Arabic vocabulary
ظُلْمinjustice in Arabic
ظُلْم is how you say “injustice” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root ظ ل م (ẓ-l-m)noun (verbal noun / maṣdar of ظَلَمَ, form I)Pronounced ẓulm
Meaning of injustice in Arabic
- wrongdoing, injustice, oppression — most lexicologists trace it to the basic idea of putting a thing in a place not its own, i.e. misplacement — by exceeding, falling short of, or deviating from the proper measure; said to cover wrong done between man and God, man and man, and a man and himself
- loss, deprivation, or fraud inflicted on someone — e.g. ẓalamahu ḥaqqahu, 'he deprived/defrauded him of his due'; also the sense in Qur'anic verses such as 'God does not wrong (deprive) anyone of the weight of an atom'
- an unreasonable demand — extended use: imposing on someone a burden or claim beyond their power or ability
Classically ẓulm is the core Arabic term for injustice: lexicographers derive it from the basic sense of "misplacing" something — putting a thing where it does not belong, or exceeding/falling short of the proper measure — from which the ethical sense of wronging, oppressing, or defrauding someone develops. It appears repeatedly in the Qur'an for wrongdoing toward God, toward others, and toward oneself.
Words from the same root
- ظَلَمَto do wrong; to wrong or treat someone unjustly (form I verb)
- ظَلْمٌwrongdoing (a variant/parallel form of the verbal noun ẓulm)
- ظِلَامٌthe act of wronging someone; also cited as a plural of ẓulm
- ظَاْلَمَto contend in wrongdoing with one another (form III; its verbal noun muẓālamah is glossed as 'wronging him')
Common questions
- How do you say "injustice" in Arabic?
- Injustice is ظُلْم (ẓulm), from the root ظ-ل-م (ẓ-l-m).
- What is the original, literal sense behind ظُلْم؟
- Lexicographers say it primarily means putting a thing in a place that is not its own — misplacement — from which the extended sense of wrongdoing, injustice, and depriving someone of their due developed.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
فَأقر لَهُ بِالْجَهْلِ فِي علمه، والآفات فِي عمله، والعيوب فِي نَفسه، والتفريط فِي حَقه، وَالظُّلم فِي مُعَامَلَته
So he acknowledges his ignorance in his knowledge, the flaws in his actions, the defects in his self, his negligence in his duty, and the injustice in his dealings.
وَالظُّلْمِ — the injustice. wa- = 'and'; al- = 'the'; zulm means 'wrongdoing, injustice'.
From: Returning to God →فَيرى فِي ذَلِك فقره إِلَى ربّه، وظلمه فِي نَفسه
Thus, he sees in that his need for his Lord, and his injustice to himself.
وَظُلْمَهُ — and his injustice. wa- = 'and'; zulm means 'wrongdoing'; the ending '-hu' adds 'his' — 'his wrongdoing'; a second object of 'sees'.
From: Returning to God →
Related words
Learn Arabic vocabulary in context
OpenArabic teaches words like ظُلْم through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
Get the app