Discover the meaning of the term amin (آمين) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
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A word meaning: O Allah, answer; said at the end of supplication to seek its acceptance, and after reciting the Fatiha in prayer.
When to say it? After supplication, seeking acceptance ; After reciting the Fatiha in prayer
An imperative verbal noun meaning "answer". An-Nawawi said: it is a name instituted for the answering of supplication, and its last letter should be lengthened, for it is like sounds; if vocalized in the middle of speech, the nun takes fatha, like kayfa and ayna. He said: "two readings are reported of it: lengthening and shortening; lengthening is more widespread and purer"; the lengthening follows the pattern (fa'il) like (Yasin), and the shortening the pattern of yamin; the lengthening is the dialect of the tribe of 'Amir, and the shortening that of the Hijaz. He said: the majority said the mim may not be geminated; and al-Wahidi reported its gemination with lengthening, as did al-Qadi 'Iyad and others; it is a strange, weak view not to be heeded. Al-Fayyumi said: it is an ancient illusion refuted by Ibn Jinni and others; al-Wahidi reported from Hamza and al-Kisa'i: lengthening and imala. It is said its meaning is: O Allah, answer; it is said: do so; it is said: let not our hope be disappointed; it is said: otherwise. One also says: amm nan ta'minan. ("az-Zahir fi ghara'ib alfaz ash-Shafi'i" p. 68, "al-Misbah al-Munir" entry (amin) p. 10, "al-Maghrib" p. 29, "Tahrir at-Tanbih" p. 74-75, and "Tahdhib al-Asma wa al-Lughat" of an-Nawawi 3/11, 14).
O Allah, answer; this is the saying of the majority of philologists and jurists. It is instituted in the place of the name of answering according to the grammarians. And 'Atiya al-'Awfi said: amin is a Syriac or Hebrew word, not Arabic. Some scholars geminated the mim, meaning: seeking You; and this is an error on the part of the majority of scholars, for it would tie its meaning to what follows the Fatiha, rendering it as "seeking", as in the noble verse: "and not to frequent the amm of the Sacred House" (al-Ma'ida 2). : Among the names of Allah, the Most High, according to al-Hasan al-Basri, al-Layth, Mujahid and al-Wahidi. An-Nawawi said: this is very weak. Al-amin: the one entrusted with guarding a thing or preserving it; plural: umana. : The strong. : An attribute of Allah, glorified is He.
﴿فَإِنْ حَآجُّوكَ فَقُلْ أَسْلَمْتُ وَجْهِىَ لِلَّهِ وَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَنِ ۗ وَقُل لِّلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْأُمِّيِّـۧنَ ءَأَسْلَمْتُمْ ۚ فَإِنْ أَسْلَمُوا۟ فَقَدِ ٱهْتَدَوا۟ ۖ وَّإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْبَلَـٰغُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بَصِيرٌۢ بِٱلْعِبَادِ﴾
« So if they argue with you, say, "I have submitted myself to Allah [in Islam], and [so have] those who follow me." And say to those who were given the Scripture and [to] the unlearned, "Have you submitted yourselves?" And if they submit [in Islam], they are rightly guided; but if they turn away - then upon you is only the [duty of] notification. And Allah is Seeing of [His] servants. »
Surah آل عمران : 20
﴿۞ وَمِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ مَنْ إِن تَأْمَنْهُ بِقِنطَارٍۢ يُؤَدِّهِۦٓ إِلَيْكَ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ إِن تَأْمَنْهُ بِدِينَارٍۢ لَّا يُؤَدِّهِۦٓ إِلَيْكَ إِلَّا مَا دُمْتَ عَلَيْهِ قَآئِمًۭا ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا۟ لَيْسَ عَلَيْنَا فِى ٱلْأُمِّيِّـۧنَ سَبِيلٌۭ وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾
« And among the People of the Scripture is he who, if you entrust him with a great amount [of wealth], he will return it to you. And among them is he who, if you entrust him with a [single] silver coin, he will not return it to you unless you are constantly standing over him [demanding it]. That is because they say, "There is no blame upon us concerning the unlearned." And they speak untruth about Allah while they know [it]. »
Surah آل عمران : 75
﴿أُبَلِّغُكُمْ رِسَـٰلَـٰتِ رَبِّى وَأَنَا۠ لَكُمْ نَاصِحٌ أَمِينٌ﴾
« I convey to you the messages of my Lord, and I am to you a trustworthy adviser. »
Surah الأعراف : 68
﴿وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱئْتُونِى بِهِۦٓ أَسْتَخْلِصْهُ لِنَفْسِى ۖ فَلَمَّا كَلَّمَهُۥ قَالَ إِنَّكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ لَدَيْنَا مَكِينٌ أَمِينٌۭ﴾
« And the king said, "Bring him to me; I will appoint him exclusively for myself." And when he spoke to him, he said, "Indeed, you are today established [in position] and trusted." »
Surah يوسف : 54
﴿إِنِّى لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌۭ﴾
« Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy messenger. »
Surah الشعراء : 107
﴿إِنِّى لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌۭ﴾
« Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy messenger. »
Surah الشعراء : 125
This term appears in 17 verses of the Quran.