طاغوت

Arabic

Etymology

Ordered at the root ط غ و (ṭ-ḡ-w) or ط غ ي (ṭ-ḡ-y) related to transgression and explained as a being “transgressing the law”. However it is considered a loanword:

• from Ge'ez ጣዖት (ṭaʿot, “idol”), from Hebrew טָעוּת (ṭaʿút, “error”)
• with Wahib Atallah from Egyptian ḏḥwtj (“Thoth”) as a personification of superstitious practices, while he sees جِبْت (jibt) used with طَاغُوت (ṭāḡūt) in hendiadys in Qurʾān 4:51 as reflecting Hijazi pronunciation of قِبْط (qibṭ, “Egyptians”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tˤaː.ɣuːt/

Noun

طَاغُوت • (ṭāḡūt) m (plural طَوَاغِيت (ṭawāḡīt))

1. idol, juggernaut, taghut
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 2:256:

     لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي ٱلدِّينِ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشْدُ مِنَ ٱلْغَيِّ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِن بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسْتَمْسَكَ بِٱلْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَى لَا ٱنْفِصَامَ لَهَا وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

     lā ʔikrāha fī d-dīni qad ttabayyana r-rušdu mina l-ḡayyi faman yakfur bi-ṭ-ṭāḡūti wa-yuʔmin bi-llahi faqadi stamsaka bi-l-ʕurwati l-wuṯqā lā nfiṣāma lahā wa-llahu samīʕun ʕalīmun

     There shall be no compulsion in the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in false idols and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And God is Hearing and Knowing.

Declension

Declension of noun طَاغُوت (ṭāḡūt)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	طَاغُوت ṭāḡūt	الطَّاغُوت aṭ-ṭāḡūt	طَاغُوت ṭāḡūt
Nominative	طَاغُوتٌ ṭāḡūtun	الطَّاغُوتُ aṭ-ṭāḡūtu	طَاغُوتُ ṭāḡūtu
Accusative	طَاغُوتًا ṭāḡūtan	الطَّاغُوتَ aṭ-ṭāḡūta	طَاغُوتَ ṭāḡūta
Genitive	طَاغُوتٍ ṭāḡūtin	الطَّاغُوتِ aṭ-ṭāḡūti	طَاغُوتِ ṭāḡūti
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	طَاغُوتَيْن ṭāḡūtayn	الطَّاغُوتَيْن aṭ-ṭāḡūtayn	طَاغُوتَيْ ṭāḡūtay
Nominative	طَاغُوتَانِ ṭāḡūtāni	الطَّاغُوتَانِ aṭ-ṭāḡūtāni	طَاغُوتَا ṭāḡūtā
Accusative	طَاغُوتَيْنِ ṭāḡūtayni	الطَّاغُوتَيْنِ aṭ-ṭāḡūtayni	طَاغُوتَيْ ṭāḡūtay
Genitive	طَاغُوتَيْنِ ṭāḡūtayni	الطَّاغُوتَيْنِ aṭ-ṭāḡūtayni	طَاغُوتَيْ ṭāḡūtay
Plural	basic broken plural diptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	طَوَاغِيت ṭawāḡīt	الطَّوَاغِيت aṭ-ṭawāḡīt	طَوَاغِيت ṭawāḡīt
Nominative	طَوَاغِيتُ ṭawāḡītu	الطَّوَاغِيتُ aṭ-ṭawāḡītu	طَوَاغِيتُ ṭawāḡītu
Accusative	طَوَاغِيتَ ṭawāḡīta	الطَّوَاغِيتَ aṭ-ṭawāḡīta	طَوَاغِيتَ ṭawāḡīta
Genitive	طَوَاغِيتَ ṭawāḡīta	الطَّوَاغِيتِ aṭ-ṭawāḡīti	طَوَاغِيتِ ṭawāḡīti

References

• Ahrens, Karl (1930) “Christliches im Qoran. Eine Nachlese”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft‎^[1] (in German), volume 84, page 23
• Atallah, Wahib (1970) “Ğibt et tāğūt dans le Coran”, in Arabica, volume 17, →DOI, pages 69-82
• Geiger, Abraham (1833, 1902) Was hat Mohammed aus dem Judenthume aufgenommen? (in German), 2nd edition, Leipzig: M. W. Kaufmann, page 55
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[2] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 35
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[3] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 48