to which meaning is bound. The final result is the settling of meaning within the self, or the realization of meaning.

The Stable Reference: A Condition of ʿAql عَقل 

The reference to which meaning is bound is not necessarily a text or an external law, but anything characterized by relative stability that prevents fluctuation and dispersion. Since ʿaql is an act of binding, it necessarily presupposes the existence of something that grants this binding stability and prevents its unraveling.

Proposed Definitions of ʿAql عَقـل

Based on the foregoing, this paper proposes the following formulations as complementary definitions from different angles:

  • ʿAql is the act of binding meaning to a stable reference, such that it does not remain fluid but settles in the self as a binding understanding.

  • ʿAql is the stabilization of meaning through binding it to that which does not unravel.

It may be said that the English verb realize is closer to the act of taʿaqqul than the noun mind, insofar as it denotes a moment in which meaning shifts from mere mental presence to impactful, reality-oriented understanding. Nevertheless, realize does not encompass the full structure of ʿaql in Arabic, as it lacks the element of referential binding and prevention of dispersion.

These formulations do not describe ʿaql as a latent capacity, but as an enacted process.



A Linguistic Comparison Between  عَـقـلʿAql and Mind (A Non-Philosophical Approach)

Methodological Note

This comparison is presented from a purely linguistic, morphological–semantic perspective, without recourse to later philosophical or psychological frameworks. The aim is not to evaluate the two concepts, but to show how language itself constructs different conceptions of reason/knowledge through root structure, usage, and semantic development.



ʿAql عَقـل  in Arabic: An Act of Binding and Restraint

From its linguistic origin, the root ʿ–q–l denotes:

  • binding

  • restraining

  • preventing

  • holding back from dispersion

This prior material meaning (such as tethering a camel) transferred directly into the abstract domain without semantic rupture. Accordingly, ʿaql in Arabic is linguistically constructed as an act performed upon meaning and one that obligates.

Morphologically, the fact that ʿaql is a verbal noun further reinforces this conception: Arabic does not name reason as a mental space, but as the act of reasoning itself.


Mind in English: Presence, Memory, and Attention

The word mind traces its etymology to:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/mind

  • Old English gemynd: memory, remembrance, mental state

  • Proto-Germanic ga-mundiz

  • Proto-Indo-European men-: to think, to remember, to keep in mind

The original semantic field here does not involve binding or restraint, but rather:

  • mental presence

  • remembrance

  • attention

  • the persistence of something within awareness

Even verbal usages (to mind) begin with meanings such as remembering, attending to, or caring for—rather than consolidation or constraint. Linguistically, mind is thus conceived as a mental space or state, not as an act of regulation imposed upon meaning.

The Fundamental Semantic Difference

The essential linguistic difference may be summarized as follows:

Linguistic Dimension

ʿAql (ʿ–q–l)

Mind (men-)

Core meaning

Binding / restraint / consolidation

Memory / presence / awareness

Morphological nature

Verbal noun (act)

State noun / mental space

Relation to meaning

An act is performed upon it

It is present within it

This difference is not philosophical, but encoded in the roots and patterns of usage.

Results of the Comparison

From this linguistic comparison alone, the following conclusions may be drawn:

  • In English, something may be “in the mind” without being binding or obligating.

  • In Arabic, something is not described as maʿqūl (reasoned) unless it has been consolidated and bound.

  • Knowledge in English begins with presence, whereas in Arabic it begins with regulation.

This explains the difficulty of precise translation in expressions such as:

  • keep in mind → ḍaʿ fī bālik ضع في بالِك

  • peace of mind → rāḥat al-bāl راحَة البال


A More Accurate Arabic Equivalent for Mind

Based on the preceding linguistic analysis, the Arabic term closest to mind in terms of original meaning and usage is not ʿaql, but bālبال.

In Arabic, bāl  بال denotes:

These meanings correspond directly to the semantic field of mind as historically formed from the root men- (presence, remembrance, attention), without implying obligation or restraint. This is reflected in precise usage correspondences:

  • keep in mind → ḍaʿ fī bālik ضَع فِي بالِك 

  • on my mind → ʿalā bālī على بالي

  • peace of mind → rāḥat al-bāl راحة البال

Using ʿaql عَـقلin these contexts produces a semantic distortion.

Conclusion

In Arabic, ʿaql عَقل is not synonymous with thinking or consciousness. It is an act of consolidation and binding that moves meaning from fluidity to stability, and from fleeting presence to obligation.

Mohammad Awad
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