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Arabic root

ر-و-ح

Ra-Waw-Ha

4 words from this root family

About this root

Ra-Waw-Ha (ر-و-ح) has 4 words in the Fahm dictionary: rūḥ (spirit / soul / divine spirit), istirāḥa (break / rest), rūḥ (soul / spirit), rīḥ (wind).

In the Quran, words built on this root occur 57 times in 52 verses, across 40 of the 114 suras. The first is in 2:87. The form رِيح (wind) accounts for 29 of them.

Themes: Quranic, Work, Abstract Concepts, Nature Weather

Words from this root

WordMeaningTypeIn the QuranTaught in
رُوحٌ
rūḥ
spirit / soul / divine spiritnoun, A221×Covenants, Testing, and Forgiveness
اِسْتِراحة
istirāḥa
break / restnoun, A2Work Communication
رُوح
rūḥ
soul / spiritnoun, B121×Emotions & Feelings
رِيح
rīḥ
windnoun, B129×Landscapes & Geography

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

In the Quran

مَثَلُ مَا يُنفِقُونَ فِى هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا كَمَثَلِ رِيحٍ فِيهَا صِرٌّ أَصَابَتْ حَرْثَ قَوْمٍ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ ۚ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَـٰكِنْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

The likeness of that which they spend in this life of the world is as the likeness of a biting, icy wind which smiteth the harvest of a people who have wronged themselves, and devastateth it. Allah wronged them not, but they do wrong themselves.

Quran 3:117
يَـٰبَنِىَّ ٱذْهَبُوا۟ فَتَحَسَّسُوا۟ مِن يُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ وَلَا تَا۟يْـَٔسُوا۟ مِن رَّوْحِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يَا۟يْـَٔسُ مِن رَّوْحِ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا ٱلْقَوْمُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ

Go, O my sons, and ascertain concerning Joseph and his brother, and despair not of the Spirit of Allah. Lo! none despaireth of the Spirit of Allah save disbelieving folk.

Quran 12:87
فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُۥ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِى فَقَعُوا۟ لَهُۥ سَـٰجِدِينَ

So, when I have made him and have breathed into him of My Spirit, do ye fall down, prostrating yourselves unto him.

Quran 15:29

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
رُوحٌ
rūḥ

spirit / soul / divine spirit

Example
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي
wa-yasʾalūnaka ʿani ar-rūḥi quli ar-rūḥu min amri rabbī
And they ask you about the spirit. Say: The spirit is from the command of my Lord (17:85)
Grammar

Feminine/masculine noun. Plural: أَرْوَاحٌ (arwāḥ). Also refers to Angel Jibrīl: رُوحُ الْقُدُسِ (the Holy Spirit). Related: رَاحَةٌ (comfort).

Culture

The Quran maintains mystery about the rūḥ - it is from God's command. This humility before the unknown is itself a Quranic teaching.

A2noun
اِسْتِراحة
istirāḥa

break / rest

Example
لَدَيْنا اِسْتِراحة لِمُدَّة ساعة.
ladaynā istirāḥa limuddat sāʿa.
We have a break for one hour.
B1noun
رُوح
rūḥ

soul / spirit

Example
المُوسيقى تُغَذِّي الرُّوح.
al-mūsīqā tughadḥdḥī r-rūḥ.
Music nourishes the soul.
B1noun
رِيح
rīḥ

wind

Example
الرِّيحُ شَديدَةٌ اليَوم.
ar-rīḥu shadīdatun al-yawm.
The wind is strong today.

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