Quranic root
قبس
q · b · s
The root centers on taking a live portion from fire and extends to seeking, receiving, or transmitting something drawn from a source, especially light, knowledge, or guidance.
The concrete firebrand or flame-portion provides the basis for figurative uses involving the acquisition or imparting of knowledge and guidance. The same fiery image is also applied to rapid fertilization in قَبِيسٌ.
- Maqāyīs · row 3700
- Mufradāt · row 1153
- 2
- Quran-attested forms
- 2
- Quran senses
- 3
- Quran occurrences
Forms in the Quran
The forms this root actually takes in the Quran. Select one to jump to its senses and examples.
اِقْتَبَسَ
āiqtabasa
- Part of speech
- Verb · Form VIII
- Form
- VIII
- Quran occurrences
- 1 occurrence
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
To seek or acquire a share of light or illumination; figuratively, to seek knowledge or guidance from a source.
In the Quranic occurrence, the form appears in a construction of seeking light from others: نَقْتَبِسْ مِنْ نُورِكُمْ, “we may acquire from your light.”
- Mufradāt · row 1153
Selected Quran examples
Quran 57:13word 8
“we may acquire”
قَبَسٌ
qabasun
- Part of speech
- Noun
- Quran occurrences
- 2 occurrences
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
A firebrand or live portion taken from a flame or larger fire.
The item may be a burning brand, live coal, or burning piece taken from a main fire; the Quranic contexts concern obtaining such a source of fire or light.
- Lane · entry 7715
- Mufradāt · row 1153
Selected Quran examples
Quran 20:10word 13
“a burning brand”
Quran 27:7word 14
“burning”
Occurrences in the Quran
Every place this root appears, in Quran order. The first few are shown here.
View all 3 occurrencesBroader Classical Arabic meanings
Recorded for this root in the Classical lexicons beyond its Quran usage. These are secondary to the Quran senses above.
Show 15 Classical meanings
اِقْتَبَسَ
To seek or obtain fire from a source.
Used with fire as the sought object and a person or source introduced by مِنْ; this is the literal branch underlying the figurative Quranic use.
- Lane · entry 7712
- Mufradāt · row 1153
قَبَسَ
To take fire from another person or from a larger fire.
The source may be expressed with مِنْ, and the object may be fire or a firebrand.
- Lane · entry 7712
قَبَسَ
To acquire or learn knowledge from someone.
A figurative extension of taking something from a source; the knowledge may be expressed as the object.
- Lane · entry 7712
قَبَسَ
To catch a fever from another person.
An idiomatic figurative use describing a fever acquired from an external source rather than arising spontaneously.
- Lane · entry 7712
قَبَسَ
To seek fire from someone.
This denotes requesting or seeking fire, rather than merely taking it once obtained.
- Lane · entry 7712
قَبَسَ
To seek knowledge.
A figurative use modeled on seeking fire from a source.
- Lane · entry 7712
قَبَسَ
To light or kindle a fire.
A causative action involving the production or ignition of fire.
- Lane · entry 7712
أَقْبَسَ
To give or bring someone a firebrand or fire; figuratively, to teach or impart knowledge or good, and also to give property.
A causative transfer to a beneficiary; the transferred object may be fire, knowledge, good, or property.
- Lane · entry 7713
- Mufradāt · row 1153
أَقْبَسَ
To seek fire for someone else.
The beneficiary is the person for whom the fire is sought, not necessarily the person from whom it is obtained.
- Lane · entry 7713
قَبَسٌ
A portion or benefit derived from another; figuratively, subsistence received from another or a light of truth made manifest to a seeker.
A figurative extension of a portion taken from another’s fire or source.
- Lane · entry 7715
قَبْسَةٌ
A single act of taking fire; by idiom, a very brief visit.
The brief-visit meaning occurs in the comparison كَقَبْسَةِ العَجْلَانِ, “like the hasty person’s single act of taking fire.”
- Lane · entry 7716
قَابِسٌ
One who takes or seeks fire; figuratively, one who acquires or seeks knowledge. In the plural القَوَابِسُ, it can denote those who teach people what is good.
An active-participial noun with both literal fire-seeking and figurative knowledge-related uses; the teaching sense is specifically plural in the cited usage.
- Lane · entry 7717
مَقْبِسٌ
A place or object associated with a firebrand, especially lighted firewood or hardened charcoal.
The cited lexical description distinguishes hardened charcoal that holds together from حُمَمَةٌ, charcoal that does not.
- Lane · entry 7718
قِبْسٌ
An origin or source.
A rare reported lexical use, distinct in vocalization from قَبَسٌ “firebrand.”
- Maqāyīs · row 3700
قَبُوسٌ
A kind of ṭunbūr, a stringed musical instrument.
A separately attested supplemental lexical item.
- Lane · entry 20798
Cautions
Points that affect how this root should be read.
The Quranic Form VIII occurrence is the imperfect first-person plural نَقْتَبِسْ; the public headword is normalized to the perfect citation form اِقْتَبَسَ.
The supplemental قَبُوسٌ entry is retained as a separately attested lexical item and is not treated as an ordinary derivational form of the Quranic headwords.
Unassigned or ambiguous evidence
Lane entry 7715 contains elliptical references to related fire-taking implements described as “the last two”; their exact individual headword assignment is not secure, so only the shared firebrand/live-coal branch and the explicitly stated figurative uses are assigned.