Near-synonyms: to go, to come, to return and to stay

To go

ذهَب ــَـ

This is the most common term for « to go », « to go away », without further connotation. Very common in the Qur’an, it is also used figuratively.

قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّا ذَهَبْنَا نَسْتَبِقُ وَتَرَكْنَا يُوسُفَ عِنْدَ مَتَاعِنَا فَأَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ
They said: « O our father, we went off racing and left Joseph with our belongings. Then the wolf ate him. » (12:17)

فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ الْخَوْفُ سَلَقُوكُمْ بِأَلْسِنَةٍ حِدَادٍ
Once the fear has gone away, they flay you with sharp tongues. (33:19)

اِنْصَرَفَ

Form I of this verb means « to turn away ». Form VII thus literally means « to turn oneself away ». But it is often used to mean « to go away », sometimes with a negative connotation of disdain.

وَإِذَا مَا أُنْزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ نَظَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ هَلْ يَرَاكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفُوا صَرَفَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ
And whenever a sura is revealed, they look at one another: « Does anyone see you? » then they turn away. May God turn away their hearts, for they are a people who do not understand. (9:127)

اِنْطَلَقَ

Form I of this verb means « to let go », « to release ». Form VII thus literally means « to set off ». It is often used to mean « to go away », with a connotation of freedom.

فَانْطَلَقَا حَتَّى إِذَا رَكِبَا فِي السَّفِينَةِ خَرَقَهَا
So they both set off. And when they had boarded the ship, he made a hole in it. (18:71)

سارَ / يَسِيرُ

This verb originally means « to take to the road » or « to travel about ». It often has the sense of « to go away ». It should not be confused with سرى / يسري, which means « to travel by night ».

فَلَمَّا قَضَى مُوسَى الْأَجَلَ وَسَارَ بِأَهْلِهِ آنَسَ مِنْ جَانِبِ الطُّورِ نَارًا
Then, when Moses had fulfilled the appointed term and set out with his family, he saw a fire on the side of the Mount. (28:29)

مَضَى / يَمْضِي

This verb takes the sense of « to go », but also of « to pass ». Like the latter verb in French, it can apply to time as well as to persons.

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِفَتَاهُ لَا أَبْرَحُ حَتَّى أَبْلُغَ مَجْمَعَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ أَوْ أَمْضِيَ حُقُبًا
And when Moses said to his servant: « I will not stop until I reach the junction of the two seas, even if I must go on for long years. » (18:60)

وَمَضَى مَثَلُ الْأَوَّلِينَ
And the example of the earlier [generations] has passed. (43:8)

أَدْبَرَ

The root of this verb means « behind ». Its etymological sense is therefore « to turn one’s back », and by extension « to depart ». It is the opposite of أقْبَلَ (see below).

ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ يَسْعَى فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَى فَقَالَ أَنَا رَبُّكُمُ الْأَعْلَى
Then he turned away in haste, gathered [the people] and proclaimed: « I am your Lord, the Most High. » (79:22-24)

To come

أَتَى / يَأْتِي / جاءَ / يَجِيءُ

According to some, the Qur’an uses the verb أتى more generally to express the coming of positive and easy things. Others say it is more often used for concrete realities, unlike جاء which is used for abstract realities. Still others say أتى is used for what comes from nearby, and جاء for what comes from afar.

But the most convincing version seems to be the one holding that جاء is used for facts that have already come, or whose coming is certain, unlike أتى. This is why جاء is not used in the imperfect.

قَالُوا أُوذِينَا مِن قَبْلِ أَن تَأْتِيَنَا وَمِن بَعْدِ مَا جِئْتَنَا
« We were persecuted before you came to us, and after you came. » (7:129)

أَقْبَلَ

The root of this verb means « in front ». Its etymological sense is therefore « to present oneself face on », and thus « to come ». It is the opposite of أَدْبَرَ (see above).

وَاسْأَلِ الْقَرْيَةَ الَّتِي كُنَّا فِيهَا وَالْعِيرَ الَّتِي أَقْبَلْنَا فِيهَا وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ
« Ask [the people of] the town where we were, and the caravan with which we arrived; we are indeed telling the truth! » (12:82)

To return

رجَع ــِـ

Besides the literal sense of « to return », this verb is used figuratively for « returning » to reason, to the right path, etc. It is also used to mean « to throw back a word ».

يَعْتَذِرُونَ إِلَيْكُمْ إِذَا رَجَعْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ
They offer you excuses when you return to them. (9:94)

وَبَلَوْنَاهُمْ بِالْحَسَنَاتِ وَالسَّيِّئَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
And We tested them with good things and bad, that perhaps they might return [to the right path]. (7:168)

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الظَّالِمُونَ مَوْقُوفُونَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ يَرْجِعُ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ الْقَوْلَ
And if you could see when the wrongdoers are made to stand before their Lord, throwing back the word at one another! (34:31)

عادَ / يَعُودُ

The root of this verb carries a sense of repetition. In the Qur’an, it is used only in the figurative sense of « returning to something », speaking of an action or a habit, or of « returning to a state ».

عَفَا اللَّهُ عَمَّا سَلَفَ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَيَنْتَقِمُ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انْتِقَامٍ
God has pardoned what is past, but God will take vengeance on whoever relapses. God is Almighty, Master of vengeance. (5:95)

كَمَا بَدَأَكُمْ تَعُودُونَ
Just as He originated you, so you will return. (7:29)

اِنْقَلَبَ

The root of this word, which is the same as the word قَلْب (heart), means to turn over. Form VII thus literally means « to turn oneself over ». By extension it takes the sense of « to return », somewhat as in French.

فَانْقَلَبُوا بِنِعْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَفَضْلٍ لَمْ يَمْسَسْهُمْ سُوءٌ وَاتَّبَعُوا رِضْوَانَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَظِيمٍ
So they returned with a favour from God and a grace; no harm touched them, and they followed what pleases God. And God is the Possessor of immense grace. (3:174)

آبَ / يَأُوبُ

This term is often used in a context of returning from a journey. It can also refer to the return towards God. In the Qur’an, this root is found only as the verbal noun (maṣdar) in the example below, or in the derived form أوّب and the place-noun مَآب.

إِنَّ إِلَيْنَا إِيَابَهُمْ
Indeed, to Us is their return. (88:25)

To stay (in a place)

مكَث ــُـ / لبِث ــَـ

مكَث is used in the Qur’an to express an indeterminate duration, while لبِث is used for a determinate duration and is generally specified by a time-marker.

فَأَمَّا الزَّبَدُ فَيَذْهَبُ جُفَاءً وَأَمَّا مَا يَنْفَعُ النَّاسَ فَيَمْكُثُ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَذَلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ
The foam, for its part, disappears without a trace; but what is useful to people remains on the earth. Thus does God set forth parables. (13:17)

فَلَبِثَ فِي السِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِينَ
So Joseph remained in prison for several years. (12:42) — Note: بِضْع is used for amounts below ten.

Beware of the common confusion with the verb بقِي, which means « to remain » or « to abide » in the sense of « not to be lacking » or « not to cease to be ». It is the root of the divine name الباقِي.