Arabic vocabulary also covers key concepts in religion, time, and description. Ramadan (رمضان) is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, a time of fasting from dawn to sunset, spiritual reflection, and increased charity. It is followed by Shawwal, the tenth month, which begins with Eid al-Fitr, a celebration marked by special prayers and family gatherings. Later in the year, Eid al-Adha (عيد الأضحى), the Festival of Sacrifice, commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son and coincides with the Hajj pilgrimage in Dhu al-Hijjah. The word salaah (صلاة) refers to the Islamic ritual prayer performed five times daily as part of the Five Pillars.
The Islamic calendar itself, known as the Hijri calendar, is lunar, based on the cycles of the moon. It began in 622 CE with the Hijra, the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina. The Kaaba, located in the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca, is the holiest site in Islam and the direction (qibla) toward which Muslims face during daily prayers. These concepts are often discussed in everyday conversation and form an essential part of cultural understanding.
Colors and other descriptive adjectives follow typical Arabic gender agreement. 'Red' is ahmar (أحمر) for masculine and hamra (حمراء) for feminine, 'white' is abyad (أبيض) or bayda (بيضاء), 'blue' is azraq (أَزْرَق) or zarqaa (زَرْقَاء). 'Beautiful' is jamil (جميل) or jamila (جميلة), 'big' is kabeer (كبير) or kabeera (كبيرة), and 'small' is sagheer (صغير) or sagheera (صغيرة). Other useful expressions include 'I want' (uriid, أريد), 'I need' (aHtaaju), 'I love you' (uHibbuk for a male, uHibbuki for a female), and 'peace' (salam, سلام), a word central to Islamic greetings and Arab identity. Together with the nay (ناي), a traditional reed flute, and the everyday words for fruit, song (ughniya, أُغْنِيَة or nashid, نَشِيد), and weather, these adjectives complete a learner's working vocabulary in Arabic.