You look at a page of words in Arabic language and even with some letters, you still can’t tell when one idea ends and another begins. This is the point where most people get stuck, somewhere between knowing the alphabet and being able to read the sentence.
Quranic Arabic is one of the most structured and rich classical Arabic with sentences that will help you learn grammar, vocabulary and meaning simultaneously.
This article decodes the Arabic Quranic sentences into small segments. No matter whether you are learning Arabic as a requirement of religion, education, or simply for the love of the language, you can easily learn the structures of sentences in Arabic.
What is a Quranic Arabic Sentence?
Sentences in quranic Arabic are sentences written in the classical style of Arabic language, as used in the Quran. It is a form of Arabic that is written in a way that is similar to Modern Standard Arabic, but with a more extensive vocabulary, more precise case endings, and sentence patterns that allow for careful reading.
Memorizing Arabic words from the Quran is not like memorizing a word list. All sentences demonstrate grammar in use:
- The relationship between nouns and verbs.
- The use of pronouns as modifiers of words.
- Collaborating with particles to link ideas.
- The effect of the order of words on meaning.
Why Arabic is taught with Quranic Sentences?
- There are a number of concrete benefits to studying Quranic Arabic sentences.
- Knows word meanings in context rather than in isolation
- Begins to identify patterns in the grammar of sentences that are repeated throughout many sentences
- You develop reading comprehension in a more accelerated manner than you would using regular textbook exercises.
- Work with sentences not with rules.
This register is the choice of many learners of Classical Arabic, including many learners of Quran for religious purposes, due to its well-documented grammar and its consistency.
Simple Quranic Arabic Sentences for Beginners
Familiar, short, and simple expressions with basic grammar are a good starting point. The format given below is followed in each example. Each of the following examples is presented in a consistent format: Arabic, transliteration, meaning, short grammar note.
Arabic: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ Transliteration: Al-hamdu lillah Meaning: All praise belongs to Allah. Grammar: A nominal sentence built from a subject noun and a prepositional phrase.
Arabic: رَبِّي غَفُورٌ Transliteration: Rabbi ghafur Meaning: My Lord is forgiving. Grammar: Subject noun followed by a descriptive adjective as the predicate.
Arabic: الْعِلْمُ نُورٌ Transliteration: Al-‘ilmu nur Meaning: Knowledge is light. Grammar: A simple two-word nominal sentence, useful for beginners practicing sentence structure.
Such sentences are short, easily memorized, and give an introduction to the two primary sentence types encountered throughout Quranic Arabic: nominal and verbal sentences.
The use of nominal sentences in the Quran.
Al-jumlah al-ismiyyah is a nominal sentence, which starts with a noun. It is usually composed of two parts:
Mubtada: the subject of the sentence
Khabar – the predicate that describes or completes the subject.
This is one of the most prevalent patterns in Arabic sentences from the Quran.
Examples of Nominal sentences in Quran.
Arabic: اللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ Transliteration: Allahu ‘alimun hakim Meaning: Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. Mubtada: اللَّهُ Khabar: عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
Arabic: الدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ Transliteration: Ad-daru al-akhiratu khayr Meaning: The hereafter is better. Mubtada: الدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ Khabar: خَيْرٌ
Identify a Nominal Sentence
There’s a quick tip for beginners to identify nominal sentences quickly.
If the sentence begins with a noun or a pronoun it is nominal.
Search for the subject first, then the word/phrase that describes the subject.
Work with short sentences before using longer sentences with more than one descriptive word
Verbal Sentences in Quranic Arabic
Verbal sentence (al-jumlah al-fi’liyyah) is a sentence that starts with a verb. The normal order is of verb, subject, and object.
This pattern occurs repeatedly in sentences in the Quranic Arabic used to describe an action, an event, or a command.
Verbal Sentences from the Quran (Examples)
Arabic: خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ Transliteration: Khalaqa Allahu as-samawat Meaning: Allah created the heavens. Structure: Verb (خَلَقَ) then subject (اللَّهُ) then object (السَّمَاوَاتِ).
Arabic: كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ الدَّرْسَ Transliteration: Kataba at-talibu ad-dars Meaning: The student wrote the lesson. Structure: Verb, subject, object, following the same pattern.
Past, Present, and Command Verbs in Quranic Sentences
The three main forms of verbs in Quranic Arabic are used in Quranic sentences.
Past tense (fa’ala): used to indicate a finished action, e.g. كَتَبَ (he wrote)
Present tense (yaf’alu): is used to describe an ongoing action or a future action, such as يَكْتُبُ (he is writing or he will write)
Command (if’al): to give an instruction, e.g. اكْتُبْ (write!)
One of the quickest ways to understand a sentence’s timing and tone is to recognize what form a verb is in.
Quranic Sentences With Common Nouns and Pronouns
Pronouns are found in every part of Quranic Arabic, and once you learn them, you’ll find a massive amount of vocabulary that you will encounter in actual sentences.
Sentences using personal pronouns.
هُوَ عَالِمٌ (huwa ‘alim) – He is knowledgeable
هِيَ صَادِقَةٌ (hiya sadiqah) – She is truthful
نَحْنُ طَلَبَةٌ (nahnu talabah) – We are students
أَنْتَ كَرِيمٌ (anta karim) -You are generous
Attached Pronouns To Sentences
Attached pronouns serve as links to nouns and verbs and they are vital to the smooth flow of Quranic Arabic sentences.
ـهُ (his/him): كِتَابُهُ (his book)
ـهَا (her): بَيْتُهَا (her house)
ـكَ (your, masculine): عِلْمُكَ (your knowledge)
ـنَا (our): رَبُّنَا (our Lord)
In basic courses, attached pronouns typically follow basic nouns, which are used frequently.
Quranic Arabic Sentences with common verbs.
Some verbs are used so frequently in the Quranic Arabic sentences that it is advisable to learn them early on.
قَالَ (qala) -said
خَلَقَ (khalaqa) -created
جَعَلَ (ja’ala) -made
عَلِمَ (‘alima) -knew
آمَنَ (amana) -believed
هَدَى (hada) -guided
كَتَبَ (kataba) -wrote
ذَهَبَ (dhahaba) -went
Work on constructing your own short sentence using each of the verbs. For example: عَلِمَ الطَّالِبُ الْجَوَابَ (the student knew the answer). This is a type of learning that makes it easier to memorize words.
Quranic Sentences With Prepositions and Particles
In the Quranic Arabic sentences, small words are significant. They relate and link ideas and make the relationship between nouns, verbs and time.
Common Quranic Prepositions
فِي (fi) — in
مِنْ (min) — from
إِلَى (ila) — to
عَلَى (ala) — upon, on
بِـ (bi) — with, by
لِـ (li) — for, to
Common Conjunctions and Particles
وَ (wa) — and
فَـ (fa) — so, then
ثُمَّ (thumma) — then
أَوْ (aw) — or
إِنَّ (inna) — indeed
لَا (la) — not, no
With these particles memorized, sentences that were once aloft and dense begin to fall into chunks that are easily digested.
Quranic Arabic Sentences About Faith and Worship
In addition to grammar drills, many sentences of the Quran naturally cluster around themes that are found throughout the Quranic text.
Patience, Gratitude, and Honesty statements
Knowledge, Guidance and Reflection sentences.
Descriptions of generosity, kindness and community
There is no requirement to have a religious education background for studying this vocabulary. These are just repetition motifs found in much of classical Arabic literature and familiarity with the vocabulary aids in understanding beyond religious texts.
Quranic Arabic Sentences With English Translation
Here is a handy reference chart that incorporates some of the types of sentences addressed in the above sections.
| Quranic Arabic Sentence | Transliteration | English Meaning | Structure |
| الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ | Al-hamdu lillah | All praise belongs to Allah | Nominal sentence |
| رَبِّي غَفُورٌ | Rabbi ghafur | My Lord is forgiving | Mubtada + khabar |
| خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ | Khalaqa Allahu as-samawat | Allah created the heavens | Verb + subject + object |
| كِتَابُهُ مُفِيدٌ | Kitabuhu mufid | His book is useful | Nominal sentence with attached pronoun |
| عَلِمَ الطَّالِبُ الْجَوَابَ | ‘Alima at-talibu al-jawab | The student knew the answer | Verb + subject + object |
Download this table as a handy reference for future Quranic Arabic lessons when you want to quickly look at a sentence without having to scan through a whole lesson.
How to Analyze a Quranic Arabic Sentence?
If there’s a repeatable method then analysis is a lot less daunting.
Identify Parts of Speech in text
All Arabic sentences consist of three basic categories.
Ism (noun)
Fi’l (verb)
Harf (particle)
Identify the main verb or the main subject of a sentence.
Look at the first word of the sentence and ask yourself, “Is it a verb or a noun?” This one step is able to tell you whether you have a nominal or verbal sentence.
Identify the Grammatical Roles
With the identification of the sentence type, identify the key roles.
Mubtada and khabar used with nominal sentences
Fa’il (doer) and maf’ul bihi (object) for verbal sentences
Check case endings of words
Each word is modified by case endings (i’rab) that indicate the grammatical role of the word. The dammah, fathah, and kasrah are not important to the beginner to learn at once, but noticing whether a word ends in a dammah, fathah, or kasrah builds a habit that pays off quickly.
Exercise: Recognize the structure of these Quranic Sentences
See if you can answer these questions without looking at the answers below.
اللَّهُ رَحِيمٌ (Allahu rahim)
كَتَبَ الْمُعَلِّمُ الدَّرْسَ (Kataba al-mu’allimu ad-dars)
بَيْتُهُ كَبِيرٌ (Baytuhu kabir)
Answers:
Nominal sentence. Mubtada: اللَّهُ. Khabar: رَحِيمٌ. Meaning: Allah is Merciful.
Verbal sentence. Verb: كَتَبَ. Subject: الْمُعَلِّمُ. Object: الدَّرْسَ. Meaning: The teacher wrote the lesson.
Nominal sentence with an attached pronoun. Mubtada: بَيْتُهُ. Khabar: كَبِيرٌ. Meaning: His house is big.
If you answered most of these correctly, then you already have a basic understanding of the structure of Quranic Arabic sentences.
Self-study of Quranic Arabic sentences is a good beginning but with the help of a teacher you can make rapid progress and rectify minor errors that otherwise may become habits.
For lessons that are structured and guided and take you through what is covered here, check out our Arabic courses and choose a course that suits you.
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FAQs
What is the Definition of Quranic Arabic Sentences?
They are sentences in Arabic, in the classical style of the Quran and are formed using similar nominal and verbal structures found in formal Arabic.
What are the differences between Quranic Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic?
Quranic Arabic is more carefully formed with more precise case endings, and a more extensive Classical Arabic vocabulary is used in the modern media, in education, and in formal writings today.
How many types of sentences are there in Arabic?
Noun-based sentences (nouns) and verb-based sentences (verbs).
Is it imperative to be a Muslim to study Quranic Arabic sentences?
No. This register of the language is useful for anyone interested in classical Arabic grammar, literature or linguistics.
What should be my first step in learning Quranic Arabic sentences, being a beginner?
Use short sentences of 2 or 3 words, then use mubtada and khabar (verb and subject) and gradually add pronouns and particles and longer sentences.
Is it necessary to learn Arabic grammar in order to understand Quranic sentences?
Basic grammar helps significantly. Knowing a couple of the rules of sentence structure and pronouns could make a vast difference in the ease of reading.