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عِلْم knowledge in Arabic

عِلْم is how you say “knowledge” in Arabic.

Root ع ل م ʿ-l-m. noun (verbal noun / maṣdar of عَلِمَ, form I). ʿilm.

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English

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Meaning of knowledge in Arabic

  1. knowledge the verbal noun of عَلِمَ (ʿalima), 'to know' — denotes knowing something truly, not merely being acquainted with it
  2. certainty; sure, well-grounded knowing lexicographers largely treat ʿilm as syn. with اليقين (yaqīn); it is the term applied even to God's knowledge, since He is not described as ʿārif ('acquainted') or shāʿir ('perceiving')

Example sentence

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.

عِلْمِهِ his knowledge

ilm means 'knowledge'; the ending '-hi' adds 'his' — 'his knowledge'.

From Returning to God

The English is machine-translated.

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How it is used

ʿIlm is knowledge held with certainty, not just familiarity. Classical scholars distinguish it from معرفة (maʿrifah, 'acquaintance/recognition'), which typically implies knowledge gained after a prior state of not knowing — a distinction sharpened in theology, where God is called ʿalīm but never ʿārif. In practice, though, the two words are sometimes used for one another.

Words from the same root

More example sentences

ولا يزيدُ الإيمانَ علمًا ولا يقينًا؛ بل قد يفتحُ بابَ التخييلِ والبدع

and it neither increases faith in knowledge nor certainty; rather, it may open the door to delusion and innovations.

عِلْمًا knowledge

'in knowledge', accusative as a specifying noun — it pins down HOW faith would grow: 'increase faith knowledge-wise'. Arabic uses this bare accusative where English needs 'in, with respect to'.

From Words That Nourish the Heart

وَإِذا تجلى بِصفة السّمع وَالْبَصَر وَالْعلم

And when He manifests in the attributes of hearing, seeing, and knowledge.

وَالْعِلْمِ and knowledge

'And' plus 'knowledge', parallel genitive owner. The third, completing hearing, sight, and knowing.

From Humility Before the Divine

والتوكل معنى يلتئم من علم العَبْد بكفاية الله

And reliance is a meaning formed from the servant's knowledge of God's sufficiency.

عِلْمِ knowledge

'Knowledge', first term of an 'of' pairing — 'the servant's knowledge' — genitive after 'from'. It owns the noun that follows.

From Humility Before the Divine

وَلَا تسْقط ورقة إِلَّا بِعِلْمِهِ

Nor does a leaf fall except by His knowledge.

بِعِلْمِهِ by His knowledge

'Bi-' (by) fused with 'knowledge' plus '-hi' (His) attached, genitive — only 'with His knowing'. Nothing falls outside His awareness.

From God's Majesty

وَمَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَلْتَمِسُ فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَهَّلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ بِهِ طَرِيقًا إلَى الْجَنَّةِ،

And whoever follows a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make a path to Paradise easy for him through it.

عِلْمًا knowledge

'Knowledge', the object of 'seek', accusative and indefinite, the goal of the journey. It is what one travels the path to obtain.

From Easing a Believer's Hardship

الشروط علم حسن شرعى،

Contracts are an excellent legal science.

عِلْمٌ are a science

This indefinite noun is the predicate — 'is a science'. The fresh comment stays indefinite and the 'is' is unwritten. The adjectives that follow will qualify it.

From Intention in Islam

علم القراءة والتجويد

The science of Qur'anic recitation and Tajweed:

عِلْمُ The science

This noun, the science-of, is in the nominative and the head of a possessive pairing owning the next word. It owns 'recitation' by adjacency with no word for 'of', so it begins the chain 'the science of recitation'.

From When Recitation Breeds Pride

فليت شعري أنت ماذا عرفت؟ وما علمك،

I wish to know what you have understood? And what is your knowledge,

عِلْمُكَ is your knowledge

This noun, your knowledge, is the subject of the new question, in the nominative, with the possessor 'your' attached. The question asks what that knowledge amounts to, the suffix marking it as the addressee's own.

From When Recitation Breeds Pride

وذكر كذلك الذين اتخذوا العلم وسيلة وغرضا لتحصيل ملذات الدنيا وحطامها الفاني،

He also mentioned those who took knowledge as a means and a goal to acquire the pleasures of the fleeting world and its perishable goods.

الْعِلْمَ the knowledge

The definite object of 'took', sitting in the form Arabic uses for the thing an action lands on. Its 'the' marks it as knowledge in general, the known body of learning, not just any knowledge.

From Knowledge and Humility

علماء السوء الذين قصدهم من العلم التنعم بالدنيا والتوصل الى الجاه والمنزلة عند أهلها،

The corrupt scholars whose purpose in knowledge is to indulge in worldly life and attain status among its people.

الْعِلْمِ the knowledge

The noun governed by the 'from' before it, so it sits in the form a preposition forces. Its 'the' marks it as knowledge as a known whole, the very learning they were meant to pursue for its own sake.

From Knowledge and Humility

فقال من طلب العلم ليجاري به العلماء، ويماري به السفهاء، ويصرف به وجوه الناس اليه أدخله الله النار

He said: 'Whoever seeks knowledge to compete with the scholars, or to argue with the foolish, or to turn people's faces towards him, Allah will admit him into the Fire.'

العِلْمَ the knowledge

The definite object of 'seeks', in the form for the thing an action falls on. Its 'the' marks it as knowledge as a known whole, the very thing whose misuse is being condemned.

From Knowledge and Humility

وقد وصف الله علماء السوء بأكل الدنيا بالعلم،

And Allah described the corrupt scholars as devouring the world with knowledge.

بِالْعِلْمِ with knowledge

Here 'bi-' is fused on as 'by means of', marking knowledge as the tool used to consume the world. The preposition governs the noun, whose 'the' marks learning as a known whole misused as an instrument.

From Knowledge and Humility

وأوضح المصنف أن العلم إذا لم يكن للعمل فلا فائدة منه،

The author clarified that knowledge without action is of no benefit.

الْعِلْمَ the knowledge

The noun right after 'that', forced by that particle into the object-like form even though it is the topic of the clause. Its 'the' marks knowledge as a known whole, the thing being talked about.

From Knowledge and Humility

وَقَوْلُهُمْ مَنْ جَهِلَ شَيْئًا عَادَاهُ، مَذْكُورٌ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى بَلْ كَذَّبُوا بِمَا لَمْ يُحِيطُوا بِعِلْمِهِ وَإِذْ لَمْ يَهْتَدُوا بِهِ فَسَيَقُولُونَ هَذَا إِفْكٌ قَدِيمٌ

And their saying: 'Whoever is ignorant of something, opposes it' is mentioned in His saying: 'But they denied that which they did not encompass in knowledge, and when they have not been guided by it, they will say: This is an ancient falsehood.'

بِعِلْمِهِ with knowledge of it

This is the preposition 'with, of' merged with 'knowledge' carrying the attached 'it'. The verb of encompassing reaches its object through this preposition, giving 'grasp the knowledge of it'. The suffix points back to the thing denied, so tracking the referent is part of reading it.

From When Scripture Answers Proverbs

وكلما جاء عرفي شب في العلم وما أنفرك،

Every time my reputation spreads, I grow in knowledge and you do not turn away.

العِلْمِ the knowledge

The al- makes this definite, 'the knowledge'. As the noun governed by the preposition meaning 'in', it takes the -i ending Arabic assigns to objects of a preposition.

From Victory Belongs to God

وأرحم من أمر ، وأعلم من أوحى ، وأكرم من هدى ،

And more merciful than those who command, more knowledgeable than those who have revealed, and more generous than those who guide,

وَأَعْلَمُ and more knowledgeable

This is the bound wa- 'and' plus a superlative, 'and more knowledgeable', adding another divine attribute. The 'more/most' sense lives in the word's pattern, the wa- links it to the prior attribute, and it heads a fresh comparison with the following 'than those who'.

From True Devotion

ولا تستكبر ، ولا تكن ممن يستكبر بما علم ،

And do not be arrogant, and do not be among those who are arrogant about what they know,

عَلِمَ he knew,

This is a past-tense verb, 'he came to know', with its subject built in, inside the clause 'what he knows'. The verb supplies the content of 'about what he knows'; the doer is carried within its form.

From True Devotion

قَلِيلُ الْعِلْمِ بِالْصِّنَاعَةِ ،

He has little knowledge of the craft.

الْعِلْمِ knowledge

A definite noun carrying al-, sitting as the owner term in 'little of the knowledge', so it takes the 'of'-style (genitive) ending demanded by the adjective in front of it. It names what there is little of, completing the possessive pairing.

From Humility Over Fame

وَرُبَّمَا ظَنٌّ مَنْ لَا عِلْمَ لَهُ أَنَّ جَوَاذِبَ الْآخِرَةِ أَقْوَى،

And perhaps one who has no knowledge might think that the attractions of the Hereafter are stronger.

عِلْمَ knowledge

The noun being denied in the 'there is no X' pattern, which is why it takes the special accusative ending that goes with this kind of absolute negation. It is the thing the person is said to lack, and it pairs with the upcoming 'for him' to complete 'has no knowledge'.

From Guarding the Heart from Heedlessness

أَشْتَغِلُ بِالْعِلْمِ الْيَوْمَ،

I will occupy myself with knowledge today,

بِالْعِلْمِ with the knowledge

The bi- preposition marks what the busying is with, taking the noun into the genitive, and the al- makes that noun definite ('the knowledge'). Together they name the object of the scholar's intended occupation, the pursuit he says he will throw himself into.

From Preparing for Death and Repentance

وذلك يشترك فيه أهل اليد والقدرة وأهل العلم والكلام،

This includes both people of power and capability and people of knowledge and speech.

الْعِلْمِ knowledge

The 'the' makes this noun definite, and it owns the preceding 'people of', giving 'the people of knowledge'. As the owner in that 'of' pairing it takes the genitive ending.

From Obedience to God and Authority

قال تعلمت العلم وعلمته وقرأت فيك القرآن قال كذبت، ولكنك تعلمت ليقال عالم وقرأت القرآن ليقال هو قارئ،

He said, "I learned the knowledge, I taught it, and I recited the Quran in your presence." He said, "You lied. Rather, you learned so that people would call you a scholar, and you recited the Quran so that they would say he is a reciter."

الْعِلْمَ the knowledge

This noun is the direct object of 'learned', so it takes the accusative ending; the al- makes it definite, 'the knowledge'. It names what he claims to have acquired, the first deed of his defense.

From Intentions on Judgment Day

علم الحديث والمحدثون فغالبهم لا يفقهون ولا همة لهم في معرفة الحديث ولا في التدين به، بل الصحيح والموضوع عندهم بنسبة

The science of Hadith and its scholars: most of them do not understand, nor do they care about knowing the Hadith or practicing it; rather, the authentic and the fabricated are the same to them.

عِلْمُ the science of

A noun 'knowledge/science' heading an 'of' pairing with 'the Hadith' next - 'the science of Hadith'. Two nouns side by side give the possessive with no word for 'of', and this head noun gives up its own 'the', drawing definiteness from its partner. It opens the sentence as the topic being discussed.

From Sincere Worship

Common questions

How do you say "knowledge" in Arabic?
علم (ʿilm).
What's the difference between ʿilm and maʿrifah (معرفة)?
Both can mean 'to know,' but ʿilm denotes true, certain knowledge (even used of God's knowledge), while maʿrifah more often implies recognizing or becoming acquainted with something after not having known it.

Related words

Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).