Arabic vocabulary
بِfor
How to say “for” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
Example sentences
فمَن رجع إلى الله بتوفيقه فإنما رجع بها،
Whoever returns to Allah by His guidance, only truly returns through them.
بِهَا — with them. bi- = 'with, through'; the ending '-ha' adds 'them' (the faculties) — together 'through them'.
From: Knowledge, Reverence, Obedience →ومَن شرد عنه بخذلانه فإنما شرد بها
And whoever strays from Him by His forsaking, only truly strays through them.
بِهَا — with them. bi- = 'with, through'; the ending '-ha' adds 'them' (the faculties) — together 'through them'.
From: Knowledge, Reverence, Obedience →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.
بِهِ — by it. 'by it' — 'bi' plus 'it', pointing back to the term 'kalima'. With 'is meant', the 'bi' marks the expression conveying the meaning.
From: Small Deeds, Great Reward →وزخرفوه بعبارات موجودة في كلام العلماء قد نطقوا بها،
And they adorned it with phrases found in the speech of scholars who have uttered them.
بِهَا — with them. 'with them' — 'bi' plus 'them' (feminine, the phrases); the verb 'utter' governs 'bi' for what is said.
From: Misguided Methodology →وكذلك من أوجب أن يدعو بعد التشهد بالدعاء المأمور به هناك، وهو الاستعاذة من عذاب جهنم، والقبر، وفتنة المحيا والممات، والدجال،
And likewise for those who obligate supplication after the tashahhud with the commanded supplication there, which is to seek refuge from the torment of Hell, the grave, the trials of life and death, and the Dajjal.
بِهِ — by it. 'with it' — 'bi' plus 'it'; the participle 'commanded' governs 'bi' (commanded-WITH-it).
From: Required Remembrance →وكذلك من أوجب أن يدعو بعد التشهد بالدعاء المأمور به هناك،
And likewise for those who require supplication after the Tashahhud, with the supplication prescribed there,
بِهِ — with it. One word doing the work of preposition plus pronoun — 'commanded with/by it'. The pronoun reaches back to the supplication, completing the participle: commanded by means of that wording.
From: Praise and Petition in Prayer →أن يراد بها وجه الله،
That they are intended for the sake of Allah,
بِهَا — with them. 'Bi-' (with/by) fused to '-ha', reaching back to the good deeds — 'that by them God's face be sought'. The suffix is feminine to agree with those deeds, and one word carries the instrument of the intention.
From: Deeds for God Alone →فإن من تعلم العلم الذي بعث الله به رسله وعلمه لوجه الله كان صديقا،
For whoever learns the knowledge sent by God through His messengers and teaches it for the sake of God is a sincere one,
بِهِ — through. 'Bi-' (with / by means of) fused to '-hi' (it), pointing back to the knowledge — God sent His messengers 'with it'. One word carries the instrument of the sending.
From: Deeds for God Alone →فيدخل الشيطان إليه فيجد سلاحه عنده فيأخذه ويقاتله به؛
The devil enters him and finds his weaponry with him, takes it and fights him with it.
بِهِ — with it. 'Bi-' (with/by) fused with '-hi' (it) — the weapon as the means. One word carries the instrument of the fight.
From: How Satan Exploits Weakness →وهي في القلب، فيدخل الشيطان فيجدها عنده فيأخذها ويصول بها على القلب؛
And they are in the heart, so the devil enters and finds them there and attacks the heart with them.
بِهَا — with them. 'Bi-' (with/by) fused with '-ha' (them) — the weapons as the means. One word carries the instrument.
From: How Satan Exploits Weakness →فإذا أَذِنَ العبدُ لعدوه، وفتح له باب بيته، وأدخله عليه، ومَكَّنه من السلاح يقاتله به، فهو المَلُوم
If the servant permits his enemy, opens the door of his house for him, lets him in, and enables him with weaponry to fight him, then he is to blame.
بِهِ — with it. 'Bi-' (with/by) fused with '-hi' (it) — the weapon as the means. One word carries the instrument.
From: How Satan Exploits Weakness →فَلَا يزَال بك حَتَّى يخْرجك من الْمَسْجِد
He persists with you until he drives you out of the mosque.
بِكَ — with you. 'Bi-' (with / at) fused with '-ka' (you) — 'keeps at you'. The 'bi-' marks the one he keeps working on.
From: The Path to God's Love →من آخر من صلّى بِهِ
Who was the last to pray with him?
بِهِ — with him. 'Bi-' (with / by) fused with '-hi' (him) — 'prayed with / leading him'. The 'bi-' here marks leading the Prophet in prayer at the end.
From: Abu Bakr: First Champion of Islam →وما دواء هذه العلوم وعلمائها والعاملين بها علما وعقدا إلا الحريق والإعدام من الوجود
And there is no remedy for these sciences, their scholars, and those who practice them in knowledge and belief except fire and annihilation from existence.
بِهَا — in them. The verb-noun 'work' takes 'bi-' to mean 'act ON / according to' something — so this phrase is 'those who put them into practice'. The pronoun '-ha' reaches back to the sciences. The 'bi-' is what turns plain 'working' into 'working by/with' them.
From: Revelation Over Philosophy →والحكمة الطبيعية لا بأس بها،
Natural philosophy is harmless.
بِهَا — in it. This is 'in' fused with 'it', completing the idiom 'no harm IN it' = 'it is fine'. The 'bi-' here carries the 'in/with' sense the phrase needs, and the pronoun points back to natural philosophy. The whole expression is a fixed way of granting permission.
From: Intention in Islam →وهو صنعة ومعيشة ينال بها الرجل السعادة والدنيا،
It is a craft and a livelihood through which a person attains happiness and worldly success.
بِهَا — through it. This is 'by / with' fused with 'it', marking the means — 'through it [a person attains]'. The 'bi-' is instrumental and the pronoun points back to the craft. Without this little word the verb could not show by what one gains.
From: Intention in Islam →فلتأته منيته وهو يؤمن بالله واليوم الأخر،
let him meet his death while believing in Allah and the Last Day,
بِاللَّهِ — in Allah. This is the preposition bi- (in) fused to the name of God, so one word means 'in Allah', marking the object of belief. The preposition governs the name into its object form; the verb 'believe' reaches its object through this bi-.
From: A Prophet Warns His People →ثم أقسم سبحانه ب ﴿وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ وَالأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِ﴾
Then God swore by the heavens with their return and the earth with its cleaving.
بِ — by. The bare oath-preposition bi- ('by'), here standing alone before the quoted verse. After a swearing verb this little word is the 'I swear by' marker and forces the genitive on what it introduces.
From: Preparing for Judgment Day →وأقسم سبحانه ب ﴿وَالسَّمَاءِ ذَاتِ الرَّجْعِ وَالأَرْضِ ذَاتِ الصَّدْعِ﴾
And He, Glory be to Him, swore by 'the sky with its returning rain and the earth with its cracks.'
بِ — by. A preposition 'by' that introduces the thing sworn upon in an oath. This is the standard oath-marker: it forces the following noun into the genitive ending and signals that what comes next is what the oath is sworn by.
From: Oaths of Provision →قال الفراء تبدى بالمطر ثم ترجع به في كل عام
Al-Farra' said: It appears with rain and then returns with it every year.
بِهِ — with it. A preposition 'with/by' fused with an attached 'it' ending, 'with it', pointing to the rain. One word carries preposition and pronoun.
From: Signs of Resurrection →وكذلك قال ابن عباس ﵄ تبدى بالمطر ثم ترجع به في كل عام
And Ibn Abbas similarly said: It appears with rain and then returns with it every year.
بِهِ — with it. A preposition 'with/by' fused with an attached 'it' ending, 'with it', pointing to the rain. One word carries preposition and pronoun.
From: Signs of Resurrection →والخير كله من قبل السماء يجي لما كان أظهر الخير المشهود بالعيان المطر فسر الرجع به ومقابلته بصدع الأرض عن النبات
And all good comes from the sky, and since the most evident visible blessing is rain, the 'return' is interpreted as such, contrasted with the earth's splitting for plant growth.
بِهِ — as such. A preposition 'with/by' fused with an attached 'it' ending, 'as/by it', pointing back to the rain. The one word carries means and pronoun: interpreted by means of it.
From: Signs of Resurrection →فمن زعم ذلك لم يقدر رب العالمين قدره ونسبه إلا مالا يليق به تعالى
Whoever claims that has not given the Lord of the worlds His due esteem and has attributed to Him what is not befitting.
بِهِ — for Him. The preposition 'bi-' here ties suitability to a person, taking the genitive, and 'Him' is attached as a suffix. With this verb 'bi-' marks the one to whom something is or is not fitting, so it sets up the relationship of befitting rather than meaning a plain 'with'.
From: False Prophets →فَيَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى ذَلِكَ مَا أَرَدْتُ بِكُمْ،
Allah, the Almighty, will say: That is what I intended for you,
بِكُمْ — with you. A preposition 'with / for' carrying 'you' (plural) as an attached object, marking the people the intent was aimed at. The plural suffix names the addressees the purpose concerned.
From: Turned Away at the Gate →
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