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Arabic root

ظ-ل-م

Zah-Lam-Mim

3 words from this root family

About this root

Zah-Lam-Mim (ظ-ل-م) has 3 words in the Fahm dictionary: ẓalama (he wronged / he oppressed), ẓulm (injustice / wrongdoing / oppression), muẓlim (dark).

In the Quran, words built on this root occur 315 times in 290 verses, across 59 of the 114 suras. The first is in 2:17. The form ظَلَمَ (he wronged / he oppressed) accounts for 110 of them.

Themes: Quranic, Adjectives, Basics

Words from this root

WordMeaningTypeIn the QuranTaught in
ظَلَمَ
ẓalama
he wronged / he oppressedverb, A2110×Faith and Belief
ظُلْمٌ
ẓulm
injustice / wrongdoing / oppressionnoun, A220×Guidance and Knowledge
مُظلِم
muẓlim
darkadjective, A12×Adjectives - Degree & Intensity

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

In the Quran

وَظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْغَمَامَ وَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَنَّ وَٱلسَّلْوَىٰ ۖ كُلُوا۟ مِن طَيِّبَـٰتِ مَا رَزَقْنَـٰكُمْ ۖ وَمَا ظَلَمُونَا وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

And We caused the white cloud to overshadow you and sent down on you the manna and the quails, (saying): Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you- they wronged Us not, but they did wrong themselves.

Quran 2:57
تِلْكَ ءَايَـٰتُ ٱللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًا لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

These are revelations of Allah. We recite them unto thee in truth. Allah willeth no injustice to (His) creatures.

Quran 3:108
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَسَبُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ جَزَآءُ سَيِّئَةٍۭ بِمِثْلِهَا وَتَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ مَّا لَهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مِنْ عَاصِمٍ ۖ كَأَنَّمَآ أُغْشِيَتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ قِطَعًا مِّنَ ٱلَّيْلِ مُظْلِمًا ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ

And those who earn ill-deeds, (for them) requital of each ill-deed by the like thereof; and ignominy overtaketh them - They have no protector from Allah - as if their faces had been covered with a cloak of darkest night. Such are rightful owners of the Fire; they will abide therein.

Quran 10:27

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

A2verb
ظَلَمَ
ẓalama

he wronged / he oppressed

Example
وَمَا ظَلَمْنَاهُمْ وَلَكِنْ كَانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
wa-mā ẓalamnāhum wa-lākin kānū anfusahum yaẓlimūn
And We did not wrong them, but they were wronging themselves (16:118)
Grammar

Form I verb. Past: ظَلَمَ, Present: يَظْلِمُ. Related: ظُلْمٌ (injustice), ظَالِمٌ (wrongdoer), مَظْلُومٌ (oppressed). Active participle often used as noun.

Culture

Ẓulm (injustice) is one of the greatest sins in Islam. God declares in a hadith qudsi: 'I have forbidden ẓulm for Myself and made it forbidden among you.'

A2noun
ظُلْمٌ
ẓulm

injustice / wrongdoing / oppression

Example
إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ
inna ash-shirka laẓulmun ʿaẓīm
Indeed, association with Allah is a great injustice (31:13)
Grammar

Masculine verbal noun (maṣdar) of ظَلَمَ. Original meaning: 'to place something in the wrong place.' Three types in the Quran: against God, against others, against oneself.

Culture

This is the advice of Luqmān the Wise to his son. Associating partners with God (shirk) is called the greatest ẓulm because it misplaces worship.

A1adjective
مُظلِم
muẓlim

dark

Example
الغُرفَةُ مُظلِمة
al-ghurfatu muẓlima
The room is dark
Grammar

Feminine form: muẓlima (مُظلِمة). Form IV active participle. Opposite of muḍīʾ (مُضيء).

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