The á¹¢abà( ) is an east wind that blows in the west of the Arabian peninsula. Because of its gentleness (riqqa) and pleasant breeze, it was especially popular among the Arabs, and was called "Wind of the lovers" (rëḥ al-ÿuà ¡à ¡ÃÂq). The á¹¢abàwas considered the wind that gathers the clouds and brings rain and, unlike the west and south winds, does not cause dryness (haif). The Arabs living in the Desert are said to have set up their tents in a way that they could capture the á¹¢abàwith their openings. In classical Arabic lyrical poetry, the wind is highly praised and plays a role similar to the Zephyrus of the Greco-Roman world. Since there is a canonical Hadith stating that Muhammad is said to have enjoyed the support of the á¹¢abàwind, it holds religious significance in Islam as well. In Arabic-Islamic meteorology, the term "á¹¢abÃÂ" later became a general term, independent of its local occurrence, to refer to the east wind which, alongside the north wind (à ¡imÃÂl), south wind (janà «b), and west wind (dabà «r), constitutes one of the four cardinal winds of the wind rose.
According to the Arabic encyclopedist al-Nuwayri, the á¹¢abàwind is said to be named so because the people are fond of it due to its pleasant breeze and air (taá¹£bà « ilaihÃÂ). The Arabic word "á¹£abwa" indeed means "affection, desire".
According to Jaroslaw Stekevych, he is "as bearer of perfumed messages from the beloved" the wind of love memories, and the messenger of joyful tidings. As such, he also appears in the poetry of Imru' al-Qais. In his Muÿallaqat, he reminisces about the journey of two former lovers with the words:
<div style="clear:left;"></div> <br> While there are some instances in which the Ṣabàappears as a wind that is harsh and relentless, the image of the "gentle, erotic, rain-bringing, and fertilizing" Ṣabàwas predominant in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry and would continue to be one of the most enduring and intensely charged words of the Arabic lyric poetry, serving as a mood indicator even later. From the Umayyad period onward, the Ṣabàwas considered a wind that originates in Najd, thus giving Najd a similar symbolic significance as the Greek region of Arcadia. In a verse attributed to Layla and Majnun that actually comes from the late Umayyad poet Ibn Dumaina, it is said:
<div style="clear:left;"></div> <br> ÿAlë ibn al-Djahm, the courtly poet of Baghdad, maintains the image of Ṣabàas a rain- and fertility-bestowing wind, comparing it to an old woman who brings the poet a young woman:
<div style="clear:left;"></div> <br> As-Sanaubarë, a librarian and poet at the court of Sayf al-Dawla, in one of his poems, compares the cypresses in the nightly garden, moved by the Ṣabàwind, to playful girls:
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The motif of the Ṣabàwind is also taken up by modern Arab poets like Ahmed Shawqi. Furthermore, it has also found resonance outside the Arab world among admirers of Arabic poetry. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, in his West-eastern Divan, associates it with the ultimate locus amoenus of the Islamic paradise. In his poem titled Deserving Men, which describes the afterlife fate of the Muslim martyrs of the Battle of Badr, he has the Ṣabàwind, referred to as the 'Eastern Wind' by him, bring a host of heavenly virgins:
The motif of the Ṣabàwind has also found its way into modern Malay literature. Thus, Sayyid Shaykh al-Hadi in his love novel 'Hikayat Faridah Hanom' employs this motif when describing the first night's encounter of the lovers, writing that Faridah Hanom hurried there "like an Ashoka branch blown by the Ṣabàwind" (seumpama dahan angsoka yang ditiup oleh angin rih al-saba).
The á¹¢abàwind is also attributed religious significance in Islam due to a Hadith transmitted by Ibn Abbas, in which Muhammad is reported to have said: "I was granted victory by the á¹¢abÃÂ, and the ÿÃÂd were destroyed by the Dabà «r" (nuá¹£irtu bi-á¹£-á¹¢abàwa-uhlikat ÿÃÂd bi-d-Dabà «r). According to al-Qalqashandi, this statement referred to the 'Day of the Confederates' (yaum al-aḥzÃÂb), which was the Battle of the Trench. According to a gloss transmitted by Ibn Abbas, the wind in the Quranic statement 'Then we sent a wind and hordes that you did not see' (Quran 33:9) refers to the á¹¢abÃÂ. Ibn Hajar al-ÿAsqalÃÂnë later followed this interpretation in his commentary on Sahëh al-BukhÃÂrë as well.
An-Nuwairë quotes a tradition stating that no prophet was ever called without the support of the á¹¢abà(màbuÿiṯa nabëy illàwaá¹£-á¹¢abàmaÿahà «). As well as the wind that was made obedient to Solomon according to Surah 34:12 is said to be the á¹¢abàwind.
According to al-Qalqashandi, the á¹¢abàwind was also called Qabà «l because it blows against one who faces east. In Egypt, this wind was simply referred to as 'the Eastern' (aà ¡-à ¡arqëya).