Dealing with Byzantine sources requires great care from researchers to understand their meaning and contextual formulation. This is particularly critical when researchers lack familiarity with Byzantine Greek and rely on intermediary languages that inadequately convey the author's true intended meaning. Scholars engaged in the analysis of Byzantine texts pertaining to Islam encounter various challenges, with a prominent hurdle being the understanding of the terminology. Undoubtedly, their understanding of these terms profoundly affects their approach to the analyzed text and thus the validity of their derived conclusions.
This lingo-cultural study specifically addresses the aforementioned issue when examining the works of Theódorus Abū Qurra and his usage of the morpheme “Μαγαρισμός-Magarismós" within the discourse on Islam. Difficulties arise when attempting to understand the intended meaning of “Μαγαρισμός-Magarismós" in Abū Qurra's specific context. Upon exploring related studies and research, it becomes evident that previous scholars have only superficially approached this morpheme. This prompts an investigation into its roots, meanings, and applications within the Byzantine Greek language. Additionally, a necessary comparison is made between Abū Qurra's texts and those of John of Damascus in terms of their formulation.
Ultimately, this research journey leads to the acquisition of new and precise philological findings, significantly enhancing our comprehension of the term “Μαγαρισμός-Magarismós" as the so-called “ghost-word" employed by Abū Qurra in the discussion on Islam.