Arabic vocabulary
تَابَrepented in Arabic
تَابَ is how you say “repented” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
Root ت و ب (t-w-b)verb (form I)Pronounced tāba
Meaning of repented in Arabic
- to repent; to turn back from sin or disobedience to obedience — often construed with إِلَى ٱللّٰه 'toward God'
- (of God) to turn to a servant in forgiveness; to accept one's repentance, to relent
تَابَ is the standard classical/Qur'anic verb for repentance, most often paired with إِلَى ٱللّٰه ('toward God'). The same verb is also used of God Himself — تَابَ ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ, 'God turned to him in forgiveness' — so the root covers both a person's turning away from sin and God's turning back toward the sinner in acceptance.
Words from the same root
- تَابَhe repented, returned from sin to obedience
- تَوْبَةrepentance; a returning from sin
- اِسْتَتَابَhe called on someone to repent, to return from sin
- تَوَّابٌone who repents often; or, of God, the Oft-Relenting/Oft-Forgiving
- تَائِبٌone who is repenting, a penitent
- تَابُوتٌa chest or box (said to derive from the root sense of 'returning', since what is taken out is put back)
Common questions
- How do you say "repented" in Arabic?
- تَابَ (tāba) — the classical verb for repenting or turning back from sin to obedience.
- What is the difference between تَائِبٌ and تَوَّابٌ?
- تَائِبٌ (tāʾib) simply means 'one who is repenting'; تَوَّابٌ (tawwāb) is an intensive form meaning 'one who repents often or habitually' — and when applied to God, it means the One who turns to His servants in forgiveness again and again.
Definitions synthesised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).
Example sentences
ويرسلها مع أنفاس الأسف حتى جاءه توقيع فتاب عليه
And he sent them with sighs of regret until a decree came to him, and He accepted his repentance.
فَتَابَ — and he repented. fa- = 'so, then'; past-tense verb 'taba' ('relented, accepted repentance'), 'he' form; with the next word 'alayhi' it means 'He relented toward him'.
From: Adam's Descent →فَإِنَّ آدَمَ قَدْ تَابَ إِلَى رَبِّهِ فَاجْتَبَاهُ وَهَدَى
For Adam had repented to his Lord, so He chose him and guided him.
تَابَ — he repented. A plain past-tense verb 'repented', carrying its own hidden 'he' subject; the completion particle just before it sharpens it to 'had repented'. The verb's three-letter core is the root that the whole repentance vocabulary is built on.
From: Patience Under Decree →وَتَابَ
Related words
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