بَيْنَمَاwhile

Example sentences

• فبينا عمر في نفر من المسلمين يتحدثون عن يوم بدر،

  While Umar was among a group of Muslims discussing the Day of Badr,

  فَبَيْنَمَا — so while. fa- = 'so, then'; baynama = 'while, as' — together 'so while', setting the background scene.

  From: Early Converts to Islam →

• قَالَتْ بَيْنَمَا أَنَا مَعَ عَائِشَةِ جَالِسَتَانِ،

  She said, "While I was sitting with Aisha,"

  بَيْنَمَا — while. This 'while' is built from 'between' plus a 'what', and it sets up a background time-frame: 'while X was going on, Y happened'. Its job is to frame the ongoing scene against which the next, sudden event will be set.

  From: Aisha Cleared of Slander →

• فَبَيْنَمَا هُوَ كَذَلِكَ

  While he was like that.

  فَبَينَما — while. Here a 'fa-' is fused to a compound time-word meaning 'while / just as', which sets up two events happening at the same time. The 'fa-' threads it into the narrative, and the word itself frames a 'while he was thus, suddenly...' structure resolved by the next sentence.

  From: The Joy of Repentance →

• بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ جُلُوسٌ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ، إذْ طَلَعَ عَلَيْنَا رَجُلٌ شَدِيدُ بَيَاضِ الثِّيَابِ،

  While we were sitting in the presence of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, one day a man with very white clothes appeared to us.

  بَيْنَمَا — while. A time-connector, 'while', that frames a background scene against which a sudden event will break in. It sets up 'while we were sitting...', the calm setting before the stranger appears.

  From: When Gabriel Came to Teach →