سأل

Arabic

Etymology

Cognate with Hebrew שָׁאַל (sha'ál), Eblaite 𒊭𒀪𒀀𒇻 (ša-ʾ-a-lu /⁠šaʾal⁠/), Ge'ez ሰአለ (säʾälä).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sa.ʔa.la/

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

سَأَلَ • (saʔala) I, non-past يَسْأَلُ‎ (yasʔalu)

1. to ask, inquire
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 7:187:

     يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلسَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِنْدَ رَبِّي لَا يُجَلِّيهَا لِوَقْتِهَا إِلَّا هُوَ ثَقُلَتْ فِي ٱلسَّمَاوَاتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَا تَأْتِيكُمْ إِلَّا بَغْتَةً يَسْأَلُونَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِيٌّ عَنْهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِنْدَ ٱللّٰهِ وَلٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

     yasʔalūnaka ʕani s-sāʕati ʔayyāna mursāhā qul ʔinnamā ʕilmuhā ʕinda rabbī lā yujallīhā li-waqtihā ʔillā huwa ṯaqulat fī s-samāwāti wa-l-ʔarḍi lā taʔtīkum ʔillā baḡtatan yasʔalūnaka kaʔannaka ḥafiyyun ʕanhā qul ʔinnamā ʕilmuhā ʕinda llāhi wa-lākinna ʔakṯara n-nāsi lā yaʕlamūna

     They ask you about the Hour: when is its arrival? Say, "Its knowledge is only with my Lord. None will reveal its time except Him. It lays heavily upon the heavens and the earth. It will not come upon you except unexpectedly." They ask you as if you are familiar with it. Say, "Its knowledge is only with God, but most of the people do not know."

2. (ditransitive) to ask, request, demand, claim

   نَسْأَلُ اللّٰهَ السَّلَامَةَ

   nasʔalu allāha s-salāmata

   We ask God for a state free from harm (for good-health, peace)

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 4:153:

     يَسْأَلُكَ أَهْلُ ٱلْكِتَابِ أَن تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَابًا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَاءِ فَقَدْ سَأَلُوا مُوسَى أَكْبَرَ مِن ذٰلِكَ فَقَالُوا أَرِنَا ٱللّٰهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلصَّاعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ثُمَّ ٱتَّخَذُوا ٱلْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَاتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَن ذٰلِكَ وَآتَيْنَا مُوسَى سُلْطَانًا مُّبِينًا

     yasʔaluka ʔahlu l-kitābi ʔan tunazzila ʕalayhim kitāban mmina s-samāʔi fa-qad saʔalū mūsā ʔakbara min ḏālika fa-qālū ʔarinā llāha jahratan fa-ʔaḵaḏathumu ṣ-ṣāʕiqatu bi-ẓulmihim ṯumma ttaḵaḏū l-ʕijla min baʕdi mā jāʔathumu l-bayyinātu fa-ʕafawnā ʕan ḏālika wa-ʔātaynā mūsā sulṭānan mmubīnan

     The People of the Scripture ask you to bring down to them a book from the heaven. But they had asked of Moses greater than that and said, "Show us God outright," so the thunderbolt struck them for their wrongdoing. Then they took the calf after clear evidences had come to them, and We pardoned that. And We gave Moses a clear authority.

3. to beg
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 2:273:

     لِلْفُقَرَاءِ ٱلَّذِينَ أُحْصِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ ٱللّٰهِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ضَرْبًا فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ يَحْسَبُهُمُ ٱلْجَاهِلُ أَغْنِيَاءَ مِنَ ٱلتَّعَفُّفِ تَعْرِفُهُم بِسِيمَاهُمْ لَا يَسْأَلُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ إِلْحَافًا وَمَا تُنْفِقُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ ٱللّٰهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ

     li-l-fuqarāʔi llaḏīna ʔuḥṣirū fī sabīli llāhi lā yastaṭīʕūna ḍarban fī l-ʔarḍi yaḥsabuhumu l-jāhilu ʔaḡniyāʔa mina t-taʕaffufi taʕrifuhum bi-sīmāhum lā yasʔalūna n-nāsa ʔilḥāfan wa-mā tunfiqū min ḵayrin fa-ʔinna llāha bihi ʕalīmun

     for the poor who have been restricted for the cause of God, unable to move about in the land. An ignorant one would think them self-sufficient because of their restraint, but you will know them by their sign. They do not ask people persistently. And whatever you spend of good: indeed, God is Knowing of it.

Conjugation

Egyptian Arabic

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Arabic سَأَلَ (saʔala).

Pronunciation

This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA then please add some!

Verb

سأل • (saʔal) I (non-past يسأل (yisʔal))

1. to ask

Conjugation

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Hijazi Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic سَأَل (saʔal).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sa.ʔal/

Verb

سأل • (saʔal) I (non-past يِسْأل (yisʔal))

1. to ask

Conjugation

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Arabic سَأَلَ (saʔala).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sa.ʔal/,

• Audio (al-Lidd)

  (file)

Verb

سأل • (saʔal) I (present بسأل (bisʔal))

1. to ask

Conjugation

Ushojo

Adjective

سأل (sál)

1. attentive, watchful, alert, cautious, careful
2. pious, virtuous, righteous, upright