Arabic vocabulary
سَجَدَbow in Arabic
سَجَدَ is how you say “bow” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root س ج د (s-j-d)verb (form I)Pronounced sajada
Meaning of bow in Arabic
- to prostrate oneself in prayer; to put the forehead on the ground — the specific sense used for the Islamic prayer prostration
- to be lowly, humble, or submissive; to bend oneself down toward the ground — the general, non-ritual sense
- (of a camel) to lower its head so as to be mounted — tropical usage
- to bend or incline, as a fruit-laden palm tree, a ship before the wind, or plants turning toward the sun — tropical usage
سَجَدَ is best known as the verb for the Islamic prayer-prostration — dropping to the ground and placing the forehead on it — and appears in this sense repeatedly in the Qur'an (e.g. ii. 55, vii. 161, xvi. 50, lv. 5), including the extended, tropical use of trees and plants "bowing" in submission to God. Outside ritual prayer it more broadly means to lower oneself or one's head in humility, and is extended figuratively to things that bend or incline, such as a laden palm tree or a ship yielding to the wind.
Words from the same root
- سَجْدَةٌa single act of prostration (in prayer)
- سِجْدَةٌa particular kind or manner of prostration
- سَجَّادٌone who prostrates himself often or frequently
- سَجَّادَةٌa prayer mat or small carpet knelt on for prayer; also the mark of prostration left on the forehead
- سَاجِدٌone who is bowing or prostrating himself (active participle)
- أَسْجَدَto gaze continuously with lowered, languid eyelids (tropical, form IV)
Common questions
- How do you say "bow" in Arabic?
- سَجَدَ (sajada) — to bow down or prostrate oneself, most notably in the Islamic prayer prostration.
- What is the Arabic word for a prayer mat?
- سَجَّادَةٌ (sajjādah), from the same root س-ج-د as سَجَدَ, "to prostrate oneself."
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
فصل إيّاك والمعاصي فإنها أزالت عزّ اسجدوا، وأخرجت إقطاع اسكن يا آدم
Beware of sins, for they removed the honor of 'bow down,' and expelled the estate of 'dwell, O Adam.'
اسْجُدُوا — 'bow down'. A command 'bow down!' to a group (the '-u' ending = plural 'you'); quoted as the angels' order to bow to Adam.
From: Adam's Descent →وبشكر نعمته سجد المصلي وخوى،
And in gratitude for His blessings, the worshipper prostrated and became humble.
سَجَدَ — he prostrated. A past-tense verb with a built-in 'he' subject, reporting a completed prostration. The singular masculine form agrees with the singular doer named after it, which Arabic places following the verb.
From: All Creation Praises Him →فلما قيل اسجد
Related words
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