Arwah

Arwah is a term used in Arabic and Malay-speaking contexts with different but related meanings. In Arabic, arwah is the plural form of ruh, meaning souls or spirits. The word denotes spirits in a general sense and is used in literary and religious language to refer to the souls of beings, including humans, or to spiritual concepts associated with life and breath. The singular ruh is often described in Islamic theology as the divine breath that gives life, while arwah collects those souls in plural usage.

In Arabic, arwah appears primarily in classical and religious discourse as a broad reference to spirits. It is not the technical term for a specific class of beings but rather a general noun for souls or spiritual essences. The exact theological nuances of ruh and arwah vary across schools and genres, with poets and exegetes employing the term in varying shades of meaning about life, death, and the afterlife.

In Malay and Indonesian, arwah has a distinct practical meaning: it is a respectful term for a deceased person. It is commonly used in obituaries and everyday language to refer to someone who has died, often preceded by kinship terms such as arwah ibu (the late mother) or arwah ayah (the late father). The usage reflects cultural practices of remembrance and prayer for the departed, including the recitation of doa (prayers) for arwah.

Overall, arwah functions as a bridge between a broad spiritual concept in Arabic and a concrete cultural term for the deceased in Malay-speaking regions. Its interpretation depends on linguistic context, ranging from general references to souls to specific references to people who have passed away.