A1noun
سِكِّين
sikkīn
knife
Example
السِّكِّينُ حَادَّةٌ
as-sikkīnu ḥāddatun
The knife is sharp
Grammar
Can be masculine or feminine in Arabic
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Arabic root
س-ك-ن
4 words from this root family
A1verb
سَكَنَ
sakana
to live / to reside
Example
سكنتُ في بيروتَ خمسَ سنواتٍ
sakantu fī bayrūta khamsa sanawātin
I lived in Beirut for five years
Grammar
Form I verb. Past: sakana, Present: yaskunu. Takes fī (في) for place of residence.
A2noun
مِسْكِينٌ
miskīn
poor person / needy / destitute
Example
وَيُطْعِمُونَ الطَّعَامَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ مِسْكِينًا وَيَتِيمًا وَأَسِيرًا
wa-yuṭʿimūna aṭ-ṭaʿāma ʿalā ḥubbihī miskīnan wa-yatīman wa-asīrā
And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive (76:8)
Grammar
Masculine noun (mifʿīl pattern). Plural: مَسَاكِينُ (masākīn). Distinguished from فَقِيرٌ (poor) — miskīn implies greater deprivation and helplessness.
Culture
Feeding the poor is repeatedly emphasized in the Quran as a mark of righteousness. The miskīn has a designated share in zakāh.
B1noun
سَكِينَةٌ
sakīnah
tranquility / divine calm / serenity
Example
هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
huwa alladhī anzala as-sakīnata fī qulūbi al-muʾminīn
It is He who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers (48:4)
Grammar
Feminine noun. From سَكَنَ (to be still/calm). Related: سَكَنٌ (dwelling/comfort). God 'sends down' sakīnah — it is a divine gift, not a human achievement.
Culture
Sakīnah is a special divine gift of inner peace sent to believers during trials. It descended on the Prophet ﷺ in the cave during the Hijrah (9:40).