alhaRAka

AlHaraka, often rendered as al-Haraka or al-Harakah, is an Arabic term meaning "the movement." Depending on context, it may denote a general concept of motion, a grammatical feature of Arabic script, or the name of organizations that identify themselves as a movement. The term appears in linguistic, political, and cultural discourse and is used in various Arabic- and multilingual contexts.

In linguistics, haraka (plural harakat) refers to the diacritical marks that indicate short vowels and other phonetic cues in Arabic orthography. The main marks include fatha (a), damma (u), kasra (i), sukun (no vowel), along with shadda for consonant gemination and tanwin for endings. These marks aid precise pronunciation and disambiguation, especially in religious texts, language-learning materials, and texts where vowels are supplied for clarity.

In political and cultural contexts, "al-Haraka" is used in the names of various groups to signify a movement or organized campaign. It functions as a generic label that can accompany a specific ideology or goal, and it appears across different countries and communities within the Arab world and beyond.

Transliteration varies: al-Haraka, al-Harakah, or alHaraka, with pronunciation roughly "al-ha-RA-ka." Related terms include harakat (plural) and tashkil, used to indicate vowels and diacritical marks in Arabic typography.