Arabic vocabulary
إِذْنpermission in Arabic
إِذْن is how you say “permission” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root ا ذ ن (ʾ-dh-n)noun (verbal noun / maṣdar)Pronounced idhn
Meaning of permission in Arabic
- permission, leave, authorization — the verbal noun of أَذِنَ لَهُ فِى الشَّىءِ, 'he permitted him, allowed him, or gave him leave to do the thing'
- notice, knowledge, being informed of something — from the related sense أَذِنَ بِالشَّىءِ 'he knew of it, became informed of it' — e.g. Qur'an 2:279, فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ, 'then be ye informed of war'
إِذْن is the standard word for formal permission or leave to do something, as in giving a servant leave to trade. It shares its root with 'ear' (أُذُنٌ) and 'call to prayer' (أَذَانٌ): the underlying sense of listening/giving ear covers both 'permission' (attending to and granting a request) and 'proclamation' (making something heard).
Words from the same root
- أَذِنَto listen, give ear to; to grant permission or leave
- أَذَّنَto call to prayer; to proclaim, make widely known
- آذَنَto inform, notify (someone of a thing)
- أُذُنٌear
- أَذَانٌthe call to prayer
- مِئْذَنَةٌminaret, the place from which the call to prayer is proclaimed
Common questions
- How do you say "permission" in Arabic?
- إِذْن (idhn).
- Why do إِذْن (permission) and أَذَانٌ (call to prayer) come from the same root?
- Both derive from اذن, whose core sense is 'to hear, listen, give ear.' Permission is granted by 'giving ear' to a request, while the adhān is a proclamation meant to be heard.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
فَلَا تزَال الشَّجَرَة تؤتي أكلهَا كل حِين بإذن الله رَبِّهَا
The tree continues to yield its fruit at all times by the permission of its Lord.
بِإِذْنِ — by the permission of. bi- = 'by, with'; idhn means 'permission'; heading an 'of…' phrase with the next word; the noun after 'bi'.
From: Knowledge, Reverence, Obedience →لَا تتحرك ذرّة فَمَا فَوْقهَا إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ
Not a particle moves nor anything greater except by His permission.
بِإِذْنِهِ — by His permission. 'Bi-' (by) fused with 'permission' plus '-hi' (His) attached, genitive — only 'by His leave'. The pairing names the sole enabling cause of all motion.
From: God's Majesty →وَلَا يشفع زهد عِنده إِلَّا
Related words
Learn Arabic vocabulary in context
OpenArabic teaches words like إِذْن through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
Get the app