Arabic vocabulary
مُحْسِنbenevolent in Arabic
مُحْسِن is how you say “benevolent” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root ح س ن (ḥ-s-n)noun/adjective (active participle of Form IV, أَحْسَنَ)Pronounced muḥsin
Meaning of benevolent in Arabic
- one who does good; a benefactor, doer of good deeds — active participle of أَحْسَنَ (Form IV); إِحْسَان is described as the opposite of إِسَاءَة, 'doing wrong'
- benevolent; one who acts well or kindly toward others — from أَحْسَنَ إِلَيْهِ / بِهِ, 'he acted well towards him, did good to him, benefited him'
- one who knows something well, skilled in — a tropical extension of أَحْسَنَ, 'to know well', e.g. هُوَ يُحْسِنُ بِالعَرَبِيَّةِ, 'he knows Arabic well'
مُحْسِن is the active participle of أَحْسَنَ (Form IV), the verb behind إِحْسَانٌ — explicitly said to be the opposite of إِسَاءَةٌ, "doing wrong." Classical usage distinguishes إِحْسَان from mere عَدْل ("justice"): justice gives what is owed and takes what is owed, while iḥsān — the quality that makes one a muḥsin — gives more than is owed and takes less. The phrase أَحْسَنَ إِلَيْهِ / بِهِ, "he did good to him, benefited him," captures the core everyday sense of the word.
Words from the same root
- حُسْنٌgoodness, beauty
- حَسَنٌgood, goodly, beautiful
- أَحْسَنُbetter, best; more/most goodly (elative)
- حَسَنَةٌa good deed; a good thing
- أَحْسَنَto do good, act well — the verb muḥsin comes from
- اِسْتَحْسَنَto deem good, approve of, esteem as good
Common questions
- How do you say "benevolent" in Arabic?
- مُحْسِن (muḥsin) — literally 'one who does good,' the active participle of أَحْسَنَ (Form IV of the root ح س ن), used for someone who acts well or does good toward others.
- What is the opposite of مُحْسِن?
- مُسِيء ('one who does wrong'), since Lane's notes that إِحْسَان — the quality of a muḥsin — is defined as the direct opposite of إِسَاءَة, 'doing evil.'
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
ونكتة الْمَسْأَلَة أَنَّهُ لَا يرى ربه إِلَّا محسنا، وَلَا يرى نَفسه إِلَّا مسيئا
And the essence of the matter is that he sees his Lord as nothing but good, and himself as nothing but wrong.
مُحْسِنًا — benevolent. muhsin means 'doing good, gracious'; the '-an' ending marks the state described ('sees Him only as doing good').
From: Returning to God →لَيْسَ الْعجب من فَقير مِسْكين يحب محسنا إِلَيْهِ
It is not astonishing from a poor, needy person to love one who is kind to him.
مُحْسِنًا — one who is kind. An active participle 'a benefactor / one who does good', the object of 'loves', accusative ('-an' tanwin), indefinite. The kind one he loves.
From: The Path to God's Love →إِنَّمَا
Related words
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