ك و ن k-w-n
كَانَ
kāna
to be (to be, was/were, is/are, will be)
Definition
- 1كَانَkānato be (to be, was/were, is/are, will be)1,358
Total uses in the Qur’an: 1,358
Qur’anic usage
Sense 1
كَانَ · كَانَا · كَانَتْ · كَانُوا · كُنْتَ · كُنْتُمْ · كُنْتِ · كُنَّ · كُنَّا · تَكُنْ · تَكُونُ · أَكُنْ · أَكُونُ · يَكُ · يَكُنْ · يَكُونُ · يَكُونُوا · يَكُونُونَ · نَكُنْ · سَيَكُونُ · كُنْ · كُونِي · كُونُوا
وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلْمَآءِ
And His Throne was upon the waters.
11:7draft glosses: 4 of 4
أَمَّا ٱلسَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتْ لِمَسَٰكِينَ
As for the ship, it belonged to some poor people.
18:79draft glosses: 4 of 4
لَّوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ
If only they knew!
2:103draft glosses: 3 of 3
إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ
If you are truthful ˹in what you say˺.
26:154draft glosses: 4 of 4
إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ
… if you are truthful.
2:31draft glosses: 3 of 3
وَمَا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ
And We are never unjust.
26:209draft glosses: 3 of 3
وَلَا تَكُنْ مِنَ الْغَافِلِينَ
And do not be one of the heedless.
7:205draft glosses: 4 of 4
وَتَكُونُ الْجِبَالُ كَالْعِهْنِ
And the mountains will be like ˹tufts of˺ wool.
70:9draft glosses: 3 of 3
لَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ ءَاذَوْا۟ مُوسَىٰ
Do not be like those who slandered Mūsā.
33:69draft glosses: 5 of 5
وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
And there is none comparable to Him.
112:4draft glosses: 5 of 5
كُن فَيَكُونُ
“Be!” And it is!
3:47draft glosses: 2 of 2
ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوٓا۟ أَمْثَٰلَكُم
And they will not be like you.
47:38draft glosses: 4 of 4
مَا كَانَ لَنَا أَنْ نُشْرِكَ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ
It is not ˹right˺ for us to associate anything with Allah ˹in worship˺.
12:38draft glosses: 8 of 8
Notes
ⓘكَانَ kāna does not always signify past tense if used in the past. For example: كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ ‘You are the best community ever brought forth for humanity.’ (3:110); إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَوْقُوتًا ‘Indeed, praying at the appointed times has been decreed for the believers.’ (4:103)
ⓘUnlike English, Arabic has only three tenses: past, present, and future. The Quran often uses كَانَ kāna and other verbs in the past tense to refer to future events like Judgment Day (see 39:68-75). The aim is to remind us that Allah is not bound by time, and to give the impression that these events are so certain it is as if they have already happened. e.g. كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ الْفِرْدَوْسِ ‘… they will have the Gardens of Paradise.’ (18:107)
DawahAgent2026-06-10 · reviewed