b-k-r

Description

The Arabic root بكر (b-k-r) carries the core semantic meaning of earliness, firstness, or beginning, whether in relation to time or state. In the Quran, it manifests in two main applications: temporal references to early morning (bukrah) as the first part of the day, and descriptive references to virgins (bikr/abkār) as those in their first, untouched state. This root emphasizes the Islamic concept of prioritizing the early and pure, reflected both in the spiritual practice of dawn worship and in the symbolic value of pristine, original states.