رَسُولٌ Messenger in Arabic
رَسُولٌ is how you say “Messenger” in Arabic.
Root ر س ل r-s-l. noun (also used as a verbal noun). rasūl.
Arabic
English
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Meaning of Messenger in Arabic
- messenger, envoy; one sent with a message
- the act of bringing a message less common; used when the word functions as an infinitive noun rather than naming the person
Example sentence
وقال لرجال ممن كانوا معه من الأنصار ادخلوا على رسول الله ﷺ فاجلسوا عنده واحذروا عليه هذا الخبيث
He said to the men from the Ansar who were with him: Enter to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, sit with him, and be wary of this treacherous one.
رَسُولِ Messenger of
rasul means 'messenger'; heading an 'of…' phrase with the next word; the noun after 'ala'.
The English is machine-translated.

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How it is used
رَسُولٌ pairs naturally with the verb أَرْسَلَ (to send): a rasūl is properly one who has been sent with a message, and it shares its root with رِسَالَة, the message itself. Lane notes an older, rarer use where the word acts as a verbal noun for the act of conveying a message rather than the person conveying it.
Words from the same root
- إِرْسَالٌ the act of sending, dispatching
- رِسَالَةٌ a letter, message, epistle
- رُسُلٌ messengers
- مُرْسَلٌ one who is sent
- مُرَاسَلَةٌ an exchange of messages or letters
More example sentences
فقال أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأنك رسوله
Then he said: I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and that you are His messenger.
رَسُولُهُ His messenger
rasul means 'messenger'; the ending '-hu' adds 'His' — 'His messenger'.
قد كنا يا رسول الله نكذبك بما تأتينا به من خبر السماء،
We used to deny you, O Messenger of Allah, concerning what you brought us from the news of the heavens,
رَسُولَ Messenger of
rasul means 'messenger'; the '-a' ending (the one addressed), heading an 'of…' phrase with the next word.
وَثَبَتَ مُعْجِزَاتِ الرُّسُلِ
And it confirmed the miracles of the messengers.
الرُّسُلِ of the messengers
'al-' = 'the'; the 'of' word — 'of the messengers'.
بخلاف المجتهد في طاعة الله، ورسوله باطنا وظاهرًا
unlike the diligent one in obedience to Allah and His Messenger, internally and externally,
وَرَسُولِهِ and His Messenger
'and His Messenger' — 'wa' plus 'rasul' plus 'his', genitive — joined to 'God'; the 'his' points to God.
الذي يطلب الحق باجتهاده كما أمره الله ورسوله؛
who seeks the truth through his effort as Allah and His Messenger commanded him;
وَرَسُولُهُ and His Messenger
'and His Messenger' — 'wa' plus 'rasul' plus 'his', nominative, a second subject joined by 'wa'.
فإن من تعلم العلم الذي بعث الله به رسله وعلمه لوجه الله كان صديقا،
For whoever learns the knowledge sent by God through His messengers and teaches it for the sake of God is a sincere one,
رُسُلَهُ His messengers
Direct object of 'sent', accusative ('-a'), with '-hu' (His) attached — the messengers belonging to God. Object plus possessor folded into a single word, the accusative marking who was sent.
وَيُرْسل الرُّسُل وَينزل الْكتب
And He sends messengers and reveals scriptures,
الرُّسُلَ messengers
Direct object of 'sends', a broken plural, accusative ('-a'), definite. Those He dispatches.
فصل لما بَايع الرَّسُول أهل الْعقبَة أَمر أَصْحَابه بِالْهِجْرَةِ إِلَى الْمَدِينَة
When the Messenger pledged allegiance with the people of Aqabah, he instructed his companions to migrate to Medina.
الرَّسُولُ the Messenger
The subject of 'pledged', nominative ('-u'), after its verb. The Prophet, who took the pledge.
فأصول دين السلف الإيمان بالله وكتبه ورسله وملائكته،
The fundamentals of the religion of the predecessors were faith in Allah, His books, His messengers, His angels,
وَرُسُلِهِ His messengers
Another item in the 'faith in...' list — a broken plural ('messengers') plus 'His'. It shares the genitive governed by the earlier 'bi-' through coordination. The attached pronoun keeps the messengers tied to God.
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
رَسُولُ Messenger
Subject of 'said', nominative, heading a possessive — 'the Messenger OF Allah'. It owns the name to come.
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم تضمن الله لمن خرج في سبيله لا يخرجه إلا جهاد في سبيلي،
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: 'Allah guarantees for the one who goes out in His path, driven solely by striving for My cause,
رَسُولُ Messenger
This is the first half of 'Messenger of Allah' and the subject of 'said', placed after the verb. The two nouns join directly to mean 'of', with no linking word; this names who spoke.
فَظَهَرَ أَنَّ مَنْ أَنْكَرَ كَوْنَهُ رَسُولًا نَبِيًّا فَقَدْ قَدَحَ بِاللَّهِ وَنَقَصَهُ وَنَسَبَهُ إِلَى الْجَهْلِ وَالْعَجْزِ وَالسَّفَهِ
It became clear that whoever denies his being a Messenger and Prophet has indeed defamed God, diminished Him, and attributed ignorance, inability, and folly to Him.
رَسُولًا a Messenger
This noun lacks 'the' and ends in the indefinite mark and the accusative, 'a messenger', serving as the predicate inside 'his being a messenger'. The accusative marks it as the complement of the being-noun, what he is denied to be.
ثم أقام سبحانه البرهان القاطع على صدق رسوله
Then He, Exalted, established the decisive proof of the truthfulness of His Messenger.
رَسُولِهِ of His Messenger
This is the owner half of the pairing, the messenger, with the possessor attached as a suffix at the end. The chain reads truthfulness-of-his-messenger, where the leading noun draws its definiteness from this owner; the suffix points back to God as the one whose messenger it is.
فَأَتَاهُ الرَّسُولُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَأْمُرُكَ أَنْ تُصَلِّّيَ بِالنَّاسِ
A messenger came to him and said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, commands you to lead the people in prayer.
الرَّسُولُ the messenger
A definite noun, 'the messenger/envoy', as the subject of the verb before it; the 'the' marks a specific known envoy in the story.
فَأَتَاهُ الرَّسُولُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَأْمُرُكَ أَنْ تُصَلِّّيَ بِالنَّاسِ
A messenger came to him and said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, commands you to lead the people in prayer.
رَسُولَ Messenger
The noun governed by the emphasis-particle before it (hence its accusative) and also the front term of a 'Messenger of' pairing with the next word. It both answers the particle and heads the possessive chain.
يَلْتَمِسُونَ الْخَبَرَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
They seek news about the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace.
رَسُولِ Messenger of
This noun is the leading half of the pair 'Messenger of God'. It also sits after the preposition, so it is in the genitive; as the front noun of an 'X of Y' chain it carries no 'the' itself and is made definite by the divine name behind it.
قَالَ وَأَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ تُرْكَزَ رَايَتُهُ بِالْحَجُونِ
He said, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered that his banner be planted at al-Hajun.
رَسُولُ Messenger
This noun 'Messenger' is the doer of 'ordered' and the leading half of 'Messenger of God'. Its '-u' ending marks the subject role; as the front noun of an 'X of Y' chain it carries no 'the', taking definiteness from the name behind it.
قَالَ فَالْصُّحْبَةُ بِأَبِي أَنْتَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ
He said, "Then the companionship is yours, by my father, O Messenger of Allah."
رَسُولَ messenger
A title in the called-on form because the address-marker is summoning him, and the front half of a possessive pair glued to 'of Allah'. So it is both the one addressed and the head of 'Messenger of Allah', with no separate 'of'.
فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
Then the Messenger of God, blessings and peace be upon him, said:
رَسُولُ Messenger
The first half of an ownership pairing with the divine name next, and the doer of 'said': the Messenger, owned by God. As head it drops its 'the' to take definiteness from the owner-name.
ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ الْيَهُودَ قَوْمٌ بُهْتٌ،
Then he said, 'O Messenger of God, the Jews are a bewildered people.'
رَسُولَ messenger
The addressed noun 'Messenger' standing right after the calling-particle, and the head of an ownership pairing with the divine name. Being called, it takes the vocative shaping, while as head it leans on the owner-name for definiteness.
لَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ صَوْتَ، رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ضَعِيفًا
I heard the voice of the Messenger of Allah faintly.
رَسُولِ Messenger of
'Messenger of' -- the front of an 'X of Y' chain leaning on the name that follows, and itself the owner term in 'voice of the Messenger'. It drops its tail-n and takes its definiteness from the name ahead.
فَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُهُ أَكَفُّهُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
I certainly saw that his hands were kept away from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
رَسُولِ Messenger of
This is the first half of a possessive pairing 'messenger of ___', leaning forward onto the divine name that follows for its meaning and definiteness. The two words bind directly with no separate 'of', and this first half drops any article of its own.
أَفَيَظْنُّ الْمُعْرِضُ عَنْ كِتَابِ رَبِّهِ وَسُنَّةِ رَسُولِهِ أَنْ يَنْجُوَ مِنْ رَبِّهِ بِآرَاءِ الرِّجَالِ؟
Does the one who turns away from the Book of his Lord and from the practice of His Messenger think that he will be saved from his Lord by the opinions of men?
رَسُولِهِ his Messenger
A noun with -hi ('his') fused on as owner, 'His Messenger', completing the pair 'the practice of His Messenger' and genitive as the owner. The 'his' here points to the Lord, so it is the Lord's Messenger, tracking a referent set earlier in the sentence.
Common questions
- How do you say "Messenger" in Arabic?
- رَسُولٌ (rasūl).
- What does the root ر-س-ل mean?
- It centers on sending or releasing — dispatching a person or message, or letting something go freely.
Related words
Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).