List of non-arabic words used in Quran as scholars of other religions claims and refutation of their false claims

 List of non-arabic words used in Quran as scholars of other religions claims and refutation of their false claims

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Claims that there are non-Arabic (foreign) words in the Qur'an have been discussed and debated by classical and modern Islamic scholars. Some orientalists and critics allege that the Qur'an borrowed foreign words from languages such as Hebrew, Syriac, Persian, Greek, Ethiopic, and others. However, Islamic scholars have provided detailed refutations, showing that these words were part of the Arabic language by the time of the Qur'an’s revelation, even if their etymological origins trace to other languages.

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🔷 1. Examples of Alleged Non-Arabic Words in the Qur’an

Here is a list of some words often claimed by critics to be non-Arabic, with scholarly analysis and rebuttals:

Word in Qur'an	Alleged Origin	Verse(s)	Meaning	Scholarly Response
Ibrāhīm (إِبْرَاهِيم)	Hebrew	Many places	Abraham	Proper name; names are preserved across languages. Arabicized form, fully accepted in Arabic usage.
Injīl (ٱلْإِنجِيل)	Greek (Evangelion)	e.g., 5:46	Gospel	Arabicized, known among Arabs, particularly Christians. Not foreign in usage at the time.
Furqān (فُرْقَان)	Syriac	2:185, 25:1	Criterion	Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Jawzi state it was well-established in Arabic. Possibly shared Semitic root (frq) in Arabic, Syriac.
Zabūr (ٱلزَّبُور)	Hebrew	4:163, 17:55	Psalms	Like Injīl, this was a known term in Arabic for the scripture given to Dawud.
Tūr (ٱلطُّور)	Aramaic/Syriac	e.g., 95:2	Mountain	Ibn ʿĀshūr says it was used in classical Arabic, especially for Mount Sinai.
Sijjīl (سِجِّيل)	Persian (sang = stone, gil = clay)	105:4, 15:74	Baked clay	Word was Arabized and used in poetry before Qur’anic revelation. Used in pre-Islamic Arabic.
Istabrq (إِسْتَبْرَق)	Persian	e.g., 18:31	Thick brocade (silk)	Luxurious fabric known to Arabs via trade. Integrated into Arabic lexicon.
Sarābīl (سَرَابِيل)	Syriac or Persian	16:81	Garments	Found in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry; Arabicized.
Jubbul (جُبّ)	Persian/Syriac	12:10	Well	Used in poetry and Bedouin speech; entered into Arabic usage.
Sijjīn (سِجِّين)	Possibly non-Arabic	83:7	Register/record	Some said it's from "sijn" (prison), but the Qur'an gives it specific meaning, so Arabic in context.
Qistās (قِسْطَاس)	Greek (kostos)	17:35	Balance/Scale	Known to Arab merchants; used in trade; fully Arabicized.

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🔷 2. Refutations by Muslim Scholars

🟩 1. Al-Shāfiʿī (d. 204 AH)

He stated that the Qur'an was revealed in clear Arabic, and even if a word has a foreign origin, its usage in Arabic makes it Arabic.

🟩 2. Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī (d. 310 AH)

Said that these words were already assimilated into Arabic and used by Arabs before the Qur'an, so they are considered part of the Arabic language.

🟩 3. Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597 AH)

Wrote "Al-Mutawakkilī fī Kalām al-A‘jām ‘alā al-Qur’ān", where he documented such words and clarified they had been Arabized, and their usage was widespread among Arabs.

🟩 4. Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH)

Strongly refuted the idea that the Qur'an contains non-Arabic. He said:

“There is nothing in the Qur’an that is not Arabic. Any word that is thought to be foreign is either shared across Semitic languages or had become Arabicized and used by the Arabs before the Qur'an was revealed.”

🟩 5. Al-Suyūṭī (d. 911 AH) in al-Itqān fī ʿUlūm al-Qur’ān

• He recognized the issue and said that some scholars say there are no foreign words at all, while others say they exist but are Arabicized.

• He agreed with the view that the Qur’an was revealed in pure Arabic, and even if some words came from foreign sources, their usage was Arabic at the time.

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🔷 3. Qur'anic Proof Against Foreignness

Allah says:

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا
“Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an...” (Surah Yusuf 12:2)

And:

بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُّبِينٍ
“In a clear Arabic language.” (Surah al-Shu‘arā’ 26:195)

These verses clearly affirm that the Qur’an is in pure, clear Arabic.

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🔷 4. Understanding Language Evolution

Languages often borrow and absorb foreign terms. When a borrowed word becomes widely used, it becomes naturalized. For example:

• English contains thousands of words from Latin, Greek, French, etc.

• Yet no one denies that modern English is still English.

Likewise, Arabic absorbed words from surrounding languages like Syriac, Persian, and Greek, especially through trade, war, and religious interaction, but that doesn’t make those words "foreign" in Arabic usage.

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✅ Conclusion

• The Qur'an does not contain truly foreign words.

• Any word alleged to be non-Arabic was already Arabized and in common usage among Arabs.

• The Qur’an was revealed in clear, eloquent Arabic, as confirmed by multiple verses.

• Scholars like al-Shāfiʿī, al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Taymiyyah, and al-Suyūṭī strongly refuted claims of foreignness.

• Critics misunderstand how language borrowing and adaptation work.