Quran Vocabulary

أبى

To refuse

Al-ibâ': intense refusal. Every ibâ' is a refusal, but not every refusal is ibâ'. Allah says: 'Allah refuses all except to perfect His light' (At-Tawb...

12 verses

أجر

Reward / Wage

Al-ajr and al-ujra: the reward for work, whether in this world or the Hereafter. Allah says: 'My reward is only from Allah' (Yûnus: 72), 'We gave him ...

30 verses

أوب

To return / To repent

Al-awb (the return): returning to one's original state. Âba ya'ûbu: he returned. Allah says: 'And the birds assembled, all to Him returning (awwâb)' (...

17 verses

بزغ

To rise (celestial body)

Allah says: 'When he saw the sun rising (bâzighatan)' (Al-An'âm: 78), and: 'When he saw the moon rising (bâzighan)' (Al-An'âm: 77). Al-buzûgh refers t...

2 verses

بعث

To resurrect / To send

Al-ba'th (sending): sending someone or resurrecting them. Allah says: 'It is He who sent you (ba'athakum) on earth' (Al-An'âm: 165). Ba'atha: he resur...

30 verses

بقي

To remain / To dwell

Al-baqâ' (permanence): lasting in time. Opposite of 'fanâ'' (passing away). Baqiya: he remained. Allah says: 'What is with Allah is better and more la...

21 verses

بلغ

To reach / Eloquence

Al-bulûgh (reaching): arriving at a goal. Balagha: he reached. Allah says: 'And when they reach (balaghû) their term' (Al-Baqara: 234). Balîgh: eloque...

30 verses

تلو

To recite / To follow

Talâhu: to follow closely without interruption. This is done sometimes bodily, sometimes by imitation, sometimes by reading. Allah says: 'A reciter (t...

30 verses

توب

Repentance / Return

At-tawba (repentance): returning to Allah by abandoning sin. Tâba: he repented. Allah says: 'And repent (tûbû) to Allah all of you' (An-Nûr: 31). At-T...

30 verses

ثرب

Reproach / Blame

Al-tathrîb: reproach and reminder of sin. Allah says: 'No reproach (lâ tathrîba) upon you today' (Yûsuf: 92). These are Yûsuf's words to his brothers ...

1 verse

جزا

Reward / Punishment

Al-jazâ': sufficiency and compensation. Allah says: 'A father will not compensate (lâ yajzî) for his son' (Luqmân: 33). Al-jazâ' is retribution, good ...

3 verses

حبل

Rope / Bond

Al-habl: the rope, well-known. Allah says: 'Around her neck a rope (habl) of fiber' (Al-Masad: 5). And: 'Hold firmly to the rope (habl) of Allah' (Âl ...

6 verses

حسر

Regret / To bare

Al-hasr: uncovering what is covered. One says 'hasartu 'an al-dhirâ'' (I rolled up from the forearm). Al-hâsir: one without armor. Allah says: 'Withou...

12 verses

حصد

To reap / To harvest

The origin of al-hasd: cutting the harvest. Harvest time is 'hasâd' and 'hisâd'. Allah says: 'And give its due on the day of its harvest (hasâdihi)' (...

6 verses

حنف

Righteousness / Monotheism

Al-hanaf: inclination from misguidance toward righteousness. Al-janaf is the opposite: inclination from righteousness toward misguidance. The hanîf fo...

12 verses

خرب

Ruin / To devastate

One says 'khariba al-makân kharâban' (the place became ruined), the opposite of construction. Allah says: 'They destroy (yukhribûn) their houses with ...

2 verses

خلع

To remove / To set down

Al-khal': the man removes his garment, the horse its cover and halter. Allah says: 'Remove (ikhla') your sandals' (Tâ-Hâ: 12). Moses was ordered to re...

1 verse

دحر

To repel

Al-dahr: repelling and distancing. One says 'daharahu duhûran'. Allah says: 'Get out of here, expelled (madhûran)' (Al-A'râf: 18). Iblis was expelled ...

4 verses

دحض

To refute / To counter

Allah says: 'Their argument is refuted (dâhida) with their Lord' (Ash-Shûrâ: 16). Dâhida: invalidated, refuted, without foundation. Disbelievers' argu...

4 verses

درأ

To repel / To defend

Al-dar': inclination to one side. One says 'qawwamtu dar'a al-'ûd' (I straightened the stick's curve). Al-tadâru' is mutual repelling. Allah says: 'Re...

5 verses

درك

To reach / Bottom

Al-dark is like al-daraj (degrees), but al-daraj is for ascending and al-dark for descending. Allah says: 'Indeed the hypocrites are in the lowest lev...

11 verses

دلك

To rub / To massage

Dulûk al-shams: the sun's inclination toward setting. Allah says: 'Establish prayer at the decline (dulûk) of the sun' (Al-Isrâ': 78). This verse pres...

1 verse

دين

Religion / Faith

One says 'dintu al-rajul' (I took debt from the man). Adantuhu (I lent him). Al-dîn: what must be repaid. Also: religion, obedience. Allah says: 'He i...

30 verses

ذكر

Reminder / Mention

Al-dhikr: sometimes the soul's state by which knowledge is preserved, sometimes mention by heart or tongue. Allah says: 'Remember Me (udhkurûnî), I wi...

30 verses

رتل

To recite distinctly

Al-ratal: harmonious arrangement and order. Allah says: 'And recite (rattil) the Quran distinctly' (Al-Muzzammil: 4). Tartîl is slow, clear and medita...

2 verses

رجع

Return / To come back

Al-rujû': return to where the beginning came from, or to its evaluation. Allah says: 'To Him you will be returned (turja'ûn)' (Al-Baqara: 28). All wil...

30 verses

رشد

Righteousness / Guidance

Al-rashad and al-rushd: the opposite of misguidance. Used like 'hidâya' (guidance). Allah says: 'Perhaps they will be rightly guided (yarshudûn)' (Al-...

19 verses

رفت

Rot / Decomposition

Rafattu al-shay' arfutuhu raftan: I crumbled the thing. Allah says: 'When we are crumbled bones (rufâtan)' (Al-Isrâ': 49). Disbelievers doubted resurr...

2 verses

رفع

To raise / To lift

Al-raf' is said sometimes of placed bodies when elevated, sometimes of ranks. Allah says: 'And We raised (rafa'nâ) for you your reputation' (Ash-Sharh...

29 verses

ركض

To run / To gallop

Al-rakd: striking with foot. When attributed to horse, it's running. When to rider, it's making horse run. Allah says: 'This is not the time to flee (...

3 verses

رم

To rot / To decompose

Al-ramm: repairing a worn thing. Al-rimma: rotten bone. Allah says: 'Who will give life to bones while they are decomposed (ramîm)?' (Yâ-Sîn: 78). All...

2 verses

روم

Rum / Byzantines

Allah says: 'Alif Lâm Mîm. The Romans (al-Rûm) have been defeated' (Ar-Rûm: 1-2). Byzantines were defeated by Persians then won years later, as the Qu...

1 verse

ريع

Rich / Fertile

Al-rî': the elevated place that shows to the viewer. Allah says: 'Do you build on every height (rî') a monument' (Ash-Shu'arâ': 128). The people of 'Â...

1 verse

زج

To repel / To push

Al-zujâj: transparent stone (glass). Unit is 'zujâja'. Allah says: 'The torch is in a glass (zujâja), the glass is like a star' (An-Nûr: 35). Glass sy...

1 verse

زجر

To rebuke / To forbid

Al-zajr: driving away with a cry. One says 'zajartuhu' (I rebuked him). Allah says: 'They denied him and rebuked him (zajara)' (Al-Qamar: 9). Noah was...

5 verses

سبت

Rest / Sabbath

As-sabt originally means to cut. One says: he cut the road, he shaved his hair, he cut off his nose. Then it refers to rest from work. The Sabbath is ...

7 verses

سجل

Register / Parchment

As-sajl: the large bucket. Sajalta al-ma': I poured the water which flowed. The Almighty says: 'We sent upon them stones of layered clay' (Al-Hijr 74)...

4 verses

شبه

Resemblance / Doubt

Ash-shibh, ash-shabah and ash-shabih: their reality is resemblance from a meaning perspective. One says: I resembled him. The Almighty says: 'it appea...

9 verses

شيه

To resemble

Shiyatun: its origin is wishya, this belongs to the chapter of the letter waw. This concludes the book of the letter shin (ش). The distinctive mark on...

1 verse

صخر

Rock / Stone

As-sakhr: the hard stone. The Almighty says: 'Even if it were in a rock' (Luqman 16), illustrating that nothing escapes God. 'The Thamud carved out th...

3 verses

صف

Rank / Row

As-saff: arranging things in a straight line, like people, trees and others. The Almighty says: 'in rows' (As-Saffat 1). 'On couches arranged in rows'...

6 verses

ضاهى

To resemble

The Almighty says: 'They imitate the words of the disbelievers of old' (At-Tawba 30). Al-mudahah: imitation. When Jews and Christians say 'son of God'...

1 verse

ضغن

Rancor / Hatred

Ad-dighn and ad-daghn: intense rancor, plural adghan. The Almighty says: 'Allah will bring out their rancors' (Muhammad 29). The rancor hidden in hypo...

2 verses

طلع

To rise / To appear

Tala'at ash-shams tuluan wa matla'an: the sun rose. The Almighty says: 'Glorify your Lord's praises before sunrise' (Ta-Ha 130). At-tal': the palm clu...

18 verses

طلل

Ruins / Rubble

At-tall: the weakest of rains, one that leaves few traces. The Almighty says: 'If it is not reached by a heavy rain, then a drizzle is sufficient' (Al...

1 verse

طوى

To roll / To wind

Tawaytu ash-shay' tayyan: I folded the thing. It is like folding a scroll. The Almighty says: 'The Day when We will fold the heaven' (Al-Anbiya 104). ...

4 verses

عتب

Reproach / Blame

Al-'atab: every place uncomfortable for one who resides there. From this comes the name for the stair step and door threshold. Al-'itab: reproach. The...

4 verses

عتو

Rebellion / Arrogance

Al-'utuww: resistance to obedience. One says: 'ata ya'tu 'utuwwan wa 'itiyyan. The Almighty says: 'But they defied the command of their Lord' (Al-Haqq...

9 verses

عرف

To recognize / Good

Al-ma'rifa and al-'irfan: perceiving something by reflecting on its traces. It is more specific than knowledge. The Almighty says: 'They recognize All...

30 verses

عقل

Reason / Intelligence

Al-'aql: said of the faculty prepared to receive knowledge, and of the knowledge it acquires. The Almighty says: 'Do you not reason?' (Al-Baqara 44). ...

30 verses