The development of Arabic may roughly be divided into three periods: Classical Arabic, Post-classical Arabic and Modern Arabic. The classical period lasts until about the end of the first century AH, after which the enormous conversion rate to Islam amongst non-Arabs and the expansion of the Muslim empire all but wiped out the pristine […]
Imperfect يَصِلُ Verbal Noun وَصْل
فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَائِهِمْ فَلَا يَصِلُ إِلَى اللَّهِ And the share of their partners reacheth not God - Quran: 6:136
الصراع في سوريا وصل إلى طريق مسدود The conflict in Syria has reached a deadlock - BBC News, Arabic
وَصَلَ can also mean to join family ties or to connect.
Plural مَشَاكِل
بروكسل تناشد دول الاتحاد الأوروبي معالجة مشكلة التطرف Brussels calls on EU member states to address the problem of extremism – BBC News, Arabic
مُشْكِلَة is related to the word شَكْل a likeness, resemblance. It is from the 4th form […]
Imperfect يَصِيْرُ
Verbal Noun صَيْرُورَة
أَلَا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَصِيرُ الْأُمُورُ Behold (how) all affairs reach God! – Quran: 42:53
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: إِذَا صَارَ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَصَارَ أَهْلُ النَّارِ إِلَى النَّارِ أُتِيَ بِالْمَوْتِ […]
Plural أَمْكِنَة
وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ مَرْيَمَ إِذِ انتَبَذَتْ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا مَكَانًا شَرْقِيًّا And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a place looking East – Quran: 19:16
بَدَأَ بِمُقَدَّمِ رَأْسِهِ, حَتَّى ذَهَبَ بِهِمَا إِلَى قَفَاهُ, ثُمَّ […]
وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَاءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا And remember God’s favour unto you: How ye were enemies and He made friendship between your hearts so that ye became as brothers by His grace – Quran 3:103
وعن عبيد الله […]
عن عائشة، رضي الله عنها ، قالت: ما شبع آل محمد، صلى الله عليه وسلم ، منذ قدم المدينة من طعام البر ثلاث ليال تباعاً حتى قبض On the authority of Aishah, she said ‘Never did the family of Muhammad, God bless him and grant […]
Plural أَطْفالٌ
نُقِرُّ فِي الْأَرْحَامِ مَا نَشَاءُ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا And We cause what We will to remain in the wombs for an appointed time, and afterward We bring you forth as infants – Quran: 22:5
عَنِ الْمُغِيرَةَ بْنَ شُعْبَةَ، قال […]
Plural كَلِمَاتٌ
إِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَا مَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكِ بِكَلِمَةٍ مِّنْهُ Behold! the angels said: “O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him – Quran: 3:45
عن أبي هريرة، رضي الله عنه، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال: […]
Imperfect يَبْدَأُ
Verbal Noun بَدْأً
فَبَدَأَ بِأَوْعِيَتِهِمْ قَبْلَ وِعَاءِ أَخِيهِ So he began with their baggage, before the baggage of his brother – Quran: 12:66
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، في صِفَةِ وُضُوءِ رَسُولِ اللهِ، بَدَأَ بِمُقَدَّمِ رَأْسِهِ، حَتَّى ذَهَبَ بِهِمَا إِلَى […]
Plural وُجُوه
قَدْ نَرَىٰ تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ We have seen the turning of your face to heaven – Quran 2:144
عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ الضَّرْبِ فِي الْوَجْهِ وَعَنِ الْوَسْمِ فِي الْوَجْهِ On the authority of Jabir, that […]
Plural أَدْوَار
كان عطاء يكره أن يقول : دور ، قل طواف Ataa’ used to dislike that (person say) “a round”, (rather he should) say “tawaf (a circuit)” – Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq
ما هو دور نساء الإخوان المسلمين بعد عزل مرسي What is the […]
Plural أَوضَاع
الأمم المتحدة قلقة من وضع المحاصرين في سوريا United Nations concerned about the condition of the besieged in Syria – BBC News, Arabic
In Classical Arabic, وَضَعَ means to put, place, and so the verbal noun وَضْعٌ means placing, putting, […]
Plural حُرُوب
كُلّمَا أَوْقَدُوا نَارًا لّلْحَرْبِ أَطْفَأَهَا اللّهُ Every time they kindle the fire of war, God doth extinguish it – Quran: 5:64
عن أبي سفيان بن حرب أن هرقل قال له : سألتك كيف كان قتالكم إياه ؟ ، فزعمت أن الحرب سجال […]
وَيَسْتَنبِئُونَكَ أَحَقّ هُوَ قُلْ إِي وَرَبّي إِنّهُ لَحَقّ وَمَا أَنتُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ They seek to be informed by thee: “Is that true?” Say: “Aye! by my Lord! it is the very truth! and ye cannot frustrate it!” – Quran: 10:53
أرسل عمر إلى عائشة : […]
Plural أُمَّهَات
وَإِذْ قَالَ اللّهُ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ أَأَنتَ قُلْتَ لِلنّاسِ اتّخِذُونِي وَأُمّي إِلَٰهَيْنِ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ And behold! God will say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, ‘Worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of […]
There are six patterns of the simple Arabic verb – here’s how to avoid getting them mixed up!
Transcript
Hello and welcome to another ‘Language Learner Friday. We are going to be looking at a mnemonic technique that I use to memorise the voweling in Arabic verbs. So, here we […]
Organizing and regularly going over a large amount of vocabulary when learning a foreign language can be intensely time consuming, and intensely boring. Anki is a really neat program, that helps you spread out your learning, and focus on stuff that you keep getting wrong.
Transcript
Hello […]
Plural: بَرَامِج
برنامج التنصت “أحبط أكثر من 50 مخططا إرهابيا” Eavesdropping program “foiled more than 50 terrorist plots” – BBC News, Arabic
Just like the famous grammarian Sibawayhi called his seminal book on Arabic grammar simply الكِتَاب The Book, so one of the […]
أُولَٰئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ These are as the cattle – nay, but they are worse – Quran 7:179
عن ابن عمر ، قال : قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لنا لما رجع من الأحزاب : ” لا يصلين أحد العصر إلا في […]
أَتُتْرَكُونَ فِي مَا هَاهُنَا آمِنِين Will you be left secure, in (the enjoyment of) all that ye have here? – Quran 26:146
عن أبي هريرة ، أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : ” هل ترون قبلتي ها هنا ، فوالله ما […]
Plurals: أَشْهُرٌ ، شُهُور
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لّلنّاسِ وَبَيّنَاتٍ مّنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the Criterion (of right and wrong) – Quran […]
Plural: أَحْوَال
عن أبي هريرة ، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، قال : إذا عطس أحدكم فليقل الحمد لله على كل حال ، وليقل أخوه أو صاحبه يرحمك الله ، ويقول هو يهديكم الله ويصلح بالكم On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, that […]
وتسببت أعمال العنف في كراتشي في مقتل ألفي شخص خلال العام الماضي فقط، ويشكل هذا رقما قياسيا بالنسبة إلى السنوات العشرين الماضية. And violence in Karachi has resulted in the death of two thousand people last year alone, which is a record in comparison […]
Imperfect يَسْمَع
Verbal nouns سَمْع ، سَمَاع ، سَمَاعَة
قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا وَأُشْرِبُوا فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِم They said: “We hear, and we disobey;” And they had to drink into their hearts (of the taint) of the calf because of their Faithlessness – Quran 2:93
عن […]
Associated verb: to be ahead, lead (s) أَمّ
بَلْ يُرِيدُ الْإِنسَانُ لِيَفْجُرَ أَمَامَه But man wishes to do wrong (even) in the time in front of him – Quran 75:5
عن سالم ، عن أبيه ، قال : رأيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأبا […]
Plural: أَصْوَات
يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتّبِعُونَ الدّاعِيَ لَا عِوَجَ لَهُ وَخَشَعَتِ الْأَصْوَاتُ لِلرّحْمنِ فَلَا تَسْمَعُ إِلا هَمْسًا On that day they follow the summoner who deceiveth not, and voices are hushed for the Beneficent, and thou hearest but a faint murmur – Quran, […]
Plural: مَشَارِيْع
بي بي سي تتخلى عن مشروع رقمي كلفها 100 مليون جنيه استرليني The BBC abandons a digital project which cost it 100 million pounds sterling – BBC News, Arabic
The verb […]
Plural: أَيْدٍ
بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ إِنّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلّ شَيْءٍ قَدِير In Thy hand is all good. Verily, over all things Thou hast power. – Quran, 3:26
عن ابن عباس قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : يد الله […]
Associated verb: to be good, pleasant, nice طَاب
يَا أَيّهَا النّاسُ كُلُوا مِمّا فِي الْأَرْضِ حَلَالًا طَيّبًا O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and wholesome in the earth – Quran, 2:168
عن أبي هريرة ، قال : قال رسول […]
قال أبو عبد الله : وبين النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أن فرض الوضوء مرة مرة ، وتوضأ أيضا مرتين وثلاثا ، ولم يزد على ثلاث Abu Abdullah said, “The Prophet, God bless him and grant him peace, made clear that […]
Plural مُدُن
عن بريدة قال : سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول : ستكون بعدي بعوث كثيرة ، فكونوا في بعث خراسان ، ثم انزلوا مدينة مرو ؛ فإنه بناها ذو القرنين ، ودعا لها بالبركة ، […]
Associated verb: to be good خار
وَمَا تُقَدّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُم مّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ الله And whatever good you send forth for your souls before you, ye shall find it with God – Quran, 2:110
عن عبد الله بن عمرو رضي الله عنهما […]
Imperfect يَجِد
Verbal noun وُجُود
وَمَا تُقَدّمُوا لِأَنفُسِكُم مّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ الله And whatever good you send forth for your souls before you, you shall find it with God – Quran, 2:110
عن أبي ذر الغفاري رضي الله عنه عن النبي صلى […]
Imperfect يَعْنِي
Verbal noun عِنَايَة
قال ابن عباس ، حدثني أبو سفيان ، في حديث هرقل ، فقال : يأمرنا يعني النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : ” بالصلاة والصدق والعفاف ” Ibn Abbas said, Abu […]
Imperfect يَعْمَل
Verbal noun عَمَل
وَبَشّرِ الّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصّالِحَاتِ أَنّ لَهُمْ جَنّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which rivers flow – Quran, 2:25
عن عائشة […]
Associated noun: adjacent, lateral part (of s) حَوْلٌ
قَالَ لِمَنْ حَوْلَهُ أَلَا تَسْتَمِعُونَ (Pharaoh) said unto those around him: Hear ye not? – Quran, 26:25
عن أنس رضي الله عنه ، قال : جعل المهاجرون والأنصار يحفرون الخندق حول المدينة ، […]
يَا صَاحِبَيِ السّجْنِ أَمّا أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِي رَبّهُ خَمْرًا وَأَمّا الآخَرُ فَيُصْلَبُ فَتَأْكُلُ الطّيْرُ مِن رّأْسِهِ قُضِيَ الأَمْرُ الّذِي فِيهِ تَسْتَفْتِيَان “O two companions of the prison! As for one of you, he (as a servant) will pour out wine […]
Associated verb to do عَمِل
كيري يعود الى الشرق الاوسط لبحث عملية السلام والملف السوري Kerry returns to the Middle East to discuss the peace process and the Syrian case – BBC News, Arabic
Plural أَشْكال
وَآخَرُ مِن شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَاج And other torments of similar kind, all together! – Quran, 38:58
كان أبو الدرداء رضي الله عنه ، إذا حدث بحديث عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : هذا : أو نحوه ، […]
Plurals أَعْيُن ، عُيُون
ثُمّ لَتَرَوُنّهَا عَيْنَ الْيَقِين And again, you shall see it with certainty of sight! – Quran, 102:7
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ ، قال : قال رَسُولُ الله صَلّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلّمَ : قالَ الله أَعْدَدْتُ […]
إِنّ الّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُون Verily, those who disbelieve, it is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe – Quran, 2:6
عَنْ عائِشَةَ […]
Verbal noun إرادة
إِنّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْئًا أَن يَقُولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُون Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, “Be!” and it is! – Quran, 36:82
عَنْ عائِشَةَ ، قَالَتْ : كانَ […]
Associated noun a time, season آنٌ
Associated verb to be time (for) آن (يئِيْن) – أينا
وَأَنّا كُنّا نَقْعُدُ مِنْهَا مَقَاعِدَ لِلسّمْعِ فَمَن يَسْتَمِعِ الآنَ يَجِدْ لَهُ شِهَابًا رّصَدًا ‘And verily, we used to sit there in stations, to (steal) a hearing, but any who listens […]
Imperfect يَشَاء
Verbal noun مَشِيْئَة
قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبّكَ يُبَيّن لّنَا مَا هِيَ إِنّ الْبَقَرَ تَشَابَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنّا إِن شَاءَ اللهُ لَمُهْتَدُون They said, “Call upon your Lord for us to make plain to us what it is. Verily to us all cows […]
Imperfect يَعُود
Verbal noun عَودَة
وَالْقَمَرَ قَدّرْنَاهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتّى عَادَ كَالْعُرْجُونِ الْقَدِيم And for the moon We have appointed mansions till she return like an old shrivelled palm-leaf. – Quran, 36:39
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مالِكٍ رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ ، عَنِ النّبِيّ صَلّى الله […]
Associated verb to collect, unite s. شَعَبَ (يَشْعَبُ) ه – شَعْبًا
Plural شُعُوب
يَا أَيّهَا النّاسُ إِنّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ الله أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنّ الله عَلِيمٌ خَبِير O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and […]
Associated noun: دَولة
قَالَ مُنَظّمُو مُؤْتَمَرٍ دُوَلِيّ يُرَوّجُ لِلنّشَاطِ فِي مَرْحَلَةِ الشّيْخُوخَةِ إِنّ الْمُسِنّيْنَ فِي السّبْعِينِيّاتِ مِنَ الْعُمَرِ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَتَشَجّعُوا على مُمارَسَةِ الرّيَاضَة Organizers of an international conference promoting activity in the aging say that older people in the seventies should be encouraged to exercise – BBC News, Arabic
Associated verb: صَوّرَ ه to form, paint, picture s.
Plural: صُوَر
فِي أَيّ صُورَةٍ مّا شَاءَ رَكّبَك In whatever form He wills, does He put you together – Quran, 82:8
عَنْ جَابِرٍ قَال : نَهَى رَسُولُ الله صَلّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلّمَ عَنِ الصّورَةِ فِي الْبَيْتِ ، وَنَهَى عَنْ أَنْ يُصْنَعَ […]
Associated verb: عَدّ (يَعُدّ) ه – عَدّا to count s.
Plural: أَعْدَاد
فَضَرَبْنَا عَلَى آذَانِهِمْ فِي الْكَهْفِ سِنِينَ عَدَدًا Then We sealed up their hearing in the Cave for a number of years – Quran, 18:11
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ ، أَنّ النّبِيّ صَلّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلّمَ ، […]
Associated verb: شَرِكَ (يَشْرَكُ) ه في – شِرْكَة to share with s. in s.
Plural: شَرِكَات
عَن مُحَمّد بْنِ سِيْرِين : أَنّ بِلالا أَخَذَهُ أَهْلُهُ فَمَطّوهُ وأَلْقَوا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْبَطْحاءِ وَجِلْدِ بَقَرَةٍ ، فَجَعَلُوا يَقُولُونَ : رَبّكَ اللاّتُ وَالْعُزّى ، وَيَقُولُ : أَحَدٌ أَحَدٌ ، قَالَ : فَأَتَى عَلَيْهِ […]
Associated verb: سَبّب ه to cause s
Plural: أَسْبَاب
أَمْ لَهُم مُلْكُ السّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فَلْيَرْتَقُوا فِي الأَسْبَاب Or is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them theirs? Then let them ascend by ropes! – Quran, 38:10
عَنْ حَبِيبِ بْنِ حِمَازٍ […]
Associated verb: أَرُضَ (يَأْرُضُ) – أَرَاضَة to be thriving (said of land); to be humble, of a good disposition (said of a person)
Plurals: أَرَاضٍ ، أَرْضُوْنَ
الله الّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ وَمِنَ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنّ يَتَنَزّلُ الْأَمْرُ بَيْنَهُنّ لِتَعْلَمُوا أَنّ الله عَلَى كُلّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ وَأَنّ الله […]
Associated verb: طَرَقَ (يَطْرُقُ) ه – طَرْقًا
Plural: طُرُق
قَالُوا يَا قَوْمَنَا إِنّا سَمِعْنَا كِتَابًا أُنزِلَ مِن بَعْدِ مُوسَى مُصَدّقًا لّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْحَقّ وَإِلَى طَرِيقٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ They said: O our people! Lo! we have heard a scripture which hath been revealed after Moses, confirming that which […]
Singulars: إِنْسٌ ، إِنْسَانٌ
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبّ النّاسِ. مَلِكِ النّاسِ. إِلَٰهِ النّاس Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, The King of mankind, The god of mankind. – Quran, 114:1-3
عَنْ أُمّ سَلَمَةَ صَلّى النّبِيّ صَلّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلّمَ بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَقَالَ : شَغَلَنِي نَاسٌ مِنْ […]
Associated adjective: رَائِح
وَلِسُلَيْمَانَ الرّيحَ غُدُوّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْر And unto Solomon (We gave) the wind, whereof the morning course was a month’s journey and the evening course a month’s journey; – Quran, 34:12
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ : أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلّى […]
Practice your spoken Arabic with Harry Potter : )
Plural: قُلُوب
Associated verb: to invert, turn s. upside-down قَلَب (يَقْلِب) ه – قَلْبًا
مَا أَصَابَ مِن مُصِيبَةٍ إلا بِإِذْنِ الله وَمَن يُؤْمِن بالله يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ وَاللهُ بِكُلّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ No kind of calamity can occur, except by the leave of God: and if any one believes in […]
Plural: سَاسَة
Associated verb: to rule (a people), to manage (an affair) سَاسَ (يَسُوسُ) ه – سِيَاسَةً
عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطّابِ قَالَ : قَدْ عَلِمْتَ وَرَبّ الْكَعْبَةِ مَتَى تُهْلَكُ الْعَرَبُ إِذا سَاسَ أَمْرَهُمْ مَنْ لَمْ يَصْحَبِ الرّسُولَ وَلَمْ يُعَالِجْ أَمْرَ الْجَاهِلِيّة On the authority of Umar b. Khattab, […]
Associated verb: to be low, vile دَانَ (يَدُونُ) – دَوْنًا
أَئِفْكًا آلِهَةً دُونَ الله تُرِيدُونَ Is it a falsehood – gods beside God – that ye desire? – Quran, 37:86
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيّ قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ الله صَلّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلّمَ : بَيْنَا أَنَا نَائِمٌ ، رَأَيْتُ النّاسَ […]
Plurals: بُيُوْت
Associated verb: to spend the night in the company of بَاتَ (يَبِيْتُ) بِ – بَيْتُوْتَة
إِنَّ أَوّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنّاسِ لَلّذِي بِبَكّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِلْعَالَمِينَ The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka: Full of blessing and of guidance for all kinds of beings: […]
Plural: حُكُوْمَات
Associated verb: to rule over s. (e.g. a country) حَكَمَ (يَحْكُمُ) ه – حُكْمًا
عَنِ الْقاسِمِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرّحْمنِ ، عَنْ أَبِيْهِ ، أَنّ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ قَالَ : لا تَأْخُذْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ حُكُومَةِ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ أَجْرًا On the authority of Qasim b. Abd al-Rahman, […]
Associated adjective: standing قَائِم
إِنّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ الله وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصّلاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَى يُرَاءُونَ النّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ الله إلا قَلِيلًا Lo! the hypocrites seek to beguile God, but it is He Who beguileth them. When they stand up to worship they perform […]
Plural: مَجَالِس
Associated verb: to sit جَلَسَ (يَجْلِسُ) – جُلُوْسًا
يَا أَيّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ تَفَسّحُوا فِي الْمَجَالِسِ فَافْسَحُوا يَفْسَحِ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ O ye who believe! When ye are told to make room in the assemblies, (spread out and) make room: (ample) room will God […]
Plural: بُلْدَان
Associated verb: to remain, stay in (a town, country) بَلَد (يَبْلِد) ب – بُلُوْدًا
لا أُقْسِمُ بِهذَا الْبَلَدِ I swear by this city – Quran, 90:1
عَنِ أَنَسِ بْنِ مالِكٍ رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ ، عَنِ النّبِيّ صَلّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلّمَ ، قال : لَيْسَ مِنْ بَلَدٍ […]
Plural: أَوْقَات
Associated verb: to set, determine a time for s. وَقَت (يَقِتُ) ه – وقْتًا
إِلَى يَوْمِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ Till the Day of the Time appointed – Quran, 15:38
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مالِكٍ رَضِيَ الله عَنْهُ ، قال : كانَ النّبِيّ صَلّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلّمَ إِذا ارْتَحَلَ قَبْلَ […]
Plural: وُزَرَاء
Associated verb: to to become the minister for وَزَرَ (يزِرُ) لِ – وَزَارَة
وَاجْعَل لِي وَزِيرًا مِنْ أَهْلِي And appoint for me a minister from my family – Quran, 20:29
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ : قَالَ رَسُولُ الله صَلّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلّمَ : إِذَا أَرادَ الله بِالأَمِيْرِ خَيْرًا […]
Plural: مَوَاضِيْع
Associated verb: to put, place s. وَضَعَ (يَضَعُ) ه – وَضْعًا
فِيفَا يَبْحَثُ قَرِيْبًا مَوْضُوعَ السّمَاحِ بِإِجْرَاءِ الْمُبارَياتِ الدّوْلِيّةِ فِي الْعِرَاقFIFA will soon look into the subject of allowing international matches in Iraq – BBC Sport, Arabic
مَوضُوْع is the passive participle from the verb وَضَع to […]
Associated verb: to be alive حَيّ (يَحْيَا) – حَيَاة
Associated adjective: alive | PL حَيّ | أَحْيَاء
وَلَتَجِدَنّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ النّاسِ عَلَى حَيَاةٍ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا And thou wilt find them greediest of mankind for life and (greedier) than the idolaters. – Quran, 2:96
عَنْ أَبِي بُرْدَةَ بْنِ […]
Plurals: عَالَمُوْنَ ، عَوَالِم
Associated verb: to know s. عَلِمَ (يَعْلَمُ) ه -عِلْمًا
الْحَمْدُ لله رَبّ الْعَالَمِين Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds,. – Quran, 1:2
عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللهِ بْنِ أَبِيْ جَعْفَرَ قَالَ : قِيْلَ لِعِيْسى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ صَلَوَاتُ الله عَلَيْهِ : يا رُوحَ اللهِ […]
Active participle: possible مُمْكِنٌ
وَإِن يُرِيدُوا خِيَانَتَكَ فَقَدْ خَانُوا الله مِن قَبْلُ فَأَمْكَنَ مِنْهُمْ وَالله عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ And if they would betray thee, they betrayed God before, and He gave (thee) power over them. God is Knower, Wise. – Quran, 8:71
وَأَمَّا مَالِكٌ : …فَكَانَ يُقَامُ […]
Associated verbs: to be universal, general عَمّ (يَعُمّ) – عُمُوْمًا , to include, encompass s. عَمّ (يَعُمّ) – عَمّا
عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله ، أَنّ النّبِيّ صَلّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلّمَ قَالَ : أَمْسِكُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيْكُمْ فِي الْبُيُوتِ عِنْدَ فَوْرَةِ الْعِشَاءِ الأُولَى ، فَإِنّ فِيْها […]
I got very nice email from a sister who requested that, if possible, the Word of the Day emails be focused more or less solely on Classical Arabic, as that was what she was primarily interested in. I’m sharing the answer I gave her below (a little edited) for others who have similar queries:
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Thank […]
Plural أَمْثَالٌ
Associated verb: to resemble, imitate s. مَثَلَ (يَمْثُلُ) ه – مُثُوْلا
وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا قَالُوا قَدْ سَمِعْنَا لَوْ نَشَاءُ لَقُلْنَا مِثْلَ هَٰذَا إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوّلِينَ And when Our revelations are recited unto them they say: We have heard. If we wish we can […]
Plurals حُقُوْقٌ ، حِقَاقٌ
Associated verb: to be true, established, necessary حَقّ (يَحُقّ ، يَحِقّ) – حَقّة ، حَقّا ، حُقُوْقًا
إِنّ ذلِكَ لَحَقّ تَخَاصُمُ أَهْلِ النّارِ Indeed, that is truth – the quarrelling of the people of the Fire. – Quran, 38:64
عَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ ، […]
Plural مَنَاطِقُ
Associated verb: to gird o.s., put on a belt تَنَطّقَ
السُّودانُ يَقْبَلُ إِقامَةَ مِنْطَقَةٍ مَنْزُوْعَةِ السّلاحِ Sudan accepts the establishment of a demilitarized zone – Al-Jazeera
أَزْمَةُ الدّيُونِ فِي مِنْطَقَةِ الْيُورُو تَتَصَدّرُ أَوْلَوِيّاتِ قِمَةِ مَجْمُوعَةِ الثّمَانِيْ The debt crisis in the Euro zone tops […]
Associated verb: to gather s. جَمَعَ (يَجْمَعُ) ه – جَمْعًا
إِنْ كَانَتْ إِلاّ صَيْحَةً وَاحِدَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ جَمِيعٌ لَدَيْنَا مُحْضَرُونَ
It is but one Shout, and behold all of them are brought together before Us! – Quran, 36:53
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، عَنِ النّبِيّ صَلّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلّمَ ، قالَ […]
Plural آبَاءٌ
Associated verb: to become a father to s., bring up s. أَبَا (يَأْبُوْ) ه – أُبُوّةً
قَالُوا يَا أَيّهَا الْعَزِيزُ إِنّ لَهُ أَبًا شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا فَخُذْ أَحَدَنَا مَكَانَهُ إِنَا نَرَاكَ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ They said: O ruler of the land! Lo! he hath a very aged father, […]
1 – الْهَوَى (hawa) = Attraction
This is the beginning of love. The root verb هَوَى is used to describe wind, meaning to blow, suggesting that this love can arise suddenly, but is transient, not yet firm in the heart. The verb also means both to rise and to fall, indicating the unstable nature […]
Imperfect يَرَى
Verbal nouns رُؤْيَةً ، رِيّةً ، رَآءَةً ، رَايَةً ، رِئْيَانًا
فَلَمّا جَنّ عَلَيْهِ اللّيْلُ رَأَىٰ كَوْكَبًا قَالَ هذَا رَبّي فَلَمّا أَفَلَ قَالَ لا أُحِبّ الآفِلِينَ When the night grew dark upon him he saw a star. He said: This is my Lord. But […]
Plurals مَرّاتٌ ، مِرَارٌ ، مِرَرٌ ، مَرّ
Associated adverb: once مَرّةً
Associated verb: to pass [time, an affair, a person] مَرّ (يَمُرّ) – مُرُوْرًا ، مَمَرّا
أَوَلا يَرَوْنَ أَنّهُمْ يُفْتَنُونَ فِي كُلّ عَامٍ مَرّةً أَوْ مَرّتَيْنِ ثُمّ لا يَتُوبُونَ وَلَا هُمْ يَذّكّرُونَ See they not […]
Plural قُوًى
Associated verb: to be strong قَوِيَ (يَقْوَى) – قُوّةً
قَالَ لَوْ أَنّ لِي بِكُمْ قُوّةً أَوْ آوِي إِلَىٰ رُكْنٍ شَدِيدٍ He said: Would that I had strength to resist you or had some strong support (among you)! – Quran, 11:80
عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ ، […]
Plural أُمُوْر
وَإِذَا جَاءَهُمْ أَمْرٌ مِنَ الأَمْنِ أَوِ الْخَوْفِ أَذَاعُوا بِهِ – الآية And if any matter concerning safety or fear come unto them, they noise it abroad – Quran, 4:83
عَن حُمَيْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرّحْمنِ قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ مُعاوِيَةَ خَطِيْبًا يَقُولُ : سَمِعْتُ النّبِيّ صَلّى […]
Plurals إِخْوَةٌ ، إِخْوَانٌ
Associated verb: to be a brother, companion to s. أَخَا (يَأْخُو) ه – أُخُوّة
قَالُوا إِن يَسْرِقْ فَقَدْ سَرَقَ أَخٌ لَهُ مِن قَبْلُThey said, “If he steals – a brother of his has stolen before.” – Quran, 12:77
عَنْ أَنَسٍ قال : كانَ النّبِيّ […]
Plural رِجَالٌ
وَجَاءَ مِنْ أَقْصَى الْمَدِينَةِ رَجُلٌ يَسْعَىٰ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اتّبِعُوا الْمُرْسَلِينَ And there came from the uttermost part of the city a man running. He cried: O my people! Follow those who have been sent! – Quran, 36:20
عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله قَالَ : مَرّ […]
Plural أَعْوَام
Associated verb: to swim; to course along (stars, a ship, a caravan) عَامَ (يَعُوْمُ) – عَوْمًا
ثُمّ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِ ذلِكَ عَامٌ فِيهِ يُغَاثُ النّاسُ وَفِيهِ يَعْصِرُونَ Then, after that, will come a year when the people will have plenteous crops and when they will press […]
Plurals أَجِدّة ، جُدَدٌ ، جُدُدٌ
Associated verb: to be new جَدّ (يَجِدّ) – جِدّةً
إِنْ يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَأْتِ بِخَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ If He will, He can be rid of you and bring (instead of you) some new creation – Quran, 35:16
عَنْ يَزِيْدِ بِنْ ثابِتٍ : خَرَجْنا مَعَ النّبِيّ صَلّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلّمَ ، […]
جَرِضَ (jarida) (imperfect يَجْرَضُ , verbal noun جَرَضٌ ) means to gulp, when occasioned by a state of anxiety or grief. It is usually followed up immediately by بِرِيْقِهِ with his spittle. Someone who does this is referred to as جَرِيْض (jareed). Like many verbs of the form فَعِلَ , […]
There are a number of derived verbs from the roots letters ت ب ع , which all roughly mean to follow, but each with its own nuance. So تَبِعَ (tabi’a) (imperfect: يَتْبَعُ , verbal noun تَبَعًا ) means to follow, in the sense of walking with someone or behind someone, […]
The verb بَتَّ (batta) means to cut off, sever something. The verbal noun from this is بَتٌّ . In negative sentences, this verbal noun is used with an الْ attached to it, and also a ة (which is being used here, as in many other Arabic words, for emphasis, e.g. […]
سَرَابٌ (saraab) is a mirage. It’s from the verb سَرِبَ (imperfect: يَسْرَبُ , verbal noun: سَرَبٌ ) to flow on the surface of the ground (said of water). The Arabs have a saying: أَخْدَعُ مِنَ السَّرَابِ more deceitful than a mirage. This is often contrasted with the word آلٌ (aal); although […]
عَالٍ is the active participle of the verb عَلا (imperfect: يَعْلُو , verbal noun: عُلُوٌّ ), meaning to be high, lofty; as it is from a defective verb, the active participle عَالٍ is a defective noun (i.e. اِسْمٌ مَنْقُوصٌ ), meaning high, lofty. It has the same meaning as عَلِيٌّ , […]
غَنَم (plural أَغْنَام ) is a collective noun meaning sheep and goats. It is an اِسمُ جَمْع , which means that it is the type of collective for which there is no singular from the same root (like إِبِل camels). So we cannot add a ة and form غَنَمَة to mean […]
بَعَث is to send. When the object is a person, the verb is transitive, so we would say بَعَثَ الْمَلِكُ رَسُولاً إِلَيْهِم the king sent a messenger to them. However, where the object is inanimate, the verb is used intransitively, with the prepositional complement ب , e.g. بَعَثَ الْمَلِكُ بِرِسالَةٍ […]
There are two categories of Arabs: اَلْعَرَبُ الْعَارِبَةُ (al-‘arab al-‘aribah), (literally the Arabic Arabs), which refers to the ancient “genuine” Arabs, which consisted primarily of a number of tribes extinct by the time of the Prophet Muhammad (sws), such as ‘Aad and Thamud; it can also be used to refer to […]
نَعْت (plural نُعُوت ) and وَصْف (plural: أَوْصَاف ) both mean quality, attribute. The difference between them is that the former is only used in reference to good qualities or attributes, whereas the latter is used for both good and bad. As such, لَهُ نُعُوْتٌ كَثِيْرَة would mean he has many […]
The verb to die in Arabic is مَات . The imperfect can be يَمُوت or يَمات . Hollow verbs which retain an ا in their imperfect, such as خَاف (imperfect: يَخَاف ) to fear, take a kasrah on their first radical in those perfect verb conjugates for which the third […]
لا سِيَّمَا (laa siyyamaa) means especially, and is comprised of three elements: (i) the لا which denies the whole genus, or the لا that denies absolutely, which is followed by an indefinite accusative but without the tanween, such as in لا إلهَ إِلاّ الله there is no god but God, […]
كَلَّم (kallama) is to speak. It is transitive, so we would say, for example, كَلَّمْتُه I spoke to him, and we wouldn’t use a preposition like إِلَى to ل to translate to, but instead have a direct object. The classical Arabic equivalent of the phrase I spoke to him face […]
جَمِيْل (jameel) means beautiful, when referring to someone’s physical appearance or their character. It can also mean melted fat, as the root verb from which it is derived is جَمَل (jamala) (imperfect: يَجْمُل , verbal noun: جَمْل ), meaning to melt fat. It has been suggested that the two words are from […]
سَحَاب (sahab) is a singularisable collective noun (i.e. what is known in Arabic grammar as an اِسْمُ جِنْسٍ جَمْعِيّ , literally a collective generic noun), meaning clouds. Because it is singularisable, we can add a ة to the end of it, and we thus form the singular سَحَابَة cloud. If we […]
كَبِيْر (kabir) can mean old or great or big. The associated verbs with these meanings are كَبِرَ (kabira) (imperfect: يَكْبَر , verbal noun كِبَرًا ) to become older, and كَبُرَ (kabura) (imperfect: يَكْبُر , verbal nouns كِبَرًا and كُبْرًا ) to be great or to be big. The latter verb can […]
فُلان (fulan) without an ال attached to it means so-and-so, or such a person, i.e. as a substitute for an unnamed and unspecified person. It is a triptote noun, but its feminine فُلانَة (fulanah) is a diptote; e.g. قَالَ إِنَّهُ رَأَى فُلانًا وفُلانَة he said he saw such-and-such a […]
زَرَعَ (zara’a) (imperfect يَزْرَع , verbal noun زِرَاعَة ) means to plant, sow. Its object can be either what was sown or where it was sown, and it is usually used with reference seeds (rather than trees), e.g. زَرَعَ الْحَبَّ he sowed the seeds, and زَرَعَ أَرْضَهُ he planted (seeds […]
بُرْهَةٌ or بَرْهَةٌ (burhah/barhah) is similar in meaning to مُدَّةٌ (muddah), i.e. a period of time, and many considered the two identical in meaning. The former however is usually used to indicate a relatively long period of time, and is often followed by the phrase مِنَ الدَّهْرِ of […]
ظِلّ (zill) is shade. The other well known word for shade in Arabic is فَيْء (fay’). There are a number of opinions regarding the relationship between these two words: (i) they are synonymous; (ii) shade from the morning to midday (when the sun begins to decline) is called ظِلّ , and […]
بَرُع (baru’a) (imperfect يَبْرُع , verbal noun بَرَاعَة ) means to excel in some quality (e.g. in knowledge or bravery). The active participle بَارِع (baari’)therefore means excelling, outstanding etc., e.g. هُوَ بَارِعٌ فِي عِلْمِ النَّحْو he is outstanding in the science of grammar. The related verb بَرَع (bara’a), which has a […]
Forms 2 and 4 are both causative in Arabic. So whereas the root verb عَلِم (‘alima) means to know, the Form 2 verb عَلَّم (‘allama) and the Form 4 verb أَعْلَم (‘a’lama) both mean to cause someone to know. However, Form 2 is used for actions which are done repeatedly, […]
طَرَد (tarada) means to repel, drive away, e.g. طَرَدَ الذّبَابَ عَنِ الشَّرَاب he repelled the flies from the drink. It is used when the repelling is being done physically, such as with the hand or with some instrument. The fourth form of this verb is أَطْرَد (atrada), which means to […]
مَهَرَ (imperfect يَمْهُرُ , verbal noun مَهَارَةً ) means to be expert, or skilled in something. It can be used transitively (so would resemble the English verb to master something), or can be followed by فِيْ or بِ , e.g. مَهَرَ النَّحْوَ / فِي النَّحْوِ / بِالنَّحْوِ he mastered, […]
The word for a people in Arabic is شَعْبٌ (plural شُعُوْبٌ). This was considered the highest of a six-tiered genealogical hierarchy; the شَعْبٌ is a collection of قَبَائِلُ (singular: قَبِيْلَةٌ tribe), which in turn is a collection of عَمَائِرُ (singular عِمَارَةٌ) , which is a collection of بُطٌوْنٌ (singular بَطْنٌ […]
In Classical Arabic, the primary meaning of نَتَجَ (imperfect: يَنْتُجُ ) was as in the phrase, نَتَخَ النَّاقَةَ وَلدًا he assisted the she-camel in giving birth. Note that the subject here is the person doing the assisting. Hence, it was used by Ibn Muqaffa’ in Kalīlah wa Dimnah […]
ضُرٌّ in Arabic means harm. As a substantive noun, it is synonymous with ضَرٌّ and ضَرَرٌ , though some claimed that ضُرٌّ is properly only used for harm which afflicts the body. However, when it is contrasted with its opposite نَفْعٌ benefit, we would have to use ضَرٌّ , e.g. الضَّرُّ […]
ضُحًى is the early forenoon. It may be masculine or feminine. It is often compared to ضَحْوَةٌ , which most lexicographers said was a synonym, but some say that ضُحًى is after the ضَحْوَةٌ time, the latter beginning when the sun has risen, and the former when it begins to […]
The word for “pregnant” in Arabic is حَامِلٌ (haamil). It is the active participle from the verb حَمَلَ , which means to carry. Although this is the masculine form, we can use it as an adjective for a female, so we can say both
The word for “immigrant” in Arabic is طَارِئٌ (taari’). It comes from the root verb طَرَأَ عَلَى , which means to come to someone (from some distant place). Note that its prepositional phrase complement, which we translate using
The first in (insha’Allah!) a series of podcasts covering the text of Imam Ghazali’s Ayyuha al-Walad (O Youth!), which he wrote as advice to a young student of his.
The word for “beauty” in Arabic is جَمَالٌ (jamaal). It indicates both physical beauty and beauty in character. The difference between this and حُسْنٌ is that the latter, when it is used for physical beauty, refers to the beauty of the […]
The word for “to see” in Arabic is رَأَى (ra’aa). It can also be used to mean “to consider“. In the former case, where it is used to mean “to see”, it is singly transitive (for example
رَأَيْتُ الْقَمَرَ […]
There are a number of words in Arabic for “repentance“, the best known being التَوْبَةُ (al-tawbah). In […]
Last Night = اَلْبَارِحَةَ and اَللَيْلَةَ
The word for “last night” in Arabic is اَلْبَارِحَةَ (al-baarihah). Before
There are two commonly used words in classical Arabic for “family“, namely أَهْلٌ (ahl), and […]
The word for “name“ in Arabic is اِسْمٌ (ism), plural أَسْمَاءٌ . You […]
