Arabic vocabulary
شغلdistract in Arabic
شغل is how you say “distract” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root ش غ ل (sh-gh-l)verb (form I)Pronounced shaghala
Meaning of distract in Arabic
- to busy, occupy, or employ (someone)
- to distract, divert someone's attention — often with ʿan, 'away from' something
Classically the verb takes a direct object (he busied/distracted him), with the passive شُغِلَ بِه meaning 'he was occupied by' something; the causative form أشغل was considered poor usage by early lexicographers, who preferred شغل itself. The doubled form شغّل intensifies the sense of being kept busy. Commentators cite this root in explaining Qur'anic verses where something 'busies' or 'diverts' a person from another matter.
Words from the same root
- شُغْلbusiness, occupation, work
- مَشْغُولbusy, occupied, engaged
- اِشْتَغَلَto be busy, occupied, at work
- شَاغِلbusying, occupying; a preoccupation
- مُشْتَغِلone who is busy or occupied
Common questions
- How do you say "distract" in Arabic?
- شَغَلَ (shaghala) — to busy or occupy someone, especially so as to divert them from something else.
- What is the difference between شَغَلَ and اِشْتَغَلَ?
- شَغَلَ is transitive (to busy or distract someone else), while اِشْتَغَلَ is reflexive, meaning to busy oneself or be occupied with something.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
اسْتَعِنْ عَلَى سَيْرِكَ إِلَى اللَّهِ بِتَرْكِ مَنْ شَغَلَكَ عَنِ اللَّهِ ﷿
Seek assistance on your path to Allah by abandoning those who divert you from Allah.
شَغَلَكَ — divert you. Past-tense verb 'shaghala' = 'he occupied, distracted'; '-ka' = 'you', so 'distracted you'.
From: Taming the Lower Self →وَلَيْسَ بِشَاغِلٍ يَشْغَلُكَ عَنِ اللَّهِ كَنَفْسِكَ الَّتِي هِيَ بَيْنَ جَنْبَيْكَ
And nothing can distract you from Allah like your own self between your sides.
يَشْغَلُكَ — distract you. Present-tense verb 'yashghal' = 'it distracts, occupies'; '-ka' = 'you'.
From: Taming the Lower Self →
Related words
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