Quran Vocabulary

أيم

Widow / Single

Al-ayyim: the woman without a husband, whether virgin or widow. Tâmat: she became without a husband. Allah says: 'And marry the unmarried (ayâmâ) amon...

1 verse

أين

Where / When

Ayna: an interrogative term about place. Allah says: 'Where (ayna) are those you used to worship?' (Ash-Shu'arâ': 92). 'Wherever (aynamâ) you may be' ...

19 verses

إذا

When / If

Idhâ: used for future time and may contain a conditional meaning. 'Idh' is used for past time. Idhâ is often used for what is certain to occur, unlike...

30 verses

التيه

Wandering / Desert

Al-tîh (bewilderment): one says 'tâha yatîhu' when someone is perplexed and lost. 'Tâha yatûhu' is a dialectal variant. In the story of the Children o...

1 verse

بئر

Well

Al-bi'r (the well): Allah says: 'And an abandoned well and a lofty palace' (Al-Hajj: 45). Its origin is the hamza. One says 'ba'artu bi'ran' (I dug a ...

1 verse

بخس

To wrong / To diminish

Al-bakhs: to diminish something unjustly. Allah says: 'And they will not be wronged therein (lâ yubkhasûn)' (Hûd: 15), and: 'They sold him for a reduc...

7 verses

بذر

To waste / To squander

At-tabdhîr (squandering): scattering wealth uselessly, like scattering seeds. Allah says: 'Do not squander (tubaddhir) wastefully' (Al-Isrâ': 26). Al-...

2 verses

بكي

To weep

Bakâ yabkî bukâ'an wa bukâ: to cry. Al-bukâ' with lengthening: the flow of tears from sadness. Al-bukâ without lengthening: the sound of weeping. Alla...

7 verses

بيض

White / Egg

Al-bayâd (whiteness): the white color. Opposite of 'sawâd' (blackness). Abyad: white. Allah says: 'The day when faces will turn white (tabyadu)' (Âl '...

12 verses

جدر

Wall / Worthy of

Al-jidâr (the wall): like al-hâ'it, except that al-hâ'it evokes the idea of encircling the place, while al-jidâr evokes the idea of height and project...

4 verses

جرح

Wound / Injury

Al-jurh: the trace of blood in the skin, the wound. One says 'jarahahu' (he wounded him). Allah says: 'And what you have earned (jarahtum) by day' (Al...

4 verses

حاق

To wrap / To encircle

Allah says: 'And there enveloped them (hâqa bihim) what they used to mock' (Hûd: 8). Hâqa: to surround, envelop. This verb is used for punishment that...

10 verses

حبك

Woven / Braided

Allah says: 'By the sky with its pathways (dhât al-hubuk)' (Adh-Dhâriyât: 7). Al-hubuk: the paths, traced routes. Some say this refers to the orbits o...

1 verse

حرب

War / Combat

Al-harb (war): well-known. Al-harab: war booty, then all booty is called harb. One says 'harîb' for one who was despoiled. Allah says: 'Know that you ...

11 verses

حطب

Wood / Bundle

Allah says: 'They will be firewood (hatab) for Hell' (Al-Jinn: 15). Hatab: what is prepared to kindle fire. Disbelievers will be Hell's fuel, feeding ...

2 verses

حكم

Wisdom / Judgment

The origin of hakama: to prevent for repair. Hence the horse's bridle is called 'hakama'. Al-hukm: judgment, wisdom. Al-hakîm: the wise. Allah says: '...

30 verses

حيث

Where / Since

Hayth: expression for a vague place explained by the following clause. Allah says: 'And where (haythu) you find them' (Al-Baqara: 191). The place is s...

29 verses

خشب

Wood / Beam

Allah says: 'As if they were propped up logs (khushub)' (Al-Munâfiqûn: 4). Khushub: plural of 'khashaba' (piece of wood). Hypocrites are compared to l...

1 verse

خط

Writing / Line

Al-khatt (line): like the trace, said of what has length. Lines are of several types according to geometers. Allah says: 'You did not trace it (takhut...

1 verse

خمر

Wine / Fermentation

The origin of al-khamr: covering something. The veil (khimâr) is what covers. But al-khamr (wine) is specific to the intoxicating drink from grapes. A...

7 verses

خنس

To withdraw / To go back

Allah says: 'From the evil of the retreating tempter (al-khannâs)' (An-Nâs: 4). Al-khannâs: one who hides and retreats. The devil is khannâs because h...

2 verses

ذيب

Wolf

Al-dhi'b (wolf): the known animal. Its origin is the hamza. Allah says, quoting Joseph's brothers: 'The wolf (al-dhi'b) devoured him' (Yûsuf: 17). The...

1 verse

ربص

To wait / To observe

Al-tarabbush: waiting for something, whether goods awaiting a price, or an awaited event. Allah says: 'Wait (tarabbashû), we are also waiting' (At-Taw...

12 verses

رعن

Weakness / Ineptitude

Allah says: 'Do not say 'râ'inâ'' (Al-Baqara: 104). This word meant 'look at us' but Jews distorted it to insult the Prophet ﷺ. Believers were ordered...

2 verses

رقب

To watch / Neck

Al-raqaba: the name of the known limb (neck). Then used for the entire person. Freeing a slave is 'fakku raqaba'. Allah says: 'Or freeing a slave (raq...

20 verses

رقم

To write / To mark

Al-raqm: thick writing. Also said to be the dotting of writing. Allah says: 'A numbered book (marqum)' (Al-Mutaffifîn: 9). The sinners' book is marked...

3 verses

زبر

Writing / Book

Al-zubra: a large piece of iron. Plural: zubar. Allah says: 'Bring me blocks (zubar) of iron' (Al-Kahf: 96). Dhû al-Qarnayn used iron blocks to build ...

11 verses

زف

Wedding procession

Zaffa al-ibil yaziffu zaffan: camels walked quickly. Allah says: 'They came toward him hastening (yaziffûn)' (As-Sâffât: 94). Ibrahim's people came qu...

1 verse

زمل

To wrap oneself

Al-muzzammil: 'O you who wraps himself' (Al-Muzzammil 1), meaning the one who wraps himself in his garment. This metaphorically expresses withdrawing ...

1 verse

سرد

To weave / Coat of mail

As-sard: sewing what is hard and thick, like weaving chain mail or sewing leather. It is used for stringing pearls or narrating continuously. The Almi...

1 verse

سقى

To water / To give drink

As-saqy and as-suqya: giving someone something to drink. Al-isqa': providing him with water. The Almighty says: 'We give you to drink from what is in ...

24 verses

سلح

Weapon

As-silah: everything with which one fights, plural asliha. The Almighty says: 'Let them take their arms' (An-Nisa 102) concerning the prayer of fear. ...

1 verse

سهر

Wakefulness / Insomnia

As-sahira: it is said to be the surface of the earth, or the land of Resurrection. In reality, it refers to the wakefulness and agitation of the earth...

1 verse

سور

Wall / Enclosure

As-sawr: leaping with height. It is used for anger and drink. One says: the wine went to his head. As-sur: the wall, because it rises. The Almighty sa...

16 verses

سوط

Whip / Punishment

As-sawt: the braided leather with which one strikes. Originally, as-sawt means mixing one thing with another. One says: beating eggs. The Almighty say...

1 verse

شتا

Winter

The Almighty says: 'the journey of winter and summer' (Quraysh 2). One says: the weather became wintry, we wintered. Ash-shita': the cold season. The ...

1 verse

شهد

Witness / Martyr

Ash-shuhud and ash-shahada: presence with observation, either through sight or insight. The Almighty says: 'Allah witnesses that there is no deity exc...

30 verses

صطر

To write / Line

Satara and satara are identical. The Almighty says: 'Are they the controllers?' (At-Tur 37). Al-musaytir: the dominator who controls. The term can be ...

2 verses

صوف

Wool

The Almighty says: 'From their wool, their fur and their hair, furnishings and goods' (An-Nahl 80). As-suf: sheep's wool. Animal fibers are used to ma...

1 verse

ضعف

Weakness

Ad-da'f: the opposite of strength. He became weak and he is weak. The Almighty says: 'Allah created you weak' (Ar-Rum 54). 'Those who are weak' (Al-Ba...

30 verses

عهن

Wool

Al-'ihn: dyed wool. The Almighty says: 'like carded wool' (Al-Qari'a 5). Mountains will become like carded wool on Judgment Day, light and scattered....

2 verses

غرب

West / Stranger

Al-gharb: the setting of the sun. One says: gharabat taghrub gharban wa ghuruban. The Almighty says: 'Lord of the East and the West' (Ash-Shu'ara 28)....

17 verses

غسل

Washing / Ablution

Ghasaltu ash-shay' ghaslan: I poured water on it and removed its dirt. The Almighty says: 'Wash your faces' (Al-Ma'ida 6). 'A bath with cool water' (S...

4 verses

غنى

Wealth / To do without

Al-ghina is said in several ways: absence of needs (this belongs only to God), possession of goods, contentment. The Almighty says: 'Allah is the Rich...

30 verses

فتر

To weaken / To slow down

Al-Futūr refers to calm after intensity, softness after hardness, and weakness after strength. The Almighty says: 'O People of the Scripture, there ha...

3 verses

فجج

Wide path

Al-Fajj refers to a gap between two mountains, and it is used for a wide road. Its plural is fijāj. The Almighty says: 'Through spacious paths' (Al-An...

3 verses

فوم

Wheat / Seeds

Al-Fūm refers to wheat according to most commentators, or garlic according to others. The Almighty says: 'And lentils and onions and fūm (garlic/wheat...

1 verse

قرح

Wound / Injury

Al-Qarḥ and al-qurḥ refer to the wound. The Almighty says: 'If a wound should touch you, a wound similar has touched the people' (Al-'Imran 140). Al-q...

2 verses

قمح

Wheat / Grain

Al-Qamḥ refers to wheat. The Almighty says: 'Their heads are raised' (Ya-Sin 8), meaning they cannot lower their heads, like someone who raises their ...

1 verse

قول

Word / To say

Al-Qawl refers to spoken words. The Almighty says: 'And speak a kind word' (Al-Baqarah 263). Al-qawl as-sadīd is the straight word. The Almighty says:...

30 verses