Arabic vocabulary
دُنْيَاworld
How to say “world” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
Example sentences
فصل إِذا اسْتغنى النَّاس بالدنيا فاستغن أَنْت بِاللَّه
If people become content with the world, be content with God.
بِالدُّنْيَا — with the world. With 'find sufficiency', this 'bi-' is the fixed partner marking what one is satisfied with, 'content with the world'. The noun names the nearer, lower life, and the preposition holds it in the after-preposition ending.
From: Contentment with What God Wills →وَإِذا فرحوا بالدنيا فافرح أَنْت بِاللَّه
If they rejoice in the world, rejoice in God.
بِالدُّنْيَا — in the world. With 'rejoice', this 'bi-' is the fixed partner meaning 'rejoice in/over', governing 'the world' in the after-preposition ending. The verb locks to this preposition just as English 'rejoice' takes 'in'.
From: Contentment with What God Wills →فَقَالَ دع الدُّنْيَا لأَهْلهَا كَمَا تركوهم الْآخِرَة لأَهْلهَا
He said, 'Leave the world to its people, as they have left the Afterlife to its people.'
الدُّنْيَا — the world. The object of 'leave', in the accusative even though this word's fixed final 'aa' shows no case vowel. Some nouns, like this one for the worldly life, keep one shape in every case.
From: Contentment with What God Wills →وكن فِي الدُّنْيَا كالنحلة
And be in the world like a bee.
الدُّنْيَا — the world. Governed by 'in', though its fixed final 'aa' shows no case vowel; this noun keeps one form throughout. It sets the scene: 'in the world, be like a bee'.
From: Contentment with What God Wills →وإن قرأته للفرجة لا للحجة، وللدنيا لا للآخرة،
If you study it for leisure, not for proof, and for this world, not the hereafter,
وَلِلدُّنْيَا — and for this world. 'and for this world,' joined by 'and,' the 'li-' of purpose — a second wrong motive. Reading logic for WORLDLY gain; set against 'not for the hereafter' next. The 'for X not Y' pattern repeats.
From: Revelation Over Philosophy →فإذا رأيت الواعظ راغبا في الدنيا قليل الدين،
If you see the preacher desiring worldly life and lacking religious commitment,
الدُّنْيَا — worldly life. Genitive after the preposition, this is 'the worldly life', the object of the craving. Like a few special nouns it ends in a fixed long 'a' that never shifts for case, so its shape is the same everywhere and you read its role from position. It is definite.
From: Sincere Preaching →وهو صنعة ومعيشة ينال بها الرجل السعادة والدنيا،
It is a craft and a livelihood through which a person attains happiness and worldly success.
وَالدُّنْيَا — and worldly success. Joined by 'wa-', this shares the accusative object role — 'and the world / worldly success'. Coordinated objects match in case. So the craft is said to win both inner happiness and worldly gain.
From: Intention in Islam →ومن عاش فيه بالحيل والمكر والدهاء فلا بد له من خزي في الدنيا ومقت في الأخرى وإن تسود هذا،
Whoever lives by deceit, trickery, and cunning will inevitably face disgrace in this world and contempt in the next, even if they gain prominence.
الدُّنْيَا — this world. Genitive after 'in', this is 'this world / worldly life'. Its final long 'a' is fixed and never shifts for case, so you read its role from position. It is where the disgrace strikes.
From: Intention in Islam →قل متاع الدنيا قليل والآخرة خير لمن اتقى
Say: The enjoyment of this world is little, and the hereafter is better for those who fear Allah.
الدُّنْيَا — the world. This completes 'the enjoyment of this world', in the genitive as owner. Its fixed final long 'a' never changes for case, so position tells its role. The phrase names worldly pleasure, about to be called 'little'.
From: Intention in Islam →فيحفونهم بأجنحتهم إلى السماء الدنيا،
They surround them with their wings up to the lowest heaven.
الدُّنْيَا — lowest. This describes which heaven — 'the worldly / nearest', the lowest of the heavens. Its final long vowel is fixed and never shifts for case. It marks the reach of the angels' wings: all the way to the lowest sky.
From: Where Angels Gather →وهذا أعم قسم وقع في القرآن فإنه يعم العلويات والسفليات والدنيا والآخرة وما يرى وما لا يرى
And this is the most comprehensive oath found in the Qur'an, as it includes the higher and lower realms, this world and the hereafter, and what is seen and what is not seen.
وَالدُّنْيَا — this world. An 'and' plus 'the' on the noun 'this world', another item the oath includes. The object form marks it as encompassed; it names worldly, present existence.
From: Proof in All Creation →فترى الرجل في حال غضبه يتكلم بما يندم عليه إذا سكن غضبه، ويفعل ما يسيء إليه في دينه ودنياه
So you see a man, in his state of anger, speaking words he regrets when his anger subsides, and doing what harms him in his religion and worldly life.
وَدُنْيَاهُ — and worldly life. The joined 'and' plus a noun 'worldly life' with an attached 'his' fused on, coordinated with the previous noun under the same 'in': and his worldly life. The suffix carries the possessor.
From: Restraining Anger →وليتذكر أن الدنيا أيام قلائل، وأن الآخرة هي دار القرار
Let him remember that this world is only a few days, and the hereafter is the abode of permanence.
الدُّنْيَا — this world. This is the subject of the 'that' clause but it stands in the object case because the particle before it governs it that way. With 'the' it is the definite 'this world'; its weak final letter gives it a fixed ending that does not show the case mark.
From: Celebration and the Final Hour →فمن زرع في هذه الدنيا طاعة، حصد في الآخرة الجنة والنعيم
Whoever planted obedience in this world will harvest paradise and bliss in the hereafter.
الدُّنْيَا — world. The noun paired with 'this', 'world', the object of the preposition 'in', so it stands in the possessive case. With 'the' it is definite; together with the demonstrative it means 'this world', the field of sowing.
From: Celebration and the Final Hour →ولكن تصده عن الحق شهوات النفس، ووساوس الشيطان، ومجالسة الأشرار، وطول الأمل، وحب الدنيا
But desires of the self, whispers of Satan, keeping company with the wicked, long hopes, and love of the world divert it from the truth.
الدُّنْيَا — the world. The completing half of 'love of the world', so it carries the possessive case and the 'the' that defines the phrase. Its weak final letter gives it a fixed ending; set beside the first noun with no word for 'of', it names what is loved.
From: A Sound Heart Knows →وليجتهد في تخليص قلبه من علائق الدنيا
and strive to free his heart from worldly attachments.
الدُّنْيَا — the world. The owner that closes the 'of' pairing, telling us these are the world's attachments. As the owning noun it carries the genitive ending, and it lends its definiteness back to 'attachments' so the whole phrase reads as specific.
From: A Sound Heart Knows →إن الله تعالى خلق الخلق ليعبدوه، وجعل الدنيا دار ابتلاء واختبار
Indeed, Allah the Exalted created the creation to worship Him, and made the world a place of trial and test.
الدُّنْيَا — the world. The first object of 'made', 'the world', the thing being assigned a role. It takes the object ending and its 'the' marks the one definite worldly life, set against the hereafter.
From: Facing God's Tests →ويعلم أن في القيام به سعادة الدنيا والآخرة
And he knows that fulfilling it brings happiness in this world and the hereafter.
الدُّنْيَا — in this world. The owner closing 'happiness of this world', set right after the head-noun and so taking the genitive ending. Its 'the' marks the definite worldly life.
From: Facing God's Tests →قَالَ الرِّيَاءُ، يَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى يَوْمَ يُجَازِي الْعِبَادَ بِأَعْمَالِهِمْ اذْهَبُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ كُنْتُمْ تُرَاءُونَهُمْ بِأَعْمَالِكُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَانْظُرُوا هَلْ تَجِدُونَ عِنْدَهُمْ جَزَاءً
He said: 'It is showing off. Allah will say on the Day He recompenses people for their deeds: Go to those for whom you showed off in the world and see if you find any reward with them.'
الدُّنْيَا — the world. A noun, 'the world', with 'the' for the known realm, held in the (genitive) form by the 'in' before it. It names where the deeds were paraded.
From: The Hidden Idolatry →مِمَّا فِيهِ حَدٌّ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَالْقَتْلِ وَالزِّنَا وَالسَّرِقَةِ،
which have prescribed punishment in this world, such as killing, fornication, and theft,
الدُّنْيَا — the world. A noun with 'the', 'the world', held in the (genitive) form by the 'in' before it. It names where such penalties apply.
From: What Small Worship Erases →قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من أصبح معافى في بدنه، آمنا في سربه عنده قوت يومه، فكأنما حيزت له الدنيا
The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: Whoever wakes up healthy in his body, secure in his dwelling, having his day's provision, it is as if the world was gathered for him.
الدُّنْيَا — the world. This is the subject of the passive verb, the thing that 'was gathered', and it is grammatically feminine, which is why the verb took a feminine ending. Its 'al-' makes it definite, naming the whole worldly life.
From: Health as a Blessing →الحمد لله الذي جعل الدنيا على الحقيقة معبر اعتبار،
Praise be to Allah who made this world, in truth, a passage for reflection,
الدُّنْيَا — the world. This is the first object of 'made', 'the world', its object ending marking it as the thing acted on, with 'al-' making it definite. It is what God turned into a passage.
From: Preferring the Hereafter →ذَلِكَ مَتَاعُ الحَياةِ الدُّنِيا
That is the enjoyment of worldly life.
الدُّنْيَا — worldly. A describing word meaning 'the nearer / worldly', qualifying 'life' and matching it in being definite and in the genitive case. The agreement of endings ties this trait to 'life', marking it as the present world as opposed to the hereafter.
From: Preferring the Hereafter →جعل مهر الأخرى طلاق الدنيا بتاتا،
He made the dowry of the Hereafter a final divorce from this worldly life,
الدُّنْيَا — of the worldly life. The owning half of 'divorce of this world', in the genitive because it completes the possessive pairing. The 'the' makes it definite, and the ending and order carry the 'of' with no separate word, naming what is renounced as the bride-price of the next life.
From: Death and Decree →
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