In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “common spelling of " haraam”. Today it says “one of several similar words originating from the triliteral semitic root ḥ-r-m”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
This article covers the word as used in Islamic urban planning. "Haram" is also common spelling of " haraam ," which means something which is forbidden by Islam. Haram means (is Arabic for) "inviolate zones", an important aspect of urban planning in Muslim civilization .They were sanctuaries, or places where contending parties could settle disputes peacefully. Towns were usually built near a river which provided drinking and domestic water (upstream) and carried away waste and sewage (downstream, usually underground, unlike most cities in Europe in medieval times). Muslims claim to have introduced the idea of carrying capacity , and clearly did limit the number of families in any given town. The haram were typically positioned to ensure access to parkland and nature (which were given another name, hima ), to restrict urban sprawl , protect water-courses and watersheds and oases . In this respect the rules strongly resembled modern zoning laws , with the same purposes. The distinction between haram and hima is thought by some modern scholars to have been necessary due to a different means of deciding which regions were to have restrictions - the selection of haram was considered to be more up to the community while the selection of hima had more to do with natural characteristics of the region, which were considered to be best respected by jurists . This idea probably arises from two different obligations of the Muslim to respect ijma (consensus of neighbors within Islam) and practice khalifa (stewardship of nature under Allah). It may or may not reflect actual means of decision making historically. See also : hima , carrying capacity , watershed , bioregional planning1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16055295.
The opening as it stood in 2010 11 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Arabic term ḥaram has a meaning of "sanctuary" or "holy site" in Islam .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 370586994.
The opening as it stood in 2015
The Arabic term ḥaram has a meaning of "sanctuary" or "holy site" in Islam .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 649961381.
The opening as it stood in 2020
A pilgrim supplicating at Al-Haram Mosque ( ), Mecca , Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Temple Mount ( ), Old City of Jerusalem , Ash- Shaam The Arabic term ḥaram ( حَرَم ) has a meaning of "sanctuary" or "holy shrine " in the Islamic faith or Arabic language.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 961898155.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
"sanctuary") A pilgrim supplicating at Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām ( ٱلْمَسْجِد ٱلْحَرَام ) in Mecca , Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia Haram ( ) is one of several similar words originating from the triliteral Semitic root Ḥ-R-M .The word literally means "sanctuary," commonly used by Muslims to refer to Al-Masjid Al-Haram and Prophet Mohammad's Mosque .There are certain rules which Muslims within these two areas must follow.Another meaning of the word which was used in the past but has since fallen out of use, include an "inviolable/protected zone," referring to an area in which the number of residing families was limited, attributed to the idea of carrying capacity and early forms of nature reserves , and to the prayer hall of the mosque."Is al-Masjid al-Aqsa considered to be a sanctuary? - Islam Question & Answer" . islamqa.info .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1174068540.
The opening as it stood in 2025 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
"sanctuary") This article is about Islamic geographic term. A pilgrim supplicating at Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām ( ٱلْمَسْجِد ٱلْحَرَام ) in Mecca , Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia Haram ( Arabic : حَرَم , romanized : ḥaram , lit. ' sanctuary ' ) is one of several similar words originating from the triliteral Semitic root Ḥ-R-M . The word literally means "sanctuary", commonly used by Muslims to refer to Al-Masjid Al-Haram and Prophet Mohammad's Mosque . There are certain rules which Muslims within these two areas must follow. Another meaning of the word which was used in the past but has since fallen out of use, include an "inviolable/protected zone", referring to an area in which the number of residing families was limited, attributed to the idea of carrying capacity and early forms of nature reserves , and to the prayer hall of the mosque.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1294832851. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “common spelling of " haraam”. Today it says “one of several similar words originating from the triliteral semitic root ḥ-r-m”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
common spelling of " haraam
Now
one of several similar words originating from the triliteral semitic root ḥ-r-m
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
