Majlis
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Majlis ( Arabic مجلس, DMG maǧlis , also Majlis ) means something like “place of (together) sitting”, “(room of) meeting” and in pre-Islamic times referred to a gathering of tribal notables .
Politics and religion
This word is used to describe assemblies of a legislative or deliberative character in many, primarily Islamic, states. In many countries with cultural or linguistic connections to the Islamic-Arab world, Majlis is synonymous with parliament , for example in the Maldives (see Majlis (Maldives) ), in Kazakhstan (see Mäschilis ), in Uzbekistan (see Oliy Majlis ) and in Iran ( see Madschles ). According to the meaning and origin of the word, “Majlis as-Shura” denotes an advisory assembly or chamber (cf. also Shūrā ).
A Majlis is a special religious gathering in memory of Al-Husain ibn 'Alī , the son of Ali and grandson of the Prophet Mohammed - especially in the Shiite context .
Majlis in a private context
Majlis is also the Arabic word for a private room in which the family entertains guests, freely translatable as " living room " in its current function and meaning (cf. the English term sitting room , which is based on a similar word origin), especially in traditional Societies, especially those that practice a strict form of gender segregation (see also Parda ).
Music performances
As early as the Abbasid era, groups of musicians were known as Majlis (in the Arab world, musicians traditionally often make music together while sitting). This meaning of the word has been preserved in a modified form to this day, for example when the adabi madschlis (artistic majlis ) is spoken of. This is a meeting to maintain artistic or intellectual exchange, perhaps best comparable to a bourgeois literary salon .
