Arabic vocabulary
بَلْbut
How to say “but” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
Example sentences
لا تُخاصِم نفسك بالضجيج، بل قُدها بالرفق الحازم
Do not contend with yourself with noise, but guide it with firm gentleness.
بَلْ — but. 'bal' = 'but rather', shifting to a different instruction.
From: Small Daily Habits →الذِّكرُ في الإسلامِ ليسَ أصواتًا فارغة، بل معانٍ مكتملة تُنطَق في جُملٍ تامَّة تُغذّي العقلَ والقلب
Remembrance in Islam is not empty sounds, but complete meanings articulated in complete sentences that nourish the mind and heart.
بَلْ — but. 'bal' is the corrective 'rather, on the contrary' — it cancels the just-denied idea and substitutes the true one. It pivots from 'not X' to 'but Y'.
From: Words That Nourish the Heart →فهي ليستْ لفظًا مُنفردًا، بل جملةٌ مُقدَّرة معناها أبدأ عملي باسمِ الله، فأربطُ الفعلَ بالرّب
it is not an isolated utterance, but an implicit sentence meaning: I begin my action in the name of Allah, thus linking the act to the Lord.
بَلْ — but. 'rather' — cancels the denied idea and swaps in the true one. It turns the corner from 'not a bare word' to 'but a full sentence'.
From: Words That Nourish the Heart →ولا يزيدُ الإيمانَ علمًا ولا يقينًا؛ بل قد يفتحُ بابَ التخييلِ والبدع
and it neither increases faith in knowledge nor certainty; rather, it may open the door to delusion and innovations.
بَلْ — rather. 'rather' — turns from the denial to a stronger counter-claim. It readies the warning that the bare practice may do harm.
From: Words That Nourish the Heart →وأمثال ذَلِك مِمَّا اسْتعْمل فِيهِ لفظ الْكَلِمَة من الْكتاب وَالسّنة بل وَسَائِر كَلَام الْعَرَب فَإِنَّمَا يُرَاد بِهِ الْجُمْلَة التَّامَّة
And similar uses of the term 'word' in the Book and the Sunnah, as well as in the rest of Arabic speech, refer to a complete sentence.
بَلْ — rather. 'bal' — 'rather, indeed even', here escalating: it pushes the claim beyond Book and Sunna to all Arabic. Additive rather than corrective.
From: Small Deeds, Great Reward →ليس معيار الميزان الضوضاء ولا عدد المشاهدين، بل صدق النيّة وموافقة الهدى
The criterion for the scale is not noise nor the number of viewers, but sincerity of intention and adherence to guidance.
بَلْ — but. 'rather' — the corrective that cancels the denied and substitutes the true.
From: When Hidden Deeds Are Shown →بل ما وجب من الفاتحة وجب بعد الثناء
However, the obligation of Al-Fatiha comes after the praise.
بَلْ — however. 'rather' — the corrective; it pivots from the denial.
From: Required Remembrance →بل ما وجب من الفاتحة وجب بعد الثناء،
Rather, what is obligatory from the Fatiha is required after the praise,
بَلْ — rather. This is a particle of retraction: it cancels the statement just made and substitutes a correction, stronger than English 'rather' because it sets the earlier claim aside rather than merely contrasting with it. It does not change the case of what follows; it simply pivots the argument onto firmer ground.
From: Praise and Petition in Prayer →فلا يكتفي بصحَّةِ الإجراء، بل يسأل هل يُحصِّلُ المقصد؟
it is not enough to verify the correctness of the procedure; rather, one asks: does it achieve the objective?
بَلْ — but. 'rather / on the contrary' — it cancels the just-rejected idea and substitutes a stronger one. Not content with correctness, RATHER he asks whether the aim is achieved, as the verb next says.
From: Five Objectives of Islamic Law →الخلافُ لا يُبطِلُ الحقيقة، بل يكشفُ زواياها
Disagreement does not invalidate the truth, but rather reveals its angles.
بَلْ — but rather. 'rather / on the contrary' — it cancels the denied idea and substitutes a positive one. Not that disagreement voids truth; RATHER it reveals truth's facets, as the verb next says.
From: Mercy in Disagreement →من يُحسِن الصمتَ لا يهرب من الحوار، بل يختار لحظتَه كي لا تُفسِدَ العجلةُ ما يُصلِحه البيان
He who masters silence does not flee dialogue, but chooses his moment so that haste does not spoil what clarity mends.
بَلْ — but. 'rather / on the contrary' — cancelling the denied 'flees' and substituting the truth. Not that he avoids dialogue; RATHER he chooses its right moment, as the verb next says.
From: On Silence →بل هي صنعة بلا ثواب ولا عقاب،
Rather, it is a craft without reward or punishment.
بَلْ — rather. This particle means 'rather / on the contrary', and it retracts or corrects what might be assumed, swinging to the real point. Arabic uses this one word to say 'no — instead'. It opens the author's blunt re-statement.
From: Intention in Islam →بَلْ كَيْفَ يَلِيقُ بِهِ أَنْ يُؤَيِّدَهُ وَيَنْصُرَهُ وَيُعْلِيَهُ وَيُظْهِرَهُ وَيُظْفِرَهُ بِأَهْلِ الْحَقِّ يَسْفِكُ دِمَاءَهُمْ وَيَسْتَبِيحُ أَمْوَالَهُمْ وَأَوْلَادَهُمْ وَنِسَاءَهُمْ قَائِلًا
Rather, how can it befit Him to support, aid, exalt, manifest, and empower him over the people of truth while he sheds their blood, justifying their wealth, children, and women, claiming:
بَلْ — rather. This is the particle 'rather/instead', used to set aside a previous statement and correct upward to a stronger point. Its job is to redirect the argument: not only would it not befit, rather how could the opposite befit. It marks a rhetorical escalation.
From: Proof of the True Messenger →بَلْ كَيْفَ يَلِيقُ بِهِ أَنْ يُصَدِّقَهُ بِأَنْوَاعِ التَّصْدِيقِ كُلِّهَا فَيُصَدِّقَهُ بِإِقْرَارِهِ وَبِالْآيَاتِ الْمُسْتَلْزِمَةِ لِصِدْقِهِ الَّتِي دَلَالَتُهَا عَلَى التَّصْدِيقِ كَدَلَالَةِ التَّصْدِيقِ بِالْقَوْلِ،
Rather, how can it befit Him to endorse him with all types of confirmations, affirming him by acknowledging him with signs that necessitate his truthfulness, whose implications for confirmation are like confirmation by word.
بَلْ — rather. This is the particle 'rather/instead', setting aside the previous point and escalating to a stronger one. It redirects the argument upward, marking the next rhetorical question as an even harder case.
From: Proof of the True Messenger →بَلْ أَمْرُهُمْ كَانَ بِالضِّدِّ مِنْ أَمْرِ الرَّسُولِ، كَفِرْعَوْنَ وَنَمْرُودَ وَأَضْرَابِهِمَا
Rather, their matter was the opposite of that of the Messenger’s, like Pharaoh, Nimrod, and their like.
بَلْ — Rather. This is a particle of retraction meaning 'rather', used to set aside the previous idea and assert the opposite. It does not merely add; it corrects, telling the reader the truth runs counter to what might be supposed.
From: Signs of the Messenger in Medina →بَلْ حَالُهُمْ مِنْ أَظْهَرِ الْأَدِلَّةِ عَلَى صِدْقِ الرَّسُولِ، وَمِنْ حِكْمَةِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ أَنْ أَخْرَجَ مِثْلَ هَؤُلَاءِ إِلَى الْوُجُودِ لِيُعْلَمَ حَالُ الْكَذَّابِينَ وَحَالُ الصَّادِقِينَ
Indeed, their condition is among the clearest evidence of the truthfulness of the Messenger, and it is among the wisdoms of God, the Exalted, to bring forth such people, to make known the condition of liars and the truthful.
بَلْ — indeed. This is a particle of retraction meaning 'rather' or 'indeed', setting aside a lesser idea to assert a stronger one. Here it pivots to a positive claim, that their state is itself proof, correcting any underestimation.
From: Signs of the Messenger in Medina →وأنه لم يتكلم به بل قاله من تلقاء نفسه
And that He did not speak it, but rather he said it from himself.
بَلْ — but. A particle 'rather/but', setting aside the prior idea and introducing the corrective claim. It redirects the sentence toward what the enemies actually allege.
From: God's Eternal Word →بل يتركهم هملًا بمنزلة الأنعام السائمة
Rather, leaving them to wander like grazing cattle.
بَلْ — Rather. This particle marks a turn, retracting or correcting what might have been expected and asserting the opposite instead. English reaches for 'rather' or 'on the contrary'; Arabic does the same redirecting work in one short word that pivots the whole sentence.
From: False Prophets →بل كيف يليق به أن يؤيده وينصره ويعليه ويظهره ويظفره بأهل الحق
Rather, how can it befit Him to support him, grant him victory, elevate him, make him prevail, and empower him over the people of truth?
بَلْ — Rather. This particle redirects, retracting the prior framing and pressing an even stronger point, 'rather, worse still'. It pivots the argument upward, the way English 'rather' or 'indeed' escalates rather than merely adds.
From: False Prophets →بل كيف يليق به أن يصدقه بأنواع التصديق كلها
Rather, how can it befit Him to confirm him with all types of affirmation?
بَلْ — Rather. The retraction-escalation particle, pivoting to press a further point, 'rather'. It raises the argument to a new, stronger objection rather than simply adding to the last.
From: False Prophets →بل هو وبال على صاحبه وخزي وحسرة وندامة
Rather, it is a burden on the owner and a disgrace, regret, and remorse.
بَلْ — rather. A particle of correction, 'rather', that cancels a preceding idea and replaces it with a stronger claim. Its job is to pivot the sentence: not merely useless, but actually a burden.
From: Knowledge and Humility →ولكن العاقل لا يطلب السلامة من التكليف، بل يطلب التوفيق للقيام به
But the wise person does not seek freedom from obligation; rather, he seeks guidance to fulfill it.
بَلْ — rather. A correction-particle, 'rather / on the contrary', that cancels the denied option and substitutes the true one. English 'rather' does the same job: it sweeps away the first idea and replaces it.
From: Facing God's Tests →وَقَوْلُهُمْ مَنْ جَهِلَ شَيْئًا عَادَاهُ، مَذْكُورٌ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى بَلْ كَذَّبُوا بِمَا لَمْ يُحِيطُوا بِعِلْمِهِ وَإِذْ لَمْ يَهْتَدُوا بِهِ فَسَيَقُولُونَ هَذَا إِفْكٌ قَدِيمٌ
And their saying: 'Whoever is ignorant of something, opposes it' is mentioned in His saying: 'But they denied that which they did not encompass in knowledge, and when they have not been guided by it, they will say: This is an ancient falsehood.'
بَلْ — but. This is a strong contrast particle, 'rather, on the contrary', which sets aside a prior idea and asserts something else instead. It signals that the truth is not what might be expected but what follows. It opens the verse's corrective claim.
From: When Scripture Answers Proverbs →وهذا كله لا مني بل مِن من ملك
And all of this is not from me, but from the One who possesses the kingdom.
بَلْ — but. This particle reverses course: it cancels what was just said and substitutes the correct claim, like English 'rather / on the contrary'. Its job is purely to pivot the statement away from the denied source toward the true one.
From: Victory Belongs to God →
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