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asbab

Asbab is an Arabic term meaning causes, means, or factors. The word is the plural form of sabab (singular) and is used in everyday Arabic as well as in scholarly and religious discourse. In transliteration, it is often written as asbāb or asbab, with varying vowel marks depending on the text.

In religious literature, asbāb denotes the proximate causes or channels through which events occur or rulings

Beyond religious usage, asbāb appears in modern Arabic to discuss causes of events in social, political, economic,

Overall, asbab is a flexible linguistic tool for naming causes or means across contexts. Its use ranges

are
established.
A
well-known
application
is
asbāb
al-nuzūl,
the
historical
circumstances
surrounding
the
revelation
of
particular
Qur’anic
verses.
Scholars
study
these
causal
contexts
to
understand
the
intended
meaning,
audience,
and
application
of
the
verses,
while
recognizing
that
the
theological
and
legal
significance
of
a
text
does
not
rest
solely
on
historical
factors.
or
scientific
contexts.
Phrases
such
as
“asbāb
al-hadath”
(causes
of
the
event)
are
used
in
journalism,
analysis,
and
academic
writing
to
identify
contributing
factors
and
mechanisms
behind
phenomena.
from
descriptive
accounts
of
events
to
analytic
discussions
of
interpretation
and
causation
in
both
classical
and
contemporary
Arabic.