Etymology. The word is derived from the Arabic verb طرق‎, (ṭaraqa), meaning "to strike", and into the agentive conjugated doer form طارق‎, (ṭāriq), meaning "striker". It became popular as a name after Tariq ibn Ziyad, a muslim military leader who conquered Iberia in the Battle of Guadalete in 711 AD.
 
Meaning: Striker, Knocker, Visitor, Morning Star
 
Variant form(s): Tarık (Turkish), Tarick, Tarık, Tarik 
ALSO Tareq, Tariq

Ṭariq is used in classical Arabic to refer to a visitor at night (a visitor "strikes" the house door). Due to the heat of travel in the Arabian Peninsula, visitors would generally arrive at night.The use of the word appears in several places including the Quran, where ṭāriq is used to refer to the brilliant star at night, because it comes out visiting at night, and this is the common understanding of the word nowadays due to the Qur'an.It can also be found in many poems. For example, from the famous poets Imru' al-Qais and Jarir ibn Atiyah. Gibraltar is the Spanish derivation of the Arabic name Jabal Aṭtāriq (جبل طارق), meaning "Mountain of Tariq".

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