ق ب ل q-b-l
يَقْبَل
yaq-balu
to face towards something, making it in front of you
Definition
- 1يَقْبَلyaq-baluto accept (with one’s face turned towards, as opposed to turning one’s back as a sign of rejection)21
- 2أَقْبَلaq-balato come towards10
- 3قَبْلqablabefore242
- 4قِبَلqibalatowards3
- 5(لَا) قِبَلqibalacan’t face1
- 6قُبُلًاqubulaface to face8
- 7قِبْلَةqiblahthe direction one faces in prayer7
- 8قَبَائِلqabā-iltribes whose members turn towards each other for support2
Total uses in the Qur’an: 294
Qur’anic usage
Sense 1
يَقْبَل - تَقْبَلُوا - يُقْبَل - يَقْبَل · تَقَبَّلَهَا - يَتَقَبَّل - تُقُبِّلَ - يُتَقَبَّل · قَبُول | acceptance · تَقَبَّلَ | to accept graciously · قَابِل | the one accepting
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى يَقْبَلُ ٱلتَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِۦ
And He is the One Who accepts repentance from His servants.
42:25draft glosses: 6 of 6
وَلَا تَقْبَلُوا۟ لَهُمْ شَهَٰدَةً أَبَدًۭا
And do not ever accept any testimony from them.
24:4draft glosses: 5 of 5
فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ
It will never be accepted from him.
3:85draft glosses: 3 of 3
فَتُقُبِّلَ مِنْ أَحَدِهِمَا وَلَمْ يُتَقَبَّلْ مِنَ ٱلْءَاخَرِ
It was accepted from one of them, but not from the other.
5:27draft glosses: 7 of 7
إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
Allah only accepts from the sincerely devout.
5:27draft glosses: 5 of 5
فَتَقَبَّلَهَا رَبُّهَا بِقَبُولٍ حَسَنٍۢ
... so her Lord accepted her graciously.
3:37draft glosses: 4 of 4
رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّآ
Our Lord! Accept from us.
2:127draft glosses: 3 of 3
غَافِرِ ٱلذَّنۢبِ وَقَابِلِ ٱلتَّوْبِ
... the Forgiver of sin, and Accepter of repentance.
40:3draft glosses: 4 of 4
Sense 2
أَقْبَلَ - أَقْبَلَتْ - أَقْبَلُوا - أَقْبِلْ · مُسْتَقْبِل | something coming towards / towards
وَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ
And they will turn on each other, throwing blame.
37:27draft glosses: 5 of 5
يَا مُوسَىٰ أَقْبِلْ وَلَا تَخَفْ
O Musa! Draw near, and have no fear.
28:31draft glosses: 5 of 5
فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ عَارِضًۭا مُّسْتَقْبِلَ أَوْدِيَتِهِمْ
Then when they saw this torment as a dense cloud approaching their valleys ...
46:24draft glosses: 5 of 5
Sense 3
قَبْل | before
وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ ٱلشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا
And glorify the praises of your Lord before sunrise and before sunset.
20:130draft glosses: 8 of 8
Sense 4
قِبَل - قِبَلِهِ - قِبَلَكَ | towards
قِبَلَ ٱلْمَشْرِقِ وَٱلْمَغْرِبِ
... towards the east or the west.
2:177draft glosses: 3 of 3
Sense 5
(لَا) قِبَل | no facing / cannot face
فَلَنَأْتِيَنَّهُمْ بِجُنُودٍ لَا قِبَلَ لَهُمْ بِهَا
We will certainly mobilize against them forces which they can never face.
27:37draft glosses: 6 of 6
Sense 6
قُبُلًا - قَبِيلًا | face to face · قُبُلًا | face to face · مُتَقَابِلِينَ | facing each other
أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ قُبُلًا
... or the torment would confront them face to face.
18:55draft glosses: 4 of 4
أَوْ تَأْتِيَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ قَبِيلًا
... or you bring Allah and the angels before us, face to face.
17:92draft glosses: 5 of 5
إِن كَانَ قَمِيصُهُۥ قُدَّ مِن قُبُلٍۢ
If his shirt is torn from the front ...
12:26draft glosses: 6 of 6
عَلَىٰ سُرُرٍۢ مُّتَقَٰبِلِينَ
They will be on thrones, facing each other.
15:47draft glosses: 3 of 3
Sense 7
قِبْلَة / الْقِبْلَة / قِبْلَةً / قِبْلَتَهُمْ / قِبْلَتَكَ | direction one faces
فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةًۭ تَرْضَىٰهَا
Now We will make you turn towards a direction of prayer that will please you.
2:144draft glosses: 3 of 3
وَٱجْعَلُوا۟ بُيُوتَكُمْ قِبْلَةًۭ
And turn your houses into places of worship.
10:87draft glosses: 3 of 3
مَّا تَبِعُوا۟ قِبْلَتَكَ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِتَابِعٍۢ قِبْلَتَهُمْ
... they would not accept your direction of prayer, nor would you accept their direction.
2:145draft glosses: 7 of 7
Sense 8
قَبِيلَة | counterparts, folks · قَبَائِل | tribes
وَجَعَلْنَٰكُمْ شُعُوبًۭا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟
And We made you into peoples and tribes so that you may get to know one another.
49:13draft glosses: 4 of 4
إِنَّهُ يَرَاكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَوْنَهُمْ
Surely he and his soldiers watch you from where you cannot see them.
7:27draft glosses: 8 of 8
Notes
ⓘNon-Quranic derivatives include قَبَّلَ qab-bala 'to kiss' and قَابِلَة qa-bilah 'mid-wife'. Both have the sense of facing someone.
DawahAgent2026-06-21 · reviewed