Arabic vocabulary
قَائِدٌguide in Arabic
قَائِدٌ is how you say “guide” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root ق و د (q-w-d)noun (active participle, form I)Pronounced qāʾid
Meaning of guide in Arabic
- one who leads or guides — leading from in front, as opposed to driving from behind
- leader, commander — especially of an army
Qāʾid is the standard word for a leader or commander, grounded in the verb qāda "he led it" (a horse, an army). Lane's entry draws a sharp line between qāda, leading from in front, and sāqa, driving from behind — that contrast is basic to the whole root's sense.
Words from the same root
- قَادَto lead or guide
- قِيَادَةٌleadership; the act of leading
- اِنْقَادَto be led, submit, become tractable
- قَوَدٌretaliation, blood-requital for killing
- قَوْدٌled horses, kept in reserve
Common questions
- How do you say "guide" in Arabic?
- قَائِدٌ (qāʾid) — literally "one who leads," from the root ق و د, "to lead."
- What's the difference between قائد (qāʾid) and سائق (sāʾiq)?
- Qāʾid leads from in front; sāʾiq drives or pushes from behind — Lane's lexicon draws exactly this contrast for the verb qāda.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
يَا بُنَيَّ إِنَّ الإِيمَانَ قَائِدٌ
O my son, faith is a guide.
قَائِدٌ — a guide. 'qa'id' = 'a leader, one who guides'. No 'al-', so 'a guide'.
From: Faith as Light →وَإِنْ فَتَرَ قَائِدُهَا حَرَنَتْ
And if its guide weakens, it becomes stubborn.
قَائِدُهَا — its guide. 'qa'id' = 'guide'; the ending '-ha' = 'its', pointing back to the soul.
From: Faith as Light →
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