Mim-Tha-Lam
2 words from this root family
Mim-Tha-Lam (م-ث-ل) has 2 words in the Fahm dictionary: mathal (parable / example / similitude), mumāthil (similar).
In the Quran, words built on this root occur 169 times in 148 verses, across 50 of the 114 suras. The first is in 2:17. The form مَثَلٌ (parable / example / similitude) accounts for 88 of them.
Themes: Quranic, Adjectives, Basics
| Word | Meaning | Type | In the Quran | Taught in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
مَثَلٌ mathal | parable / example / similitude | noun, A2 | 88× | Knowledge, Reflection, and Recitation |
مُماثِل mumāthil | similar | adjective, A1 | Adjectives - Materials & Textures |
“In the Quran” counts every occurrence of that dictionary form, in any of its senses.
مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ ٱلَّذِى ٱسْتَوْقَدَ نَارًا فَلَمَّآ أَضَآءَتْ مَا حَوْلَهُۥ ذَهَبَ ٱللَّهُ بِنُورِهِمْ وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِى ظُلُمَـٰتٍ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَTheir likeness is as the likeness of one who kindleth fire, and when it sheddeth its light around him Allah taketh away their light and leaveth them in darkness, where they cannot see,
وَإِن كُنتُمْ فِى رَيْبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُوا۟ بِسُورَةٍ مِّن مِّثْلِهِۦ وَٱدْعُوا۟ شُهَدَآءَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَAnd if ye are in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto Our slave (Muhammad), then produce a surah of the like thereof, and call your witness beside Allah if ye are truthful.
وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِٱلسَّيِّئَةِ قَبْلَ ٱلْحَسَنَةِ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِمُ ٱلْمَثُلَـٰتُ ۗ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِّلنَّاسِ عَلَىٰ ظُلْمِهِمْ ۖ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَشَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِAnd they bid thee hasten on the evil rather than the good, when exemplary punishments have indeed occurred before them. But lo! thy Lord is rich in pardon for mankind despite their wrong, and lo! thy Lord is strong in punishment.
Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Uthmani 1.1), CC BY 3.0, tanzil.net. English: Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930), public domain, via Project Gutenberg. Counts and verse choice: Quranic Arabic Corpus morphology data (corpus.quran.com).
Masculine noun. Plural: أَمْثَالٌ (amthāl). The Quran uses ضَرَبَ مَثَلًا (to strike/present a parable) as a key rhetorical device.
The Quran contains over 40 parables - from the light parable (24:35) to the spider's web (29:41) - making abstract truths accessible.
Feminine form: mumāthila (مُماثِلة). Form III active participle. Synonym: mushābih (مُشابِه).