Lexical and Semantic Features of Temporal Indicators in Sahih al-Bukhari: A Comparative Semantic Study between Arabic and Uzbek

Abstract

This study investigates the lexical and semantic features of temporal indicators in Sahih al-Bukhari and compares them with their Uzbek equivalents. The study is based on the premise that time in Arabic is not expressed only through grammatical tense but also through lexical items that carry dense contextual meanings and may shift from general temporal reference to ritual, eschatological, social, or ethical meanings. The research employs a qualitative library-based design and combines descriptive-analytical and comparative methods. The data consist of six selected temporal lexemes: al-ʿaṣr, al-sāʿah, al-sanah, al-maghrib, al-ḥawl, and al-ʿahd. They were selected because they display clear polysemy in hadith contexts. Each item is analyzed through four procedures: identifying its lexical meaning in Arabic dictionaries, interpreting its contextual meaning in hadith and classical commentaries, explaining its semantic shift through theories of polysemy and cognitive semantics, and determining its Uzbek equivalent together with its translation challenges. The novelty of the study lies in connecting temporal lexemes in hadith discourse with Arabic-Uzbek comparative semantic analysis, a topic that remains underexplored. The findings show that Uzbek translation of Arabic temporal indicators cannot depend on direct dictionary equivalents; it requires contextual interpretation that accounts for religious and cultural domains. The study contributes theoretically to Arabic lexical semantics and practically to translation studies and Arabic language teaching for Uzbek-speaking learners.