its purity by melting is called 'iqyan. It is found in the deserts of the
Sudan like soapwort pieces and is picked therefrom by the people of
Sifalah i-Zauj.
A poet has said:
Like the pure gold which on rubbing comes out pure and genuine on
being melted.
The word, tibr, is applied both to gold and silver. Some people tend
to apply the word to brass also. Some denote by tibr all the jewels that
can be melted, provided that they have not been used often. But a
better known name is dhahab. Silver, etc., are not denoted by dhahab.
It is said that dhahab is so called as it leaves its owner and does not return to him soon. Some have traced the origin of this word to the fact
whoever sees it in the mine is seized with amazement, and he almost
loses his sanity. Hence the proverb, rujlun dhaliab (seized with amazement on seeing gold in the mine).
When Diogenes was asked why Gold is yellowish, he said it has many
enemies, and therefore, it is afraid of them. In the Diwan al-Adab, 'asjad
has been given as a synonym for gold. It has also been said that all
precious stones, e.g., pearls and rubies, are designated as 'asjad. This is,
however, erroneous. It is gold only which is called 'asjad and none of
the other jewels is called 'asjad. 'Asjad is an attribute of gold, not of any
jewel. Probably (the author of the work) was deceived through the
crown made of 'asjad, which has precious stones studded on it. So he
thought that the word, 'asjad, applies to jewels too. We can call such a
crown a crown of gold but the rest of the jewels cannot be called gold in
the crown. The word, taj-i-dhahab, is employed in the sense that, although jewels are studded on it, nevertheless, the association is with gold
alone. Hence we know that asjad is gold. 122
Zukhrnf is also a synonym for gold. As a matter of fact, zukhruf
means a speech embellished with fine imagery and romantic fiction,
which appears to be truthful. Then this word began to be used in painting and inscription for beautification and washing with quicksilver. Ultimately it began to be employed for gold. God has said:
"Or thou hast a house of gold."
It is a carved and decorated house that has been implied. Sometimes,
the nuggets of gold come out in pure state from their mines and at other
times they do not. In Zaruban there is a mine known as 'inthbank. The
gold from it is greenish. In (the mines of) Khutal it is yellowish and in
the neighbourhood of Taghaz and Afghaniyyah it is light. This levity is
either innate or due to bubbles, inasmuch as these bubbles are filled with
water. Then there are those varieties which are purified on heating. There
are other varieties that are washed, the process being designated as tabkh
(cooking). The pure and genuine kind is called laqat, as it is picked up
