Qasas
/ˈqɑː.sɑːs/noun
An Arabic-derived term for stories or narratives, especially the accounts of prophets and earlier peoples in the Qur’an.
Did you know?Al-Qasas, meaning “The Stories,” is the title of Qur’an 28, which recounts Moses’ life and his confrontation with Pharaoh.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic period
Proto-Semitic
*qaṣṣ-
“A reconstructed root associated with following a trace, recounting, or narrating in detail.”
Pre-Islamic Arabic
Arabic
qaṣṣa
“He followed a track or traced something; it also came to mean he related a story.”
7th Century
Qur’anic Arabic
qaṣaṣ
“Stories, narratives, or accounts; especially sacred historical narratives.”
7th Century
Arabic
al-Qaṣaṣ
““The Stories,” the title of Qur’an 28.”
20th–21st Century
English
qasas
“A transliterated Arabic term used in English-language Islamic studies for Qur’anic or religious narratives.”