Ishraq
/ɪʃˈrɑːk/noun
A voluntary Islamic prayer performed after sunrise, or the spiritual illumination associated with it.
Did you know?The term became central to Suhrawardi’s Illuminationist philosophy, which described spiritual knowledge as an inner light rather than merely intellectual information.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*śrq
“To rise, shine, or appear in the east; a reconstructed root associated with dawn and radiance.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
إِشْرَاق — išrāq
“Illumination, radiance, or the rising of the sun; the verbal noun of أشرق, ‘to become bright’ or ‘to rise.’”
10th–11th Century
Arabic
ṣalāt al-išrāq
“A voluntary prayer offered after the sun has risen, traditionally connected with morning devotion.”
12th Century
Arabic
Ḥikmat al-Išrāq
“‘The Philosophy of Illumination,’ the title of a major work by the philosopher Suhrawardi.”
20th–21st Century
English
Ishraq
“An English scholarly and religious loanword referring to the prayer, sunrise devotion, or Illuminationist philosophy.”