قَلِيلٌlittle

Example sentences

• احمل جسدك على القليل المنتظم من الطاعات، فالقليل الدائم أثبت من الكثير المنقطع

  Engage your body in a little but consistent worship, for a little that is continuous is more steady than much that is sporadic.

  الْقَلِيلِ — a little. 'al-' = 'the'; 'qalil' = 'a little, a small amount', so 'the little'.

  From: On Sincerity →

• احمل جسدك على القليل المنتظم من الطاعات، فالقليل الدائم أثبت من الكثير المنقطع

  Engage your body in a little but consistent worship, for a little that is continuous is more steady than much that is sporadic.

  فَالْقَلِيلُ — for a little. 'fa-' = 'for'; 'al-' = 'the'; 'qalil' = 'a little', so 'for the little'. Subject of the next clause.

  From: On Sincerity →

• والمنطق نفعه قليل، وضرره وبيل،

  Logic has little benefit, but its harm is severe.

  قَلِيلٌ — little. 'little / scant,' indefinite (the -un), the predicate of 'its benefit [is]...'. The first verdict on logic: what good it offers is SMALL — set against its severe harm next.

  From: Revelation Over Philosophy →

• فإذا رأيت الواعظ راغبا في الدنيا قليل الدين،

  If you see the preacher desiring worldly life and lacking religious commitment,

  قَلِيلَ — lacking. This is a second state-describing accusative for the preacher — 'scant [in something]' — and it opens a tight pairing: 'scant OF religion'. Arabic builds 'lacking in X' by setting this adjective directly before the noun it falls short in, with the second noun in the genitive.

  From: Sincere Preaching →

• فحسنه حسن وهو قليل،

  So its beauty is beautiful, and it is rare,

  قَلِيلٌ — rare. This is the predicate, 'few / rare'. It closes the thought that the genuinely good in poetry is scarce. Indefinite as a fresh comment, with the 'is' again left unspoken between subject and predicate.

  From: Sincere Preaching →

• إلا أنك شكوتَ من إطالته بالأحاديث المسندة التي لا تليق به وبكلامٍ عن بعض المذكورين كثير قليل الفائدة،

  However, you complained about its excessive length due to the chained hadiths that do not suit it, and about speech from some of the mentioned people that is lengthy but of little benefit.

  قَلِيلِ — little...benefit. A describing word, 'little', paired with 'much' to build the contrast 'lengthy yet of little benefit'. It carries the genitive ending to agree with the noun 'benefit' it controls, the agreement marked by the ending, not position.

  From: Gaps in a Collection of Pious Lives →