mawjud

Mawjud, written in Arabic as موجود, is a common term meaning "present" or "existent." It functions as an adjective and, in many contexts, as a noun referring to "the existent." The word is widely used in Arabic and has entered other languages that borrow Arabic vocabulary, with transliterations such as mawjūd, mawjud, or maujood.

Etymology and form: Mawjud derives from the triliteral root w-j-d (to find or to exist) and is the passive participle form of wajada. As a participial noun, it denotes something that has existence or presence at a given time. The term can take different diacritical spellings in transliteration, but the meaning remains closely tied to existence and presence.

Usage and examples: In everyday Arabic, موجود describes things that exist: "هذا الكتاب موجود" (This book exists). In Urdu, Persian, and other languages that incorporate Arabic vocabulary, the term appears as موجود (mawjūd/maw-jood) with similar meaning, used in phrases like "یہ کتاب موجود ہے" (this book exists). In literary or philosophical contexts, mawjūd may be used as a generic label for "the existent" or "the thing that exists," and it can appear in compound expressions such as "al-mawjūd" (the existent).

Philosophical and theological context: The related noun wujud means "existence" or "being." The concept is central in discussions of existence, including debates about necessary existence (wajib al-wujud) versus contingent beings. In some sources, mawjud/mawjūd is used to denote any existing thing, including discussions about God in vernacular or polemical writings, though technical philosophy distinguishes between modes and necessities of existence.

See also: Wujud; Wajib al-Wujud.