Arabic vocabulary
لاdo not
How to say “do not” 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.
لا — Do not. 'la' = 'do not', a command-stopping 'no'.
From: Small Daily Habits →وَلَمَّا كَانَ الْغَالِبُ مِنْ مُوَافِقِ الْهَوَى أَنَّهُ لَا يَقِفُ مِنْهُ عَلَى حَدِّ الْمُنْتَفِعِ
And since the common case when following desire is that it does not stop at the limit of benefit,
لَا — not. 'la' = 'not', negating the verb.
From: When Desire Exceeds Its Bounds →فَيَنْدُرُ مَنْ يَتَنَاوَلُ بِمُقْتَضَى مَصْلَحَتِهِ وَلا يَتَعَدَّى
So rare are those who eat only what benefits them and do not go beyond that.
وَلَا — and do not. 'wa-' = 'and'; 'la' = 'not', negating the verb.
From: When Desire Exceeds Its Bounds →والأفضلُ أن تجمعَ اللفظَ والحضور تردِّد لا إلهَ إلا الله وأنت تفكّ قيودَ قلبِك من كلِّ معبودٍ باطلٍ صورة، مال، هوى
And it is better to combine the utterance and presence: you repeat 'None is worthy of worship except Allah' while freeing your heart from all false gods: images, wealth, desires.
لَا — none. This 'la' is the absolute 'there is no...at all' — it flatly denies a whole class. It opens the creed and pairs with 'illa' to carve out the one exception.
From: Turning Daily Words into Worship →فتسيرُ بنورٍ لا يُطفئه صخبُ الدنيا
So you walk with a light that is not extinguished by the noise of the world.
لَا — not. Plain negation 'not', denying the verb that follows; it opens the relative description 'that is not put out'.
From: Turning Daily Words into Worship →إذا ناظرتَهم لم تَلْق منهم سوى حَرْفَيْنِ لِمْ لِمْ لا نُسَلِّمْ
When you debate them, you find nothing from them but the two words, 'why, why, we do not concede.'
لا — not. Negation 'not', in their stock refrain 'we do not concede'.
From: Avoiding Scholarly Disputation →وغايته أن يظفر في الأحايين منه بخَطْفَةٍ ونَهْبَةٍ تحصل له على غِرَّةٍ من العبد وغفلةٍ لابد له منها؛
At most, he might occasionally manage a snatch or grab from him when the servant is caught off guard in an unavoidable moment of heedlessness;
لَا — not. The negating particle opening the fixed 'no escape' phrase again — categorical denial. It pairs with the next word to mean 'unavoidable'.
From: Repelling the Devil →الْمعرفَة بِسَاط لَا يطَأ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا مقرب
Knowledge is a carpet stepped on only by those close to it.
لَا — not. The negating particle before a present verb — 'does not'; here building 'none treads it except…'. It sets up the exception that follows.
From: Love and Devotion to God →والمحبة نشيد لَا يطرب عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا محب مغرم
Love is a hymn enjoyed only by an infatuated lover.
لَا — not. The negating particle before a present verb — building 'none is moved by it except…'. It sets up the exception.
From: Love and Devotion to God →وَلَا للمحب قَرَار إِلَّا يَوْم الْمَزِيد
And for the lover, there is no settlement except on the Day of More.
وَلَا — and no. 'And' plus the negating 'la', continuing the previous 'there is not' — 'and nor…'. It extends the denial to the lover.
From: Love and Devotion to God →لَو صحّت محبتك لاستوحشت مِمَّن لَا يذكرك بالحبيب
If your love were true, you would feel alienated from those who do not remind you of the beloved.
لَا — do not. The negating 'la' before a present verb — 'does not'. It opens the description of those persons.
From: Remembering and Loving God →أقل مَا فِي الْمحبَّة أَنَّهَا لَا تنسيك تذكر المحبوب
The least of what is in love is that it does not let you forget to remember the beloved.
لَا — does not. The negating 'la' before a present verb — 'does not'. It opens 'does not let you forget'.
From: Remembering and Loving God →ذكرتك لَا أَنِّي نستك سَاعَة
I mentioned you not because I forgot you for a moment...
لَا — not. A negating 'not', here negating a reason — 'not because…'. It rules out the wrong explanation that follows.
From: Remembering and Loving God →فلايرى مِنْك طردا لَهُ
So he sees no rejection from you.
فَلَا — so not. 'Fa-' (so) plus the negating 'la' before a present verb — 'so he does not'. It opens 'he sees no rejection from you'.
From: The Path to God's Love →فَلَا يزَال بك حَتَّى يخْرجك من الْمَسْجِد
He persists with you until he drives you out of the mosque.
فَلَا — so not. 'Fa-' (so) plus the 'la' that pairs with the next verb — part of the 'la yazalu' construction 'keeps on'. Here the 'la' is built into the idiom, not a plain negation.
From: The Path to God's Love →وَأحمد عَاقبَتهَا أَن تكون لَا لَهُ وَلَا عَلَيْهِ تَنْبِيه
And the best outcome is that it is neither for him nor against him. Attention!
لَا — neither. The negating 'la' opening a 'neither… nor' — 'neither'. It denies it falls on either side.
From: Directing Desire Toward God →وَلَا تَكِلنِي على بعد الديار إِلَى صبري الضَّعِيف فصبري أَنْت تعلمه
Do not leave me to my weak patience across the distance of lands.
وَلَا — and not. 'And' plus the 'la' of prohibition before a command-verb — 'and do not'. It forbids the act that follows.
From: Stages of the Seeker →وَقَضَاء يَقْضِيه عَلَيْهِ ونعمة ينعم بهَا عَلَيْهِ فَلَا يَنْفَكّ من هَذِه الثَّلَاثَة
And a decree He executes upon him, and a blessing He bestows upon him, so he does not separate from these three.
فَلَا — so not. The 'fa-' draws a conclusion and the 'la' negates the present verb: 'so he is never free of...'. Together they sum up that the servant always stands within these three.
From: Accepting God's Decree →لَا تَحَاسَدُوا،
Do not envy one another,
لَا — do not. This negator is the prohibitive 'do not', and it puts the following verb into the clipped jussive. It opens a series of commands forbidding harmful behaviour.
From: Brotherhood in Islam →لَا يَظْلِمُهُ،
He does not oppress him,
لَا — not. This negator before a present verb gives 'does not', opening a string of things a Muslim does not do to his brother. It is plain negation, not prohibition, describing the ideal conduct.
From: Brotherhood in Islam →لا يشبهه شئ من كلام الخلق ولا يقدر على مثله الخلق بأسرهم
Nothing from the speech of creation resembles it, nor can the entire creation produce anything like it.
لا — not. A flat 'not' negating the verb just ahead — 'nothing resembles it.' This is the everyday negation for a present-tense statement of plain fact.
From: Devotion to the Quran →وحفظُها يكون على ثلاث درجات الضَّرورياتِ التي لا يقومُ العيشُ بدونها،
Preservation occurs on three levels: necessities that life cannot go on without,
لَا — not. The 'not' over the coming verb — 'does NOT stand.' It is the heart of the definition: life cannot keep going if these are lost.
From: Five Objectives of Islamic Law →الخلافُ لا يُبطِلُ الحقيقة، بل يكشفُ زواياها
Disagreement does not invalidate the truth, but rather reveals its angles.
لا — does not. A flat 'not' negating the verb just ahead — 'does not invalidate.' The everyday negation for a present-tense statement of fact; it denies one effect before 'rather' affirms another.
From: Mercy in Disagreement →النيةُ لا تُعلَنُ للناس بقدر ما تُدرَّبُ في السرّ؛
Intention is not declared to people as much as it is cultivated in secret.
لا — not. A flat 'not' negating the passive ahead — 'is not declared...'. It denies one treatment of intention (parading it) before affirming the other (training it in secret).
From: Purifying Your Intentions →
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