Skip to content
Pray for the Truth

Quranic root

شفي

sh · f · y

The root centers on standing at or overlooking the limit of something; healing is understood as overcoming and prevailing over illness.

From the notion of being on a brink or overlooking something, the lexicon connects شفاء with prevailing over disease. Related developments include the edge or brink of a thing, seeking or providing healing, and lip- and mouth-related vocabulary.

  • Maqāyīs · row 2667
2
Quran-attested forms
0
Quran senses
6
Quran occurrences

Forms in the Quran

The forms this root actually takes in the Quran. Select one to jump to its senses and examples.

شَفَى

shafā

Part of speech
Verb · Form I
Form
I
Quran occurrences
2 occurrences

شِفَاء

shifāʾ

Part of speech
Noun
Quran occurrences
4 occurrences

Occurrences in the Quran

Every place this root appears, in Quran order. The first few are shown here.

  • 9:14وَيَشْفِand will heal
  • 10:57وَشِفَآءٌۭand a healing
  • 16:69شِفَآءٌۭ(is) a healing
  • 17:82شِفَآءٌۭ(is) a healing
  • 26:80يَشْفِينِcures me
View all 6 occurrences

Broader Classical Arabic meanings

Recorded for this root in the Classical lexicons beyond its Quran usage. These are secondary to the Quran senses above.

Show 10 Classical meanings
  • شِفَاء

    Healing; overcoming illness and restoring health.

    A noun associated with prevailing over disease.

    • Maqāyīs · row 2667
  • اِسْتَشْفَى

    To seek healing or a cure.

    Used for seeking a means of recovery from illness.

    • Maqāyīs · row 2667
  • شَفًا

    The edge, extremity, or brink of a thing; a small remaining portion.

    The same lexical branch can describe being at an edge or having only a little left.

    • Maqāyīs · row 2667
  • أَشْفَى

    To provide someone with something by which healing is sought.

    A causative construction taking the thing supplied as its object.

    • Maqāyīs · row 2667
  • أَشْفَى

    To approach or be on the verge of something, especially death; to draw near an endpoint.

    Used with a person near death and figuratively of the sun nearing sunset.

    • Maqāyīs · row 2667
  • شَفَة

    The lip.

    The entry also discusses related diminutive and plural forms.

    • Maqāyīs · row 2667
  • أَشْفَى

    Having lips that do not close together.

    An adjectival description of the condition of the lips.

    • Maqāyīs · row 2667
  • شُفَاهِيّ

    Large-lipped.

    A physical adjective formed from شَفَة.

    • Maqāyīs · row 2667
  • مُشَافَهَة

    Face-to-face oral communication; speaking directly from mouth to mouth.

    Used for direct spoken exchange rather than written or mediated communication.

    • Maqāyīs · row 2667
  • شَفَهَنِي

    He distracted or preoccupied me from something.

    An anomalous lexical use construed with عن and the matter from which someone is diverted.

    • Maqāyīs · row 2667

Cautions

Points that affect how this root should be read.

  • The two Quran-attested form groups are retained, but no numbered Quranic senses are asserted: the packet supplies only contextual Quran Foundation glosses, no unique Mufradat entry, and no direct Lane lexical discussion for شفي.

  • The supplied Lane entry points to شفو, whose referenced lexical discussion is not included in the packet; that pointer cannot by itself establish a Quran-form sense.

Unassigned or ambiguous evidence

  • The Quran Foundation occurrences gloss شِفَاء as healing and يَشْفِي as healing or curing, but those contextual glosses cannot independently create dictionary senses under the evidence rules.

  • The Lane pointer to شفو may contain relevant lexical evidence, but the target entry is absent from the supplied packet, so its possible form-level contribution remains unassigned.