Discover the meaning of the term Al-ʿam (عام) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 4 min readA term coined with a single coinage for an unbounded multitude, embracing all that suits it. His saying 'a single coinage' excludes the equivocal, being as it is by multiple coinages; and 'for a multitude' excludes what is coined for one, such as Zayd and 'Amr; his saying 'unbounded' excludes the number names, for 'hundred', for instance, was coined with a single coinage for a multitude and embraces all that suits it, but its multitude is bounded; his saying 'embracing all that suits it' excludes the scarce plural, such as 'ra'aytu rijalan' (I saw men); for all men are not visible to him; and it is either general by its form and meaning, like rijal, or general by its meaning alone, like al-rahT and al-qawm.
Taken from al-'umum (generality), which is comprehensiveness; one says 'matar 'amm' (general rain) when it covers the places; its counterpart is al-khass (the specific), unlike the mutlaq, for that does not embrace the whole but the undetermined one; and its counterpart is al-muqayyad (the restricted). Among the usulists, regarding the 'amm, there is divergence according to requiring or not requiring all-embracingness; whoever did not require all-embracingness in it defined it as: every expression organizing a set of denominations, comprehensively in wording or in meaning. By 'the expression' is meant the coined, by the context of the divided, and by 'organizing', comprehensiveness, which is a guard against the equivocal, for it does not embrace the two meanings, still less the many meanings, but bears each of the two equally; and his saying 'a set' is a guard against the dual, for it is not general but like the rest of the number names in specificity; and a guard also against requiring all-embracingness, for it is not a condition with most of the usulists; and his saying 'of the denominations' excludes the meanings with the later of our masters. By organizing in wording is meant that its form indicates comprehensiveness, such as the plural forms, like 'zaydun' and 'rijal'; and by organizing in meaning that comprehensiveness is in consideration of the meaning, not the form, like 'man', 'ma', 'al-qawm', 'al-rahT' and their like, for they are general
Derived from al-'umum (generality); it is used in two senses: all-embracingness; and multitude and gathering.
An expression that embraces, with one coinage, all that suits it.
Like sana (the year), but sana is more used of the year of harshness and drought, and 'am of that of plenty, with intensified mim: an expression coined with one coinage for an unbounded multitude embracing all that suits it.
Active participle: that which embraces many individuals. Public. The expression indicating all parts of the essence of its referent. Collective. Al-'amir (with kasra of the mim): active participle in the sense of passive; (plural) 'ummar: the inhabited.
﴿أَوْ كَٱلَّذِى مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍۢ وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّىٰ يُحْىِۦ هَـٰذِهِ ٱللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۖ فَأَمَاتَهُ ٱللَّهُ مِا۟ئَةَ عَامٍۢ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ ۖ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍۢ ۖ قَالَ بَل لَّبِثْتَ مِا۟ئَةَ عَامٍۢ فَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰ طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ ۖ وَٱنظُرْ إِلَىٰ حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ ءَايَةًۭ لِّلنَّاسِ ۖ وَٱنظُرْ إِلَى ٱلْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًۭا ۚ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُۥ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ﴾
« Or [consider such an example] as the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin. He said, "How will Allah bring this to life after its death?" So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years; then He revived him. He said, "How long have you remained?" The man said, "I have remained a day or part of a day." He said, "Rather, you have remained one hundred years. Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time. And look at your donkey; and We will make you a sign for the people. And look at the bones [of this donkey] - how We raise them and then We cover them with flesh." And when it became clear to him, he said, "I know that Allah is over all things competent." »
Surah البقرة : 259
﴿يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ نَجَسٌۭ فَلَا يَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلْمَسْجِدَ ٱلْحَرَامَ بَعْدَ عَامِهِمْ هَـٰذَا ۚ وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ عَيْلَةًۭ فَسَوْفَ يُغْنِيكُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦٓ إِن شَآءَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ﴾
« O you who have believed, indeed the polytheists are unclean, so let them not approach al-Masjid al-Haram after this, their [final] year. And if you fear privation, Allah will enrich you from His bounty if He wills. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Wise. »
Surah التوبة : 28
﴿إِنَّمَا ٱلنَّسِىٓءُ زِيَادَةٌۭ فِى ٱلْكُفْرِ ۖ يُضَلُّ بِهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُحِلُّونَهُۥ عَامًۭا وَيُحَرِّمُونَهُۥ عَامًۭا لِّيُوَاطِـُٔوا۟ عِدَّةَ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ فَيُحِلُّوا۟ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ زُيِّنَ لَهُمْ سُوٓءُ أَعْمَـٰلِهِمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ﴾
« Indeed, the postponing [of restriction within sacred months] is an increase in disbelief by which those who have disbelieved are led [further] astray. They make it lawful one year and unlawful another year to correspond to the number made unlawful by Allah and [thus] make lawful what Allah has made unlawful. Made pleasing to them is the evil of their deeds; and Allah does not guide the disbelieving people. »
Surah التوبة : 37
﴿أَوَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُمْ يُفْتَنُونَ فِى كُلِّ عَامٍۢ مَّرَّةً أَوْ مَرَّتَيْنِ ثُمَّ لَا يَتُوبُونَ وَلَا هُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ﴾
« Do they not see that they are tried every year once or twice but then they do not repent nor do they remember? »
Surah التوبة : 126
﴿ثُمَّ يَأْتِى مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ عَامٌۭ فِيهِ يُغَاثُ ٱلنَّاسُ وَفِيهِ يَعْصِرُونَ﴾
« Then will come after that a year in which the people will be given rain and in which they will press [olives and grapes]." »
Surah يوسف : 49
﴿وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ فَلَبِثَ فِيهِمْ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ عَامًۭا فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱلطُّوفَانُ وَهُمْ ظَـٰلِمُونَ﴾
« And We certainly sent Noah to his people, and he remained among them a thousand years minus fifty years, and the flood seized them while they were wrongdoers. »
Surah العنكبوت : 14
This term appears in 7 verses of the Quran.