Discover the meaning of the term Basar (بصر) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 2 min readThe power lodged in the two hollow nerves that meet then part, reaching the eye, by which lights, colours and shapes are perceived.
A power lodged at the junction of two nerves from the brain’s forepart, hollow, drawing near till they cross crosswise, their cavities becoming one; then parting to the two eyes: the cavity at the junction received the seeing power and is called the meeting of light.
A power lodged in the two hollow nerves that meet then part, reaching the eye, by which come lights, colours and shapes. Abou Soulayman said of the Prophet: « he prayed the prayer of sight, so that a man casting his arrows saw where they fell ».
A power lodged in the two hollow nerves that meet then part, reaching the eye, by which come lights, colours and shapes.
With ba and sad fatha: seeing and looking. The sense of sight. Vision by the eye. Al-bida’: intercourse.
وَلِلَّهِ غَيْبُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَمَآ أَمْرُ ٱلسَّاعَةِ إِلَّا كَلَمْحِ ٱلْبَصَرِ أَوْ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ « And to Allah belongs the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth. And the command for the Hour is not but as a glance of the eye or even nearer. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent. » [Surah النحل : 77]
وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْبَصَرَ وَٱلْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْـُٔولًۭا « And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - about all those [one] will be questioned. » [Surah الإسراء : 36]
أَفَرَءَيْتَ مَنِ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُۥ هَوَىٰهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍۢ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِۦ وَقَلْبِهِۦ وَجَعَلَ عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِۦ غِشَـٰوَةًۭ فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ « Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire, and Allah has sent him astray due to knowledge and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put over his vision a veil? So who will guide him after Allah? Then will you not be reminded? » [Surah الجاثية : 23]
لَّقَدْ كُنتَ فِى غَفْلَةٍۢ مِّنْ هَـٰذَا فَكَشَفْنَا عَنكَ غِطَآءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌۭ « [It will be said], "You were certainly in unmindfulness of this, and We have removed from you your cover, so your sight, this Day, is sharp." » [Surah ق : 22]
مَا زَاغَ ٱلْبَصَرُ وَمَا طَغَىٰ « The sight [of the Prophet] did not swerve, nor did it transgress [its limit]. » [Surah النجم : 17]
وَمَآ أَمْرُنَآ إِلَّا وَٰحِدَةٌۭ كَلَمْحٍۭ بِٱلْبَصَرِ « And Our command is but one, like a glance of the eye. » [Surah القمر : 50]
This term appears in 9 verses of the Quran.