Arabic vocabulary
هُوَwas
How to say “was” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
Example sentences
ما جرى على آدم هو المراد من وجوده
What happened to Adam was the purpose of his existence.
هُوَ — was. huwa = 'he, it'; here it works as 'is/was', linking the subject to what follows.
From: Adam's Descent →قال وهو الذي حزرنا يوم بدر
He said: He is the one who estimated our numbers on the Day of Badr.
وَهُوَ — he is. wa- = 'and'; huwa = 'he' — here 'and he (is) the one…'.
From: Early Converts to Islam →فهذه الانتصارات الخفية هي التي تبنيك من الداخل حتى تصير خفيفًا على طاعة، ثقيلًا على معصية
For these hidden victories are what build you from within until you become light for obedience and heavy against sin.
هِيَ — are. 'hiya' = 'they, it' (feminine), here a linking 'are'.
From: Small Daily Habits →وَإِن هُوَ قمر صَاحبه فعل بِهِ مثل ذَلِك
And if he won against his companion, he would do the same to him.
هُوَ — he. 'huwa' = 'he', the pronoun.
From: Luqman's Response to Injustice →قَالَ وَمَا هُوَ
He said, 'And what is it?'
هُوَ — it. 'huwa' = 'he/it', the pronoun.
From: Luqman's Response to Injustice →فَإِنَّهُ هُوَ الَّذِي دَلَّ عَلَى الإِلَهِ
For it is reason that guided to God.
هُوَ — it is. 'huwa' = 'he/it', here the pronoun pinning the subject.
From: Intellect and Faith →وَلا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُجْعَلَ وَهُوَ الْحَاكِمُ عَلَيْهِ مَحْكُومًا
And it is not permissible for him to be made subordinate when he is the ruler over it.
وَهُوَ — when he is. 'wa-' here = 'while'; 'huwa' = 'he'.
From: Intellect and Faith →وَلا أَنْ يَصِيرَ وَهُوَ الزَّمَّامُ مَزْمُومًا
Nor that he becomes led while he is the one who leads.
وَهُوَ — while he is. 'wa-' = 'while'; 'huwa' = 'he'.
From: Intellect and Faith →وَلَا أَنْ يَعُودَ وَهُوَ الْمَتْبُوعُ تَابِعًا
And not that he returns as a follower while he is the leader.
وَهُوَ — while he is. 'wa-' = 'while'; 'huwa' = 'he'.
From: Intellect and Faith →وَهُوَ أَن يعبد الله وَحده لايشرك بِهِ شَيْئا
And it means to worship Allah alone, associating nothing with Him.
وَهُوَ — and it. 'and it, He is' — a standalone subject pronoun used to restate the topic and launch a definition. Arabic often plants a bare 'huwa' like this to mean 'and what it amounts to is...'.
From: Worship God Alone →هُوَ يسْعد صَاحبه وَيدخل الْجنَّة لَا محَالة لَهُ من دَعْوَة مجابة
It brings happiness to its holder and he will enter Paradise without a doubt, and he will have a supplication that is answered.
هُوَ — it. A standalone 'it, he' set up front as the topic — 'as for it...'. Fronting the pronoun this way gives a slight emphasis before the verb arrives.
From: Worship God Alone →وَهَذَا هُوَ التَّوْحِيد الْمَذْكُور فِي قَول المراغى
And this is the monotheism mentioned in the statement of Al-Maraghi.
هُوَ — he is. Here 'huwa' is a linking pronoun dropped between subject and predicate to mean 'is' — 'this, it-is, the monotheism'. Arabic has no verb 'to be' in the present, so this pronoun does the joining and adds a touch of emphasis.
From: Worship God Alone →التَّوْحِيد كل خاطر يُشِير إِلَى الله فَهُوَ يعم ذَلِك
Monotheism is every thought that points to Allah, encompassing all of that.
فَهُوَ — so it. 'fa' delivers the upshot and 'huwa' restates the topic — 'then it is...'. The pronoun reaches back to the 'thought', readying the predicate 'monotheism'.
From: Worship God Alone →يَقُول كل توجه إِلَى الله وَحده بقول أَو عمل فَهُوَ تَوْحِيد
He says that every orientation to Allah alone, whether by word or action, is monotheism.
فَهُوَ — then it is. 'fa' supplies the 'then', 'huwa' the linking 'it is' — closing the conditional 'whoever turns... then it is...'. The pronoun reaches back to the 'turning'.
From: Worship God Alone →الذِّكرُ ليس ترديدًا عشوائيًا؛ هو هندسةُ نِيّةٍ تُحوِّلُ الوقتَ إلى عبادة
Remembrance is not random repetition; it is the engineering of intention that transforms time into worship.
هُوَ — it is. A standalone 'it' restating the topic to launch the positive definition — 'it [rather] is...'. Arabic plants the bare pronoun where English would just keep going with 'it is'.
From: Remembrance That Reshapes the Heart →إِنَّمَا هُوَ بِالْجُمْلَةِ التَّامَّة
It is only with complete statements.
هُوَ — it. A standalone 'it' restating the topic (the prescribed remembrance). It carries the assertion 'it [is]...' into the predicate.
From: The Declaration of Faith →فَجَمِيع مَا شَرعه الله من الذّكر إِنَّمَا هُوَ كَلَام تَامّ لَا اسْم مُفْرد وَلَا مظهر وَلَا مُضْمر
For everything that Allah has prescribed as remembrance is complete speech, not a single word nor an explicit or implicit noun.
هُوَ — it is. A standalone 'it' carrying the topic into the predicate — 'it [is], in fact...'. It resumes 'all that He prescribed'.
From: The Declaration of Faith →وَهَذَا هُوَ الَّذِي يُسمى فِي اللُّغَة كلمة كَقَوْلِه
And this is what is called in language (a word) as his saying:
هُوَ — he/it. A linking pronoun dropped between subject and predicate to mean 'is' — 'this, it-is, the one which...'. Arabic has no present 'to be', so this pronoun joins and adds emphasis.
From: The Declaration of Faith →وَكَذَلِكَ مَا شرع للْمُسلمين فِي صلَاتهم وأذانهم وحجهم وأعيادهم من ذكر الله تَعَالَى إِنَّمَا هُوَ بِالْجُمْلَةِ التَّامَّة كَقَوْل الْمُؤَذّن
Likewise, what has been legislated for Muslims in their prayers, calls to prayer, pilgrimage, and festivals, as a remembrance of Allah the Almighty, is indeed in complete sentences like the statement of the caller:
هُوَ — it is. A standalone 'it' carrying the long topic into the predicate — 'it [is], in fact...'.
From: Small Deeds, Great Reward →فَجَمِيع مَا شَرعه الله من الذّكر إِنَّمَا هُوَ كَلَام تَامّ لَا اسْم مُفْرد وَلَا مظهر وَلَا مُضمر
Therefore, all that Allah has prescribed of remembrance is indeed complete speech, not a single noun, whether explicit or implicit.
هُوَ — it is. A standalone 'it' carrying the topic into the predicate — 'it [is], in fact...'.
From: Small Deeds, Great Reward →وَهَذَا هُوَ الَّذِي يُسمى فِي اللُّغَة كلمة كَقَوْلِه
And this is what is called in the language a 'word', as in his saying:
هُوَ — he. A linking pronoun between subject and predicate, doing the work of 'is' — Arabic has no present 'to be', so this pronoun joins and adds emphasis.
From: Small Deeds, Great Reward →السرّ أن الثِّقَال في الميزان من طبيعة الحقّ؛ فهو ثابتٌ مُحكَم، والباطل خفيفٌ مُتلاشي، وإن بدا ضخمًا في أعين الناس
The secret is that the weight in the balance stems from the nature of truth; it is firm and solid, while falsehood is light and vanishing, even if it appears large in people's eyes.
فَهُوَ — so it. 'so it [is]' — 'fa' drawing the upshot plus the standalone 'it', pointing back to truth. It launches the predicate 'firm and solid'.
From: Small Deeds, Great Reward →وبين ما يسميه هو عقليات من الأمور المأخوذة عن بعض الطواغيت من المشركين وأهل الكتاب وغير ذلك من أنواع الاعتبار
And between what he calls 'rationalities' taken from some tyrants among the polytheists, People of the Book, and other forms of consideration.
هُوَ — he. 'he [himself]' — a standalone pronoun adding emphasis: 'what HE, for his part, calls'.
From: Judging by Revelation →فهو الظالم لنفسه، وهو من أهل الوعيد؛
he is wronging himself, and he is among those warned;
فَهُوَ — so he is. 'so he [is]' — 'fa' delivering the result of 'whoever...' plus a standalone 'he'; the apodosis.
From: Judging by Revelation →
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