شَهِدَ witness in Arabic
شَهِدَ is how you say “witness” in Arabic.
Root ش ه د sh-h-d. verb (form I). shahida.
Arabic
English
The audio uses AI voices.
Meaning of witness in Arabic
- to witness; see or behold with one's own eyes the primary sense, from which the others develop
- to testify, bear witness to something shahida bi-kadhā / shahida ʿalā kadhā, before a judge or authority
- to be present at, attend e.g. a place, an assembly, or a set time
- to swear, take an oath by God shahida bi-llāhi, 'he swore by God'
Example sentence
فقال أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأنك رسوله
Then he said: I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and that you are His messenger.
أَشْهَدُ I bear witness
Present-tense verb 'bear witness, testify', 'I' form.
The English is machine-translated.
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How it is used
Used in the Qur'an of God's own testimony or knowledge, as in shahida llāhu ('God has borne witness'/'God knows'). The first-person أَشْهَدُ ('I testify') opens the Muslim declaration of faith and gives its name to the tashahhud recited during prayer.
Words from the same root
- شَهَادَةٌ testimony; also the Islamic declaration of faith
- شَاهِدٌ a witness, one who testifies
- شُهُودٌ presence, attendance at a place
- مُشَاهَدَةٌ the act of watching, observing
- التَّشَهُّدُ the testimony of faith recited in prayer
More example sentences
هكذا تشهدُ لغةُ العرب؛ فلا يُحكى بالقولِ إلا كلامٌ تام
Thus, the language of the Arabs testifies; only complete speech is spoken.
تَشْهَدُ it testifies
Present 'testifies, bears witness', subject inside; its feminine shape looks ahead to its subject 'the language', which Arabic treats as feminine.
كَقَوْل الْمُؤَذّن الله أكبر الله أكبر أشهد أَن لَا إِلَه إِلَّا الله أشهد أَن مُحَمَّدًا رَسُول الله
As the caller to prayer says: (Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, I testify that there is no deity but Allah, I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah).
أَشْهَدُ I testify
'I bear witness', present with 'I' inside. It introduces a sworn testimony and sets up an 'that...' clause.
الله أكبر الله أكبر أشهد أَن لَا إِلَه إِلَّا الله أشهد أَن مُحَمَّدًا رَسُول الله
(Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.)
أَشْهَدُ I bear witness
'I bear witness', present with 'I' inside. It introduces a sworn testimony and sets up a 'that...' clause.
الله أكبر الله أكبر أشهد أَن لَا إِلَه إِلَّا الله أشهد أَن مُحَمَّدًا رَسُول الله
(Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.)
أَشْهَدُ I bear witness
'I bear witness' again, present with 'I' inside — opening the second testimony.
وَشَهِدَ أَتَانِي بِمَا يَكُونُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
And he testified that he came to me with what would come from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace.
وَشَهِدَ and he testified
A wa- opening a linked clause on a past 'he bore witness', single-male subject built in; the wa- joins statements. The testimony's content follows.
الْإِسْلَامُ أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
Islam is to testify that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
تَشْهَدَ you testify
A present-tense verb 'you testify' pushed into the subjunctive by the particle before it, with a generic 'you' subject. The changed ending is what marks 'to testify' as the defining act rather than a real-time event.
Common questions
- How do you say "witness" in Arabic?
- شَهِدَ (shahida) — the verb meaning to witness, testify, or be present at something.
- What is the connection between شَهِدَ and شَهَادَةٌ?
- شَهَادَةٌ (shahādah) is the verbal noun of شَهِدَ; it means 'testimony' and is also the name of the Islamic declaration of faith.
Related words
Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).