Discover the meaning of the term Su'al (سؤال) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 2 min readAsking of the lower from the higher.
Verbal noun of sa’ala; the hamza of sa’ala yous’alou inverted of a waw, so the hamza of sa’il like kha’if’s; as for as-sa’il in the sense of flowing, its hamza inverted of a ya, likewise the alif of sal from it, as ba’a and ba’i’. The question is summoning knowledge or what leads to it, and summoning wealth or what leads to it. Summoning knowledge has the tongue for answer, the hand its deputy by writing or sign; summoning wealth has the hand for answer, the tongue its deputy by promise or refusal. One says: I questioned him of the thing by a sou’al and a massa’ala. Al-Akhfach said: one says: we went out asking after so-and-so and about him.
Asking of the lower from the higher, so they mentioned it. Ar-Raghib said: the sou’al is summoning knowledge or what leads to it, and wealth or what leads to it; summoning knowledge has the tongue for answer, the hand its deputy by writing or sign; summoning wealth the hand for answer, the tongue its deputy by promise or refusal. The knowledge-question is sometimes for information, sometimes mockery, sometimes informing and alerting the asked, not greed nor learning; the poor man, when asking something, is expressed by as-sa’il permissively, as in « and as for the asker, chide him not » (ad-Douha 10).
Asking of the lower from the higher.
Asking alms. As-sou’l: what you asked; in the mighty Quran: « you have been given your request, O Moussa » (Taha 36).