Arabic vocabulary
طَاعَةٍobedience in Arabic
طَاعَةٍ is how you say “obedience” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root ط و ع (ṭ-w-ʿ)noun (verbal noun / quasi-infinitive noun, of form IV أَطَاعَ)Pronounced ṭāʿah
Meaning of obedience in Arabic
- obedience, compliance with a command — the sense most lexicographers stress: doing as one is told, as opposed to mere willingness
- submissiveness, deference to another's will — broader sense shared with the related noun طَوْع
طَاعَة denotes obedience specifically to a command or authority, distinguished by lexicographers from the more general طَوْع (willing compliance/submission). The root is common in religious vocabulary: صَلَاةُ التَّطَوُّعِ names supererogatory prayer, and مُتَطَوِّعٌ 'volunteer' describes one who performs good deeds beyond what is obligatory — both built on the same idea of voluntary compliance found in طَاعَة.
Words from the same root
- طَاعَto be, or become, submissive/obedient (to someone)
- أَطَاعَto obey (a person or command)
- طَاوَعَto comply with, agree with (someone)
- تَطَوَّعَto do voluntarily, beyond what is obligatory
- اسْتَطَاعَto be able (to do something)
- طَائِعٌobedient, submissive (one who obeys)
- مُتَطَوِّعٌvolunteer (one who does good beyond what's required)
- طَوْعٌsubmission, compliance (verbal noun of طَاعَ)
Common questions
- How do you say "obedience" in Arabic?
- طَاعَة (ṭāʿah).
- What's the difference between طَاعَة and طَوْع?
- Both share the root ط و ع and relate to compliance, but طَاعَة is generally obedience to a command or authority, while طَوْع is the broader idea of submissiveness or willing compliance.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
طَاعَةً بِطَاعَةٍ وَمَعْصِيَةً بِمَحَبَّةٍ
Obedience for the sake of obedience, and disobedience for the sake of love.
بِطَاعَة — by obedience. The 'bi-' here marks exchange or cause ('in return for / by'): 'obedience FOR obedience'. It governs the following noun in the genitive ending and pairs the two like-for-like, building the symmetry of the reckoning.
From: The Four Inner Guards →وَمِنْ هَذِهِ حَالُهُ لَا يَفُوزُ بِطَاعَةٍ
And such is his state: he does not attain success through obedience.
بِطَاعَةٍ — through obedience. The bi- prefix is a preposition meaning 'by means of', and it puts the noun it rides on into the genitive while marking it as the instrument: the channel THROUGH which success would (but does not) come. It links the failed attaining of the verb to obedience as the missing means.
From: Vigilance Against Worldly Deception →
Related words
Learn Arabic vocabulary in context
OpenArabic teaches words like طَاعَةٍ through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
Get the app