نُور light in Arabic
نُور is how you say “light” in Arabic.
Root ن و ر n-w-r. noun (substantive). nūr.
Arabic
English
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Meaning of light in Arabic
- light, illumination, brightness
- radiance, glow; that by which one sees or is guided the lexicon derives the verbs أَنَارَ and نَوَّرَ, both meaning 'to give light,' directly from this noun
Example sentence
وأوسطها صلوات الملائكة على العبد لِيُخْرجه الله مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النور،
The middle stage involves the angels’ prayers for the servant to be brought out from darkness to light by God.
النُّورِ light
al- = 'the'; nur means 'light' — the noun after 'ila'.
The English is machine-translated.
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How it is used
نور pairs with نار (fire) from the same root: نار is the blaze itself, نور the light it or anything else gives off. Forms II (نوّر) and IV (أنار) are built straight from this noun to mean 'to shine, illuminate,' and form X (استنار) means to seek or draw on something's light or rays.
Words from the same root
- نَارٌ fire; the blaze apparent to the senses
- أَنَارَ to give light, shine, illuminate (denominal from nūr)
- نَوَّرَ to illuminate; also, of a tree, to blossom
- تَنْوِيرٌ illumination; verbal noun of نوّر, also used of a tree's blossoming
- اِسْتَنَارَ to seek or draw on something's light or rays
- نَوْرٌ blossom, flower (what a tree puts forth)
- نُورَةٌ a lime preparation smeared on the skin to remove hair
More example sentences
والنتيجةُ يومٌ منظَّمٌ بنورِ الذِّكر، محروسٌ من العادةِ الفارغة، متَّجِهٌ إلى الله
The result is a day organized by the light of remembrance, guarded from empty habits, and directed toward Allah.
بِنُورِ by the light of
'by the light of' — 'bi' of means plus 'light', genitive, and head of an 'of' pairing with 'remembrance'. It says what organizes the day.
إن غلب نور عمله الصالح ثَقُلَت كفّته، فيُعرف مكانه في الجنّة بعمله كما يعرف أهل الجمعة منازلهم عند الانصراف
If the light of his righteous deeds prevails, his balance becomes heavy, and his place in paradise is known by his deeds, just as those who attend Friday prayers know their homes upon leaving.
نُورُ light
'the light of', the doer of 'prevailed', nominative, head of an 'of' pairing with 'his deed' — 'the light OF his deed'.
فتبدو سريرته على وجهه نورًا وإشراقًا وحياء
His inner state will appear on his face as light, brightness, and modesty.
نُورًا as light
An indefinite noun in the object-style ending, naming the form the inner state takes on when it appears: 'as light'. This accusative-style ending is Arabic's way of saying 'in the manner/state of', covering the English 'as'.
العاقل يرى بنور فكره عواقب الأمور قبل وقوعها، فيتجنب ما يخاف سوء عاقبته، ويسارع إلى ما يرجو حسن عاقبته
"The wise person sees, with the light of his thought, the consequences of matters before they occur. He avoids what he fears will have a bad outcome, and hastens toward what he hopes will have a good outcome."
بِنُورِ with the light of
The preposition 'with' fused to 'light', marking the means of seeing, and 'light of' opens an 'of' pairing with the next word. As object of the preposition the noun takes the possessive case and owns the pairing that follows.
فمن كانت سريرته صالحة كان عمله صالحًا فتبدو سريرته على وجهه نورًا وإشراقًا وحياء ومن كانت سريرته
So whoever has a righteous inner state, his actions will be righteous; then his inner state appears on his face as light, radiance, and modesty, and whoever's inner state...
نُورًا light
This noun is in the accusative, and that case is doing specific work: it expresses the form or guise in which the inner state shows up, appearing 'as light'. Arabic uses this accusative-of-manner to say what something turns into or shows itself as, without needing an extra word like 'as'.
Common questions
- How do you say "light" in Arabic?
- Light is نُور (nūr), from the root ن و ر, which also gives نار 'fire' and the verbs أنار/نوّر 'to shine, illuminate.'
- What is the difference between نور and نار in Arabic?
- They share the root ن و ر: نار (nār) is the fire or flame itself, while نور (nūr) is the light or brightness that it, or anything else, gives off.
Related words
Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).