Discover the meaning of the term Al-nba (نبأ) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 5 min readThe information. Sibawayh said: none of the Arabs refrains from saying 'tanabba'a Musaylima' with hamza; only, they abandoned the hamza in 'al-nabi'', as they abandoned it in 'al-dhariyya', 'al-bariyya', and 'al-khabiyya', except the Meccans, who hamza these three letters and no others, thus differing from the Arabs. Al-Jawhari said: one says 'nab'atu 'ala l-qawm': when you arise upon them; and 'nab'atu min ard ila ard': when you go out from this land to that; and he said: this is the meaning the Bedouin intended by 'ya nab'a Allah', because he had gone out from Mecca to Medina; the hamza was objected to him, for it is not the dialect of Quraysh; this in the hadith whose text is: a man said to him: 'O nab'a Allah', and he replied: 'Do not say (tanbar) by my name; I am only nabi Allah (the Prophet of Allah)'.
'The thing, naba'an or nabu'an': to rise and appear. 'From one land to another': to go out from it to it. 'The man, naba'an': to inform him. In the Quran: 'Inform My servants that I am the Forgiving, the Merciful, and that My punishment is the painful punishment' (al-Hijr 49-50). 'So-and-so the news, or with the news': to inform him. The Arab says to the man he threatens: 'I shall inform you' and 'I shall make you know'. In the Quran: 'So when they took him and agreed to place him in the bottom of the well, We revealed to him: you will inform them of this deed of theirs while they perceive not' (Yusuf 15), that is: you will requite them for it. 'Al-naba'': the information; plural: anba'. According to al-Raghib: it is the information of great benefit, yielding knowledge or predominant opinion; the information worthy of the name 'naba'' must be free of falsehood. 'Al-nubuwwa': the informing on the part of Allah, exalted be He; the hamza changes to waw and merges, hence 'al-nubuwa'. 'Except a report about a thing before its time, out of caution and conjecture'. 'Al-nabi'': the one who informs on behalf of Allah, exalted be He; the hamza changes to ya' and merges, hence 'al-nabi'; plurals: anbiya', anbiya', and anba'. 'The elevated place, rising, bounded'. In usage: one who receives from Allah, exalted be He, a command requiring obligation; if commanded to convey it to others, he is a Messenger, otherwise he is a Prophet without being a Messenger; thus every Messenger is a Prophet, not conversely (Ibn Hajar).
An information of great profit, yielding knowledge or predominant opinion; the word 'naba'' is said of information only if it contains these three things. The information worthy of the name 'naba'' must be free of falsehood, like recurrent information (mutawatir) and the information of Allah and His Messenger. 'Prophecy': the embassy between Allah and His rational servants, to remove their causes of distress in their livelihood and hereafter. 'The Prophet' was so named because he informs (yunbi'u) of that toward which sound intellects incline; and it is sound that he be 'fa'il' in the sense of 'maf'ul', and that he be in the sense of patient (al-Mufradat pp. 481-482).
﴿۞ وَٱتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ ٱبْنَىْ ءَادَمَ بِٱلْحَقِّ إِذْ قَرَّبَا قُرْبَانًۭا فَتُقُبِّلَ مِنْ أَحَدِهِمَا وَلَمْ يُتَقَبَّلْ مِنَ ٱلْـَٔاخَرِ قَالَ لَأَقْتُلَنَّكَ ۖ قَالَ إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾
« And recite to them the story of Adam's two sons, in truth, when they both offered a sacrifice [to Allah], and it was accepted from one of them but was not accepted from the other. Said [the latter], "I will surely kill you." Said [the former], "Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous [who fear Him]. »
Surah المائدة : 27
﴿وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌۭ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَصَبَرُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا كُذِّبُوا۟ وَأُوذُوا۟ حَتَّىٰٓ أَتَىٰهُمْ نَصْرُنَا ۚ وَلَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَكَ مِن نَّبَإِى۟ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ﴾
« And certainly were messengers denied before you, but they were patient over [the effects of] denial, and they were harmed until Our victory came to them. And none can alter the words of Allah. And there has certainly come to you some information about the [previous] messengers. »
Surah الأنعام : 34
﴿لِّكُلِّ نَبَإٍۢ مُّسْتَقَرٌّۭ ۚ وَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ﴾
« For every happening is a finality; and you are going to know. »
Surah الأنعام : 67
﴿وَٱتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ ٱلَّذِىٓ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُ ءَايَـٰتِنَا فَٱنسَلَخَ مِنْهَا فَأَتْبَعَهُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْغَاوِينَ﴾
« And recite to them, [O Muhammad], the news of him to whom we gave [knowledge of] Our signs, but he detached himself from them; so Satan pursued him, and he became of the deviators. »
Surah الأعراف : 175
﴿أَلَمْ يَأْتِهِمْ نَبَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍۢ وَعَادٍۢ وَثَمُودَ وَقَوْمِ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَأَصْحَـٰبِ مَدْيَنَ وَٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَـٰتِ ۚ أَتَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ ۖ فَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ﴾
« Has there not reached them the news of those before them - the people of Noah and [the tribes of] 'Aad and Thamud and the people of Abraham and the companions of Madyan and the towns overturned? Their messengers came to them with clear proofs. And Allah would never have wronged them, but they were wronging themselves. »
Surah التوبة : 70
﴿يَعْتَذِرُونَ إِلَيْكُمْ إِذَا رَجَعْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ ۚ قُل لَّا تَعْتَذِرُوا۟ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكُمْ قَدْ نَبَّأَنَا ٱللَّهُ مِنْ أَخْبَارِكُمْ ۚ وَسَيَرَى ٱللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُۥ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَـٰلِمِ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ﴾
« They will make excuses to you when you have returned to them. Say, "Make no excuse - never will we believe you. Allah has already informed us of your news. And Allah will observe your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger; then you will be taken back to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do." »
Surah التوبة : 94
This term appears in 15 verses of the Quran.