ABSTRACT
For an investigation of the actual and original meaning of the word ʕarab it is natural to start by taking a look at the earliest historical records in the language called Arabic. The relevant parts of these records treat a period beginning c. Ad 500. As is well known, the general opinion is that Islam arose among ‘the Arabs’ and that they constituted the main factor in the Islamic conquests resulting in the spread of Islam and the Arabic language outside Arabia. The national and ethnic background is usually seen as unproblematic. In order to determine the role of the Arabs during these fateful events it is necessary to find out what the term meant during the formative period of the Arabo-Islamic civilization, i.e. the period Ad 500–750.
