Arabic vocabulary
شَيْءٍthing
How to say “thing” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
Example sentences
أعجب الأشياء مجاهدة النفس
The most amazing thing is the struggle against the self.
الأَشْيَاءِ — the things. The completing half of 'the most amazing of things', so it carries the possessive case and the 'the' that defines the phrase. Set directly beside the superlative with no word for 'of', it names the field the thing is most amazing within.
From: Struggling Against the Self →مَا وُضِعَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ إِلَّا قَطَعَهُ
There is nothing it is placed on that it does not cut.
شَيْءٍ — anything. An indefinite noun, 'a thing / anything', carrying the ending the preceding preposition forces on it. Its indefiniteness is the point: it generalizes to ANY object whatsoever, which is what gives the proverb its sweeping reach. It is the surface that the sword is laid against.
From: Truthfulness and Righteousness →الْعَالِمُ إِذَا أَرَادَ بِعِلْمِهِ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَىٰ هَابَهُ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ
When a scholar seeks, by his knowledge, the Face of Allah Most High, everything fears him.
شَيْءٍ — thing. An indefinite noun in the genitive shape completing the quantifier phrase 'everything'. As the second half of the side-by-side pair after 'all', it takes the genitive ending.
From: Wealth and Knowledge on Trial →وَإِذَا أَرَادَ يَكْثُرَ بِهِ الْكُنُوزُ هَابَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ
And if he intended to increase his treasures by it, he feared everything.
شَيْءٍ — thing. An indefinite noun in the genitive shape completing 'every thing'. As the second half of the side-by-side pair after 'every', it takes the genitive ending.
From: Wealth and Knowledge on Trial →فَنَأَى بِي فِي طَلَبِ شَيْءٍ يَوْمًا،
Then he went away from me one day to look for something.
شَيْءٍ — something. An indefinite noun completing the 'seeking of' pairing as its owner, in the genitive after the verbal noun. With no 'the', it presents the sought thing as something unspecified, the vague object of the errand.
From: Trapped and Delivered →وَكَانُوا أَحْرَصَ شَيْءٍ عَلَى الْخَيْرِ
They were most eager for good.
شَيْءٍ — thing. An indefinite noun placed after the 'most' word to complete the comparison, 'most eager of anything'; standing in that comparison slot forces its genitive ending. It is what the superlative measures against.
From: The Verse of the Throne →فَلَمْ يَسْأَلْ وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمَا صَاحِبَهُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى أَصْبَحَ،
Then neither of them asked his companion about anything until morning.
شَيْءٍ — anything. A noun standing bare without 'the'; under the surrounding negation its 'a thing' sense sharpens into 'anything'. Its ending is the case the preceding preposition assigns.
From: A Stranger Finds the Prophet →فَذَهَبَ بِهِ مَعَهُ لَا يَسْأَلُ وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمَا صَاحِبَهُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ،
So he went with him, and neither of the two asked his companion about anything.
شَيْءٍ — anything. A noun standing bare without 'the'; under the surrounding negation its 'a thing' sense sharpens into 'anything'. Its ending is the case the preceding preposition assigns.
From: A Stranger Finds the Prophet →مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ نُدْخِلَهُنَّ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنْ أُمُورِنَا،
without bringing them into any of our affairs,
شَيْءٍ — anything. An indefinite noun 'a thing/any matter' in the 'of' ending after 'in'; under the negative frame it reads as 'anything at all'. It then opens a partitive pair with the next 'of' word.
From: Umar and the Prophet's Wives →عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْءٍ تُوَقِدُونَ
What are you lighting?
شَيْءٍ — thing. This noun, 'thing', completes the 'which thing / what' phrase opened by the question word before it; as the owned second half it takes the genitive shape and is indefinite. Together they ask 'on what thing' the cooking is done.
From: The Martyr's Reward →وَمِنْ أَيِّ شَيْءٍ يَنْزِعُ الْوَلَدُ إِلَى أَبِيهِ
And what draws the child to his father?
شَيْءٍ — thing. An indefinite noun 'thing' in the 'of'-type ending pulled in by the same preposition, completing 'from what thing'. Its ending is dictated by what governs it, and together with the question-word it asks about a cause.
From: What Was Created First →وَمِنْ أَيِّ شَيْءٍ يَنْزِعُ إِلَى أَخْوَالِهِ
And what draws him to his maternal uncles?
شَيْءٍ — thing. An indefinite noun 'thing' in the 'of'-type ending demanded by the same preposition, completing 'from what thing'. Its ending is governed by the preposition, and with the question-word it asks about a cause.
From: What Was Created First →أَعْرِفُ فِيهِ الْجُوعَ، فَهَلْ عِنْدَكِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ
I can tell he is hungry. Do you have anything?
شَيْءٍ — anything. The thing asked about -- 'anything' -- governed by the preceding 'any/from' and so in the genitive, with its -in tail marking it indefinite. It completes the open 'do you have any thing?' question.
From: The Barley Loaf That Fed Eighty →أَوْ يَطَالِعُ فِي شَيْءٍ ،
or consults something,
شَيْءٍ — something. An indefinite noun 'a thing / something', no al-, governed by 'in' into the 'of'-style (genitive) ending. It names the vague object he pores over, left unspecified.
From: Humility Over Fame →بَلْ هُوَ أَضْعَفُ شَيْءٍ عَنْ هَذَا وَأَعْجَزُهُ
Rather, he is less inclined toward this and even more incapable of it.
شَيْءٍ — a thing. An indefinite noun ('a thing') in the genitive ending, supplied to sharpen the comparative ('weakest of anything'). This is the pattern where a comparative is followed by a noun naming the field of comparison. The bare indefinite ending and absent al- mark it as 'any thing'.
From: Patience and the Human Self →بَلْ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَكُونَ اللَّهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَى الْعَبْدِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ
Rather, God must be more beloved to the servant than anything else.
شَيْء — thing. This noun completes the quantifier pairing, sitting in the genitive as the thing being totaled. With the quantifier and 'than', it yields 'than anything at all', the comparison's outer limit. Its genitive ending marks it as governed by the quantifier ahead of it.
From: Faith and Worship →وَأَنْ يَكُونَ اللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ أَعْظَمَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ
And that God be more important to him than anything.
شَيْءٍ — thing. This noun closes the quantifier pairing in the genitive, the item being totaled. With the quantifier and 'than' it reads 'than anything', the comparison's full reach. Its genitive ending shows it is governed by the quantifier that precedes it.
From: Faith and Worship →﴿لَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا أَشْرَكْنَا وَلَا آبَاءُنَا وَلَا حُرِمْنَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ﴾
If God had willed, we would not have associated partners, nor would our fathers, nor would we have been deprived of anything.
شَيْءٍ — anything. This indefinite noun, in the genitive under the 'from' before it, means 'a thing, anything'. Within the negated counterfactual it broadens to 'anything at all', the outer reach of the supposed deprivation, governed by the preposition that precedes it.
From: Patience Under Decree →وَعَلَّمَكَ أَسْمَاءَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ
and taught you the names of all things.
شَيْءٍ — thing. This noun completes the 'of' pairing in the genitive, 'every thing', governed by the quantifier before it. Together they total the scope to 'all things', the full reach of what Adam was taught the names of.
From: Patience Under Decree →وَعَرَضَ لِي نَفْسَهُ وَدَعَانِي إِلَيْهَا وَأَنَا أَسْرَعُ شَيْءٍ إِلَى نُصْرَةِ أَوْلِيَائِي،
He showed himself to me and invited me to it, and I am the quickest to come to the aid of my allies.
شَيْءٍ — thing. This is an indefinite noun, no 'the', forming the owning half of the 'quickest of thing(s)' pairing with the superlative before it, so it sits in the governed form. It supplies the field across which the speaker is fastest. The indefiniteness keeps the comparison general.
From: Under God's Shield →كما قال تعالى ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ
As Allah the Exalted said: O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you; then if you dispute about anything...
شَيْءٍ — anything. An indefinite noun, 'anything', in the genitive ending because the preposition 'about' governs it. Being indefinite it leaves the subject of the dispute open and unspecified.
From: Obedience to God and Authority →فيه من حكم أو خبر أو أثبت ما نفاه أو نفي ما أثبته وهو عالم بذلك أو يشك في شئ من ذلك
It contains a ruling or a report, or he affirmed what he had denied, or denied what he had affirmed; he is aware of that, or doubts something of it.
شَيْءٍ — something. An indefinite noun 'something' in the (genitive) ending after 'in', the object of the doubting. With no al- it stays general, 'any part'. It is the thing the doubt falls on.
From: Honoring the Quran →
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