Quran Vocabulary

أله

Alh

Ilâh (deity): what is worshipped. It comes from 'aliha' (to be worshipped) or 'walaha' (to be perplexed), as creatures are perplexed in their knowledg...

30 verses

أمد

Amd

Al-amad and al-abad are close, but abad refers to a duration with no defined limit and cannot be restricted. Amad is a duration with an unknown limit ...

4 verses

باب

Bāb

Al-bâb (the door/gate): designates the entrance of something. Originally, this concerns entrances to places like the gate of the city, the house, the ...

24 verses

بتل

Btl

At-tabtîl: devoting oneself entirely to Allah by cutting off from everything else. Allah says: 'And devote yourself (tabattul) to Him completely' (Al-...

1 verse

بخس

Bkhs

Al-bakhs: to diminish something unjustly. Allah says: 'And they will not be wronged therein (lâ yubkhasûn)' (Hûd: 15), and: 'They sold him for a reduc...

7 verses

بعد

BʿD

Al-bu'd (distance): remoteness in space or time. Ba'îd: far. Allah says: "They have strayed a far (ba'îdan) straying" (An-Nisâ': 136). Ab'ada: he dist...

32 verses

بلس

Bls

Al-iblâs (despair): losing all hope. Ablasa: he despaired. Allah says: 'And that Day the criminals will despair (yublisu)' (Ar-Rûm: 12). Iblîs: the de...

5 verses

تبر

Tbr

Al-tabr: to break and destroy. One says 'tabarahu' and 'tabbarahu'. Allah says: 'And We utterly destroy (nutabbira) what they used to make' (Al-A'râf:...

4 verses

ترب

Trb

At-turâb (dust): fine dry earth. Allah says: 'It is He who created you from dust (turâb)' (Ghâfir: 67). Tariba: he got covered with dust. Atraba: he e...

22 verses

ثور

Thwr

Thâra al-ghubâr (the dust rose): it scattered while rising. One says 'athartuhû' (I raised it). Allah says: 'And raise thereby (fa-atharna) dust' (Al-...

5 verses

ثوى

Thwā

Ath-thawâ' (dwelling): staying in a place. Thawâ: he dwelt. Allah says: 'Hell will be their abode (mathwâ)' (Âl 'Imrân: 151). Al-mathwâ: permanent dwe...

14 verses

جحد

Jḥd

Al-juhûd (denial): denying what one knows. Jahada: he denied. Allah says: 'They denied them (jahadû) while they were certain of them' (An-Naml: 14). J...

12 verses

جدل

Jdl

Al-jadal (debate): arguing strongly. Jâdala: he debated. Allah says: 'And do not argue (tujâdil) on behalf of those who betray themselves' (An-Nisâ': ...

27 verses

جلب

Jlb

The origin of al-jalb: to drive something. One says 'jalabtu jalban' (I drove). Al-jawâlib: what drives. The clamor 'jalaba' is the noise people make ...

2 verses

حاج

Ḥāj

Al-hâja: the need for something with desire. Plural: 'hâj', 'hâjât', 'hawâ'ij'. One says 'hâja yahûju' (he needed). Pilgrimage (hajj) implies intense ...

11 verses

حفر

Ḥfr

Allah says: 'And you were on the edge of a pit (hufra) of fire' (Âl 'Imrân: 103). Al-hufra: the hole dug in the ground, the pit. Arabs before Islam we...

2 verses

حمر

Ḥmr

Al-himâr: the known animal (donkey). Plural: 'hamîr', 'ahmira', 'humur'. Allah says: 'Like frightened donkeys (humur)' (Al-Muddaththir: 50). Disbeliev...

6 verses

خسأ

Khsa

Khasa'tu al-kalb fa-khasa'a: I drove away the dog with contempt and it withdrew. It is repelling with contempt. Allah says: 'Be driven away (ikhsa'û) ...

4 verses

خطأ

Khṭa

Al-khata': deviating from the direction. This includes several types: aiming at other than what is proper, then hitting it or not; aiming at what is p...

20 verses

درك

Drk

Al-dark is like al-daraj (degrees), but al-daraj is for ascending and al-dark for descending. Allah says: 'Indeed the hypocrites are in the lowest lev...

11 verses

درهم

Drhm

Allah says: 'They sold him for a low price, a few dirhams (darâhim)' (Yûsuf: 20). Al-dirham: silver currency. Joseph was sold for a few coins by the c...

1 verse

دمر

Dmr

Allah says: 'We destroyed them (dammarnâhum) completely' (Al-Furqân: 36). Al-tadmîr: total destruction. Allah destroys peoples who reject His messenge...

8 verses

دنر

Dnr

Allah says: 'One who, if you entrust him with a dinar (dînâr)' (Âl 'Imrân: 75). The dînâr is gold currency. The verse distinguishes honest from dishon...

1 verse

دين

Dyn

One says 'dintu al-rajul' (I took debt from the man). Adantuhu (I lent him). Al-dîn: what must be repaid. Also: religion, obedience. Allah says: 'He i...

30 verses

رعن

RʿN

Allah says: 'Do not say 'râ'inâ'' (Al-Baqara: 104). This word meant 'look at us' but Jews distorted it to insult the Prophet ﷺ. Believers were ordered...

2 verses

ريب

Ryb

One says 'râbanî kadhâ' and 'arâbanî' (that made me doubt). Al-rayb: doubt causing worry. Allah says: 'This Book, no doubt (rayb) in it' (Al-Baqara: 2...

30 verses

زجر

Zjr

Al-zajr: driving away with a cry. One says 'zajartuhu' (I rebuked him). Allah says: 'They denied him and rebuked him (zajara)' (Al-Qamar: 9). Noah was...

5 verses

زخرف

Zkhrf

Al-zukhruf: decorated ornament. Hence: gold. Allah says: 'Ornament (zukhruf) of speech' (Al-An'âm: 112). Prophets' enemies inspire each other with dec...

4 verses

زيغ

Zygh

Az-zaygh: deviation from straightness. At-tazayugh: wavering. A man is za'igh, and a group zagha. The Almighty says: 'those in whose hearts is deviati...

8 verses

ساغ

Sāgh

Sagha ash-sharab: the drink passed easily in the throat. Asaghuhu: I made it go down easily for him. The Almighty says: 'palatable for drinkers' (An-N...

3 verses

سحب

Sḥb

As-sahb originally means dragging, like dragging a garment or dragging someone on their face. The Almighty says: 'The Day they are dragged into the Fi...

11 verses

سعد

SʿD

As-sa'd and as-sa'ada: the divine assistance to man to obtain good. It is the opposite of ash-shaqawa (misfortune). The Almighty says: 'As for those w...

2 verses

سنا

Snā

As-sana: the dazzling light. As-sana': elevation in rank. As-saniya: the camel or wheel that draws water from the well. The Almighty says: 'Its lightn...

1 verse

شتت

Shtt

Ash-shatt: dispersing the gathering. One says: their group dispersed, dispersion. The Almighty says: 'in separate groups' (Al-Mu'minun 53). 'They beca...

5 verses

شرذم

Shrdhm

Ash-shirdhima: a detached and isolated group. The Almighty says: 'These are but a small band' (Ash-Shu'ara 54), Pharaoh's words despising the Children...

1 verse

شيط

Shyṭ

Ash-shaytan: the devil, its explanation was mentioned previously in the root 'shatn'. The term refers to every rebellious being among jinn and humans ...

30 verses

صطر

Ṣṭr

Satara and satara are identical. The Almighty says: 'Are they the controllers?' (At-Tur 37). Al-musaytir: the dominator who controls. The term can be ...

2 verses

ضل

Ḍl

Ad-dalal: deviating from the straight path. Its opposite is guidance. The Almighty says: 'Whoever goes astray' (Al-Isra 15). 'And he led them astray' ...

30 verses

عرب

ʿRb

Al-'arab: the descendants of Ishmael. Al-a'rab is originally their plural, then became specific to Bedouins. The Almighty says: 'The Bedouins are more...

22 verses

عسر

ʿSr

Al-'usr: the opposite of ease (al-yusr). The Almighty says: 'With hardship comes ease' (Ash-Sharh 5-6). God promises that every difficulty is accompan...

12 verses

عقم

ʿQm

Originally, al-'uqm: the dryness preventing acceptance of effect. One says: the woman became barren. The Almighty says: 'He makes barren whom He wills...

4 verses

عكف

ʿKf

Al-'ukuf: devoting oneself to something and clinging to it in veneration. The Almighty says: 'They devoted worship to the calf' (Al-A'raf 138). 'When ...

9 verses

عهن

ʿHn

Al-'ihn: dyed wool. The Almighty says: 'like carded wool' (Al-Qari'a 5). Mountains will become like carded wool on Judgment Day, light and scattered....

2 verses

عوج

ʿWj

Al-'awaj: deviation from the state of straightness. One says: I turned the camel by its bridle. The Almighty says: 'There is no crookedness in it' (Al...

9 verses

عيل

ʿYl

The Almighty says: 'And if you fear poverty' (At-Tawba 28), meaning destitution. Al-'ayla: poverty and need. 'Found you in need' (Ad-Duha 8). God enri...

2 verses

غرم

Ghrm

Al-ghurm: what befalls man in his property as damage without his fault, or with fault. The Almighty says: 'Its punishment is permanent' (Al-Furqan 65)...

6 verses

غزل

Ghzl

The Almighty says: 'Do not be like her who undid her thread' (An-Nahl 92). Thread (al-ghazl) is what is spun. The example describes those who break th...

1 verse

غطش

Ghṭsh

The Almighty says: 'He darkened its night' (An-Nazi'at 29), meaning He made it dark. God created dark night for rest and bright day for activity. The ...

1 verse

غور

Ghwr

Al-Ghawr refers to what is depressed or low-lying in the earth. One says: ghāra ar-rajul (the man descended) and aghāra. Ghārat 'aynuhu ghawr means th...

4 verses

غيض

Ghyḍ

Ghāḍa ash-shay' wa ghāḍahu ghayruhu: like naqaṣa (to decrease) and naqaṣahu ghayruhu (someone else decreased it). The Almighty says: 'And the water su...

2 verses