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Arabic root

ن-ب-ا

Nun-Ba-Alif

2 words from this root family

About this root

Nun-Ba-Alif (ن-ب-ا) has 2 words in the Fahm dictionary: nabīy (prophet), nabaʾ (news / tiding / important report).

In the Quran, words built on this root occur 160 times in 151 verses, across 47 of the 114 suras. The first is in 2:31. The form نَبِيٌّ (prophet) accounts for 75 of them.

Themes: Quranic

Words from this root

WordMeaningTypeIn the QuranTaught in
نَبِيٌّ
nabīy
prophetnoun, A275×Guidance and Knowledge
نَبَأٌ
nabaʾ
news / tiding / important reportnoun, B129×Character, Community, and Worship

“In the Quran” counts every occurrence of that dictionary form, in any of its senses.

In the Quran

وَعَلَّمَ ءَادَمَ ٱلْأَسْمَآءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنۢبِـُٔونِى بِأَسْمَآءِ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ

And He taught Adam all the names, then showed them to the angels, saying: Inform Me of the names of these, if ye are truthful.

Quran 2:31
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَيَقْتُلُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ مِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

Lo! those who disbelieve the revelations of Allah, and slay the prophets wrongfully, and slay those of mankind who enjoin equity: promise them a painful doom.

Quran 3:21
ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ أَنۢبَآءِ ٱلْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهِ إِلَيْكَ ۚ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يُلْقُونَ أَقْلَـٰمَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ يَكْفُلُ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا كُنتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يَخْتَصِمُونَ

This is of the tidings of things hidden. We reveal it unto thee (Muhammad). Thou wast not present with them when they threw their pens (to know) which of them should be the guardian of Mary, nor wast thou present with them when they quarrelled (thereupon).

Quran 3:44

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).

Word cards with examples

A2noun
نَبِيٌّ
nabīy

prophet

Example
مَا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِنْ رِجَالِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ
mā kāna muḥammadun abā aḥadin min rijālikum wa-lākin rasūla Allāhi wa-khātama an-nabiyyīn
Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the seal of the prophets (33:40)
Grammar

Masculine noun. Plural: أَنْبِيَاءٌ (anbiyāʾ) or نَبِيُّونَ (nabiyyūn). From نَبَأٌ (news/tidings), indicating one who conveys divine news.

Culture

Muhammad ﷺ is believed to be the final prophet (khātam an-nabiyyīn), completing the prophetic tradition from Adam through Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.

B1noun
نَبَأٌ
nabaʾ

news / tiding / important report

Example
عَمَّ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ عَنِ النَّبَإِ الْعَظِيمِ
ʿamma yatasāʾalūn. ʿani an-nabaʾi al-ʿaẓīm
About what are they asking one another? About the great news (78:1-2)
Grammar

Masculine noun. Plural: أَنْبَاءٌ (anbāʾ). Distinguished from خَبَرٌ (ordinary news) - نَبَأ implies important, consequential news. Surah an-Nabaʾ (78).

Culture

The 'great news' (an-nabaʾ al-ʿaẓīm) is the Day of Resurrection - a reality that humanity debates but will inevitably face.

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