With thanks to Rémi B. for his excellent work on these few Qur’anic roots, which will be useful to those beginning the study of the vocabulary of the Qur’an and of tafsîr (commentary or exegesis of the Qur’an); and to Sarah of Harmony Design for the calligraphies created especially for the occasion.
Note: the French version of this article quotes each Qur’anic verse in three French translations (Maurice Gloton, Jacques Berque and Abdallah Penot) and draws principally on Maurice Gloton’s work Une approche du Coran par la grammaire et le lexique. In this English version, each verse is given in a single English rendering; the comparison of the French translations is not reproduced.
Dîn (دين) — root D-Y-N (د ي ن)
The term dîn, generally translated as “religion”, derives from the root D-Y-N, which conveys: to be or become a debtor, to incur debt, to borrow, to lend, to be indebted, to owe something to someone, to requite, to judge someone, to profess a religion, to submit, to obey, to subjugate, to follow someone, to be loyal and faithful, to compel, to constrain.
Three terms derived from this root are worth noting: daynun (دَيْنٌ): a debt, a due (with a fixed term); dînun (دِينٌ): requital, custom, commitment, the fact of owing something to someone, due worship, tradition, way, judgement, the relation one has with someone, manner of acting, obedience, belief; and the verb form connected with submission and obedience to God.
Qur’an — root Q-R-’ (ق ر أ)
To transmit the divine Word orally by reciting it ritually: Qur’an, (Qur’anic) recitation. The form aqra’a (أَقْرَأَ) conveys: to make someone recite, to give to read, to transmit orally, (of winds) to blow at habitual seasons, to draw near, (of eyebrows) to meet, to defer, to remain behind, to return from a journey.
فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ فَٱسْتَعِذْ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ
“When you recite the Qur’an, seek refuge in God from Satan the accursed.” (Q 16:98)
The author cites a short passage from Maurice Gloton’s book, whose central idea is that the Qur’an, in this lexical approach, gathers together (joins, binds) what it recites — recitation and connection being two facets of one and the same root.
Islâm — root S-L-M (س ل م)
In this study the term islâm is generally left untranslated, since it points directly to the revealed Muslim religion; but it is also used in the Qur’an in the sense of the primordial religion. Its root S-L-M conveys: to be safe and sound, to be or remain intact, to keep in good condition, to be well, to escape, to be free from.
Some terms derived from this root: salamun — the condition of one who is safe and sound, peace, safeguard, security, preservation, salvation, salutation; sulamun — the means by which one escapes or reaches something, a ladder.
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ
“Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.” (Q 1:2)
Rabb — root R-B-B (ر ب ب)
Rabb derives from the root R-B-B, which conveys the idea of mastering and educating: to be master, chief, lord; to have control of, to exercise authority; to gather, to bring together, to arrange, to accommodate; to raise, to educate; to possess, to own; the idea of permanence; to perfume something. It is interesting to note that Maurice Gloton renders it by the old French word enseigneur, which joins “teacher” (enseignant) and “lord” (seigneur).
Two terms from this root: rabbun (رَبٌّ) — master, lord, educator, one who teaches with authority and competence, owner, possessor (cf. Q 1:2); and rabbâniyyûn (رَبَّانِيٌّونَ) — those who belong to the Lord, the master; a doctor of religion, a rabbi; one linked to teaching, of the nature of master-educators (cf. Q 3:79).
Rahma — root R-H-M (ر ح م)
The root R-H-M conveys the ideas of: a dilatable place where the seed is deposited and actualises possibilities through a process of love — hence the idea of the womb, of mercy, of expansive love, of flourishing, of radiance, of germination; to radiate love, to have pity, to show mercy, to have compassion, to be clement; to die in childbirth.
Three terms from this root: rahmatun (رَحْمَةٌ) — radiant love, pity, mercy, compassion (cf. Q 6:54, rendered as “Mercy”); arhâmun (أَرْحَامٌ, plural of rahimun) — wombs, ties of blood, consanguineous kinship (cf. Q 13:8, rendered as “the wombs”); and rahîmun (رَحِيمٌ) — Most Merciful, full of love and commiseration, most compassionate — together with rahmânun (رَحْمَانٌ), the All-Merciful.
وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَحْمِلُ كُلُّ أُنثَىٰ وَمَا تَغِيضُ ٱلْأَرْحَامُ وَمَا تَزْدَادُ ۖ وَكُلُّ شَىْءٍ عِندَهُۥ بِمِقْدَارٍ
“God knows what every female bears, and what the wombs contract and what they expand; with Him everything has its measure.” (Q 13:8)
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
“In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.” (Q 1:1)
Îmân — root A-M-N (ء م ن)
The root of îmân is A-M-N, conveying the idea of security, safety, trust, safeguard; of being reassured, of adhering, of faithfulness, of giving credence, of loyalty, of protection, of belief. The believers (mu’minûn) are those who place and honour this trust.
إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا۟ بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
“The believers are but brothers, so make peace between your brothers, and be mindful of God, that you may receive mercy.” (Q 49:10)
Rûh — root R-W-H (ر و ح)
The word rûh (رُوح), commonly translated as “spirit”, derives from the root R-W-H, which calls upon the idea of a pleasant scent, of a refreshing and restful movement of air in the evening, of being exposed to the wind, of rejoicing in something, of beginning, of setting about. Among its derivatives are rawh (relief, mercy, refreshment), rîh (wind) and rûh (spirit, breath).
وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ ٱلرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّى وَمَآ أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا
“They ask you about the Spirit. Say: the Spirit is from the command of my Lord, and you have been given but little knowledge.” (Q 17:85)
Shahâda — root SH-H-D (ش ه د)
The shahâda (شَهَادة) is the Muslim attestation of faith and one of the five pillars of Islam: “I bear witness that there is no deity but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger” (Ashhadu an lâ ilâha illâ Llâh, wa-ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasûlu Llâh).
Its root SH-H-D conveys: to attend, to be present, to witness, to bear witness, to testify, to observe, to attest, to depose, to confirm, to certify, to acknowledge. Several closely related Qur’anic terms derive from it (the witness, the testimony, the scene or assembly — mashhad).
قُلْ أَىُّ شَىْءٍ أَكْبَرُ شَهَٰدَةًۭ ۖ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ ۖ شَهِيدٌۢ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ
“Say: “What thing is greatest as a testimony?” Say: “God is Witness between me and you.”” (Q 6:19)
فَٱخْتَلَفَ ٱلْأَحْزَابُ مِنۢ بَيْنِهِمْ ۖ فَوَيْلٌۭ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن مَّشْهَدِ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ
“Then the factions differed among themselves; woe to those who disbelieved at the scene of a tremendous Day.” (Q 19:37)
This article draws principally on Maurice Gloton’s Une approche du Coran par la grammaire et le lexique. Find our Arabic and tafsîr courses to deepen these subjects through the Qur’anic text itself.