Discover the meaning of the term Astwa (استوى) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 2 min readIstawa the thing, in istiwa': to become upright and balanced; to become settled and established. In the Noble Book: '... and it (the ark) came to rest (istawat) upon al-Judi' (Hud, 44), that is: it settled thereon; al-Judi is the name of a mountain in the Syrian region (al-Jazirah). Istawa: to become strong and vigorous. In the Noble Quran: 'And when he reached his maturity and became firm (istawa), We gave him judgment and knowledge. Thus do We reward the doers of good' (Al-Qasas, 14); to aim at the thing. In the Noble Revelation: 'He it is who created for you all that is on the earth, then He turned (istawa) to the heaven and fashioned it into seven heavens. And He is Knowing of all things' (Al-Baqarah, 29); istawa upon this, or above it: to rise, mount. In the Noble Quran: 'The Merciful established Himself (istawa) upon the Throne' (Ta-Ha, 5); istawa the food: to ripen; istawa the man: to complete his youth; istawa the two things: to become equivalent. Hence the word of Allah, the Most High: 'Say: are those who know equal to those who do not know? Only the people of understanding remember' (Az-Zumar, 9). Aswa: to make upright and balanced; aswa the thing: to make it even; aswa the thing with another: to make it like it and equivalent to it.