The Qur'anic Root “N H R”
River, day, and sharp driving away
1. Introduction to the Root
The root “N H R” in Arabic has three prominent branches:
- “نَهْر” or “نَهَر”: river, flowing water, or a channel in which water flows;
- “نَهَار”: the bright part of the day-night cycle, in contrast to night;
- “نَهَرَهُ”: he rebuked him sharply, pushed him back, or drove him away.
Early lexicographers highlighted openness, cleaving, and becoming visible in the first two branches. On this basis, a river cleaves the earth and opens a course for water, and daytime is known by the withdrawal of darkness and the appearance of light. The use “أَنْهَرَ الدَّمَ”, meaning he caused blood to flow or opened its way out, also belongs to this field.
However, the connection of the branch “نَهَرَهُ”, meaning to drive away and rebuke, with flowing water or the brightness of day is not equally clear. Therefore, it is better to regard it as a stable branch in Arabic without creating a tasteful but unproven historical explanation for its relation to river.
This root was also used before Islam in Arabic speech and poetry. Al-Nabighah al-Dhubyani, the pre-Islamic poet, says while describing his journey:
كَأَنَّ رَحْلِي وَقَدْ زَالَ النَّهَارُ بِنَا
يَوْمَ الْجَلِيلِ عَلَى مُسْتَأْنِسٍ وَحِدِ
“زَالَ النَّهَارُ بِنَا” in this line speaks of the day passing and moving toward its end. For the poet, “نَهَار” is the bright time of movement and travel.
Qays ibn al-Khatim, another pre-Islamic poet, says in describing a blow that widened the opening of a wound:
مَلَكْتُ بِهَا كَفِّي فَأَنْهَرْتُ فَتْقَهَا
يَرَى قَائِمٌ مِنْ دُونِهَا مَا وَرَاءَهَا
“أَنْهَرْتُ فَتْقَهَا” means I opened and widened its split. This witness shows the branch of opening and making a way out in pre-Islamic Arabic.
Thus the Qur'an uses a linguistic family already known through water-flow, openness, daylight, and sharp driving away.
2. Forms Examined
Reference Cards for Qur'anic Derivatives
A river, water-channel, or extended flow moving in a bed.
The bright part of the day-night cycle, in contrast to night.
Do not drive away harshly, rebuke sharply, or push away with humiliation.
The Qur'anic forms of this family are:
- “تَنْهَرْ” and “تَنْهَرْهُمَا”: do not drive away or rebuke sharply;
- “نَهَار”: day, or the bright part of the day-night cycle;
- “نَهَر” and “أَنْهَار”: river and rivers.
Forms such as “أَنْهَرَ”, “اسْتَنْهَرَ”, “مَنْهَر”, and “انْتَهَرَ” are recorded in lexical sources, but they do not occur in the Qur'an.
3. Three Semantic Branches
The uses of this root should not be reduced carelessly to one single image. In the branches “نَهْر” and “نَهَار”, elements such as openness, becoming visible, and extension can be seen; but in “نَهَرَهُ” the main element is a sharp and restraining encounter with a person.
Therefore, three fields must be distinguished from one another:
- the flow and channel of water;
- brightness and the time of day;
- sharp driving away and rebuke.
The image of the earth being cleaved for a river and darkness withdrawing for day can help explain the first two branches, but it should not become a final definition imposed on all derivatives.
4. “نَهْر”: River or Flowing Water
“نَهْر” in Arabic can indicate the channel of water as well as the abundant water that flows in it. In many uses, it is not possible to completely separate the riverbed from the flowing water, because the word brings to mind the whole of the current and its channel.
Ibn Faris explains that a river is called “نَهْر” because it cleaves the earth and opens a way in it. This is an old lexical explanation and should not be treated as the certain historical origin of the naming without independent historical evidence.
In Arabic sources, both pronunciations, “نَهْر” with sukun on the h and “نَهَر” with fathah on the h, are reported for river. Its common Qur'anic plural is “أَنْهَار”.
5. Rivers in the Structure of the Earth
The Qur'an presents rivers as part of the structure of the earth:
وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَدَّ الْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْهَارًا
“أَنْهَارًا” appears beside firm mountains. The word itself only names rivers; their role in settlement, irrigation, and life is understood from the whole verse and from human recognition of rivers.
In another verse it is said:
وَجَعَلَ خِلَالَهَا أَنْهَارًا
“خِلَالَهَا” shows that the rivers flow or are placed through the midst of the earth. The meaning “through its midst” comes from this construction, not from “نَهْر” by itself.
It is also said:
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ الْأَنْهَارَ
The fact that rivers are made serviceable for human beings is understood from “سَخَّرَ لَكُم”. “أَنْهَار” by itself only names the rivers.
6. The Emergence of a River Between Gardens
About the two gardens it is said:
وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلَالَهُمَا نَهَرًا
In this phrase, two roots connected with water stand beside one another:
- “فَجَّرْنَا”, from the root “F J R”, indicates splitting open and bringing forth a flow;
- “نَهَرًا” names the river or the resulting flow.
“خِلَالَهُمَا” specifies the path of the river: the river was placed or flowed between the two gardens.
Thus the meaning of splitting open and producing the flow comes from the verb “فَجَّرْنَا”, while “نَهَرًا” names the resulting river itself.
7. River as a Means of Testing
In the story of Talut it is said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُمْ بِنَهَرٍ
“بِنَهَرٍ” means by means of a river. The letter “باء” introduces the river as the instrument or setting of the test.
A river in its lexical meaning is not “test.” The instruction about drinking and the reaction of the people is what turns it into a matter of testing. Therefore, the meaning “testing” should not be inserted into the definition of “نَهَر”.
8. Rivers and the Display of Worldly Power
Pharaoh says:
أَلَيْسَ لِي مُلْكُ مِصْرَ وَهَٰذِهِ الْأَنْهَارُ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِي
A direct translation of the second part is:
and these rivers flow from beneath me.
“تَجْرِي” expresses the movement of the water, and “مِنْ تَحْتِي” expresses the spatial relation. In the context of Pharaoh's speech, pointing to the rivers is part of displaying his rule and possession; but the meaning of rulership is understood from “لِي مُلْكُ مِصْرَ” and the whole speech situation, not from “أَنْهَار” alone.
Therefore, the base translation should not be “these rivers are under my command,” because such a rendering replaces the direct meaning of the sentence with an inference from the context.
9. The Construction “تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ”
One of the most frequent uses of “أَنْهَار” in the Qur'an is the description of gardens beneath which rivers flow:
جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ
In this construction:
- “جَنَّات” names the gardens;
- “تَجْرِي” expresses the act of flowing;
- “الْأَنْهَار” is the subject of “تَجْرِي”;
- “مِنْ تَحْتِهَا” specifies the relation of the path of flow to the gardens.
The word “نَهْر” by itself does not mean “flowing beneath the gardens.” This image is built from the whole of the verb, subject, the letter “مِنْ”, and the adverbial “تَحْت”.
In most of these verses, “مِنْ تَحْتِهَا” occurs. The letter “مِنْ” highlights the beginning or extension of the flow from the region beneath the gardens. In At-Tawbah 9:100, the phrase “تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ” occurs without “مِنْ”; in that form, “تَحْتَهَا” states the place of the flow.
This expression does not determine the architecture of the gardens, the depth of the rivers, or the physical details of the world of the Hereafter. The verbal image should be preserved, but details the verse has not stated should not be added to it.
10. Rivers of Paradise and the Substance Flowing in Them
In the description of Paradise it is said:
فِيهَا أَنْهَارٌ مِنْ مَاءٍ غَيْرِ آسِنٍ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِنْ لَبَنٍ لَمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ طَعْمُهُ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِنْ خَمْرٍ لَذَّةٍ لِلشَّارِبِينَ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِنْ عَسَلٍ مُصَفًّى
In this verse, “أَنْهَار” names extended flows, and the constructions after “مِنْ” specify the flowing substance:
- rivers of water;
- rivers of milk;
- rivers of a drink delightful to those who drink;
- rivers of purified honey.
Thus “نَهْر” in itself is not limited only to water. The flowing substance is specified by the context.
This description belongs to the world of the Hereafter. The verbal image of flowing rivers must be preserved, but their physical quality cannot be made identical with the laws and characteristics of earthly rivers, nor can one make a decisive judgment about unstated details.
11. The Meaning of “فِي جَنَّاتٍ وَنَهَرٍ”
In Surah Al-Qamar it is said:
إِنَّ الْمُتَّقِينَ فِي جَنَّاتٍ وَنَهَرٍ
“نَهَر” in this verse appears in the singular, while in many descriptions of Paradise the plural form “أَنْهَار” is seen.
Several lexical explanations have been reported for this form:
- “نَهَر” meaning river, as a generic noun or a singular with collective force;
- a singular that, in context, represents the whole of rivers;
- brightness and openness, based on a possible connection with “نَهَار”.
Given the dominant use of “نَهَر” and its pairing with “جَنَّات”, the meaning river or water-flow is more direct. However, the explanation “brightness and openness” is also reported in lexical sources and may be mentioned as a secondary possibility, not as a certain meaning.
A natural translation of the phrase can be:
Indeed, the mindful are in gardens and among rivers.
In this translation, the Arabic singular is transferred as plural on the basis of generic or collective force. If the verbal structure is preserved completely, “in gardens and a river” is not natural in English and may take the reader away from the intended sense.
12. “نَهَار”: The Bright Part of the Day-Night Cycle
“نَهَار” stands opposite “لَيْل” and indicates the bright period of the day-night cycle. Lexical sources report different views about its exact beginning, from dawn or from sunrise; but in general and Qur'anic use, its contrast with night is more important than setting one fixed clock-bound boundary.
Ibn Faris explains “نَهَار” as the opening of darkness toward light. This analysis fits the appearance of the field of sight in daytime, but it should not be turned into a decisive theory about the historical origin of the word.
“نَهَار” sometimes names the bright period, and sometimes, as an adverbial expression of time, gives the meaning “by day” or “during the day”:
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي دَعَوْتُ قَوْمِي لَيْلًا وَنَهَارًا
“لَيْلًا وَنَهَارًا” expresses the continuity of the call across the whole cycle of night and day.
13. The Difference Between “نَهَار” and “يَوْم”
“نَهَار” and “يَوْم” overlap, but they are not complete synonyms.
“نَهَار” more directly expresses the bright part of the day-night cycle in contrast to night. “يَوْم” can indicate a calendar day, a time-cycle, a moment, or a specific event, such as “يَوْمُ الْقِيَامَةِ”.
In the phrase:
لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا سَاعَةً مِنْ نَهَارٍ
“نَهَار” is a bright period from which “an hour” has been separated.
But “يَوْم” can name the whole situation or time of an event, even if that event is not restricted to the bright part of the day.
In English, both words are often translated as “day”; nevertheless, the difference between them should be preserved in lexical explanation.
14. Night and Day as a Temporal Pair
“اللَّيْل” and “النَّهَار” appear together many times in the Qur'an. This pairing expresses the cycle of darkness and light and the whole time-structure of human life:
إِنَّ فِي اخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ
“اخْتِلَاف” here relates to difference, alternation, and succession of night and day, not to dispute and conflict.
In another verse it is said:
يُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ
“يُولِجُ” expresses the entering of one into the other. This meaning comes from the verb “يُولِجُ”; “نَهَار” only names the bright period.
It is also said:
يُكَوِّرُ اللَّيْلَ عَلَى النَّهَارِ وَيُكَوِّرُ النَّهَارَ عَلَى اللَّيْلِ
The image of wrapping one over the other is built by “يُكَوِّرُ” and should not be inserted into the definition of “نَهَار”.
These verses express the order and continuity of night and day, but the details of a modern scientific theory should not be inserted into the meaning of the word without contextual evidence.
15. “النَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا”
The Qur'an says:
هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ لِتَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ وَالنَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا
“مُبْصِرًا” is outwardly a description of “نَهَار”, but the meaning is not that the day has eyes and sees like a human being. Day is a bright period in which things become visible and the human being gains the possibility of seeing and movement.
A natural translation of the phrase can be:
He is the One who made the night for you to rest in, and the day bright and sight-enabling.
In another verse it is said:
وَجَعَلْنَا آيَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً
Here “مُبْصِرَة” describes “آيَةَ النَّهَارِ”. The meaning of brightness and the possibility of seeing comes from this description, not from “نَهَار” alone.
16. Day as the Time of Livelihood and Movement
In some contexts, the Qur'an pairs night with rest and day with movement and seeking provision:
وَجَعَلْنَا النَّهَارَ مَعَاشًا
“مَعَاشًا” presents day as the time of life, work, and securing livelihood. The meaning livelihood does not come from “نَهَار” itself; this word states the function of day.
It is also said:
وَجَعَلَ النَّهَارَ نُشُورًا
“نُشُورًا” in this context is connected with rising, spreading out, and resuming movement after sleep.
In Surah Al-Muzzammil it is also said:
إِنَّ لَكَ فِي النَّهَارِ سَبْحًا طَوِيلًا
“سَبْحًا طَوِيلًا” expresses the breadth of movement and occupation during the day. This meaning comes from the complete construction of the verse, not from “نَهَار” alone.
These uses show that day in the Qur'an is not only a phenomenon related to the sky; it is also part of the lived time of the human being.
17. Continuous Day and the Balance of Night and Day
In the Qur'an it is said:
قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ النَّهَارَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ
This verse shows that day is not, in itself, an absolute symbol of good. If day continued without night and permanently, the balance necessary for life would disappear.
The value of day becomes clear in its relation to its order and function. Night provides a setting for rest and covering, and day provides a setting for seeing, movement, and seeking provision.
Therefore, mechanically turning “نَهَار” into a symbol of guidance and “لَيْل” into a symbol of misguidance, without a contextual indication, is not a precise method.
18. Parts of the Day
The Qur'an uses various constructions to refer to parts of the day.
18.1. “وَجْهَ النَّهَارِ”
آمِنُوا بِالَّذِي أُنْزِلَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَجْهَ النَّهَارِ
“وَجْهَ النَّهَارِ” points to the beginning or forward-facing part of the day. “وَجْه” here is not the physical face of the day; it expresses its opening portion.
18.2. “طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ”
وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ
“طَرَفَيِ” shows the two sides of the day. Determining its exact practical limits is not possible from the root “N H R” alone.
18.3. “أَطْرَافَ النَّهَارِ”
وَأَطْرَافَ النَّهَارِ لَعَلَّكَ تَرْضَىٰ
“أَطْرَاف” expresses the parts or edges of the day. From this word itself, without contextual evidence, one cannot extract specific hours.
19. The Verb “نَهَرَ”: To Drive Away Sharply and Rebuke
The verb “نَهَرَ يَنْهَرُ” means to restrain someone sharply, rebuke them, or drive them away.
This verb occurs in the Qur'an only in two negative commands:
- concerning father and mother;
- concerning the asker.
In both uses, the addressee is forbidden from a harsh encounter with a person who is in a position of need or vulnerability.
This meaning should not be explained through unproven metaphors such as “a flood of speech” or “splitting the inside of a person.” The defensible meaning is the same harsh, restraining, and driving encounter.
20. “وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا”
About father and mother it is said:
فَلَا تَقُلْ لَهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُلْ لَهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا
The structure of the verse has three stages:
- “فَلَا تَقُلْ لَهُمَا أُفٍّ”: do not even utter the smallest expression of annoyance to them;
- “وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا”: do not rebuke them sharply or drive them away from yourself;
- “وَقُلْ لَهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا”: speak to them with noble speech.
“تَنْهَرْهُمَا” goes beyond “أُفٍّ”. “أُفٍّ” is an expression of weariness or annoyance, but “نَهْر” is a direct and sharp encounter with the person.
The command is not limited only to leaving off shouting. Sharp speech, pushing away, humiliating silencing, and rebuke accompanied by disrespect are also connected with this prohibition.
The verse does not replace this behavior merely with silence; “قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا” also states the positive manner of speaking.
21. “وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ”
In Surah Ad-Duha it is said:
وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ
“السَّائِل” may be someone asking for help or someone asking a question. The word itself, without contextual restriction, is not limited to a financial requester.
“فَلَا تَنْهَرْ” means do not drive him away harshly, do not answer with aggression, and do not silence him in a humiliating way.
The verse does not require that every request be accepted without condition. The prohibition is directed at the manner of encounter. The answer to a request may be negative, but the negative answer must not become harsh driving away and humiliation of the requester.
22. The Difference Between “نَهَرَ” and “قَهَرَ”
In the preceding verse it is said:
فَأَمَّا الْيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ
Then comes:
وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ
“قَهَرَ” indicates overpowering, bringing someone under domination, and making someone lowly. “نَهَرَ” is more closely connected with sharp rebuke, pushing back, and driving away.
Therefore, the two prohibitions can be distinguished as follows:
- do not place the orphan under the pressure of power and subjugation;
- do not drive the asker away harshly.
Translating both verbs as “do not harm” hides part of the lexical difference between them.
23. The Difference Between “نَهَرَ”, “زَجَرَ”, and “نَهَىٰ”
23.1. N H R (نَهَرَ) and Z J R (زَجَرَ)
“زَجَرَ” indicates restraining, driving away, or stopping through voice, command, or threat. “نَهَرَ” more directly highlights a direct and sharp encounter with the person.
These two words overlap, and in lexical sources one is sometimes explained through the other. The boundary between them is not absolute in every use; but in “فَلَا تَنْهَرْ”, the human relation and the manner of pushing the addressee away are prominent.
23.2. N H R (نَهَرَ) and N H Y (نَهَىٰ)
“نَهَىٰ” means to forbid someone from doing something. Its focus is on the prohibited act.
“نَهَرَ” focuses on the harsh manner of encounter with the person himself. One may forbid someone from an action without humiliating him or driving him away.
The outward similarity of “نَهَرَ” and “نَهَىٰ” should not lead to mixing these two roots.
24. The Difference Between “نَهْر” and Nearby Words
24.1. N H R (نَهْر) and J R Y (جَرَىٰ)
“نَهْر” names a river or organized water-flow. “جَرَىٰ” expresses the act of moving and flowing itself.
In:
تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ
“الْأَنْهَار” are the things that flow, and “تَجْرِي” expresses their movement.
24.2. N H R (نَهْر) and F J R (فَجَرَ)
“فَجَرَ” indicates splitting open and the flow bursting out. “نَهْر” is the river or the resulting flow.
This difference is clear in “وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلَالَهُمَا نَهَرًا”.
24.3. N H R (نَهْر) and ʿ Y N (عَيْن)
“عَيْن”, in the field of water, points to a spring and the place where water comes out. “نَهْر” is the extended channel or flow of water.
A spring may be the source of a river, but the two words name one phenomenon from two different directions.
24.4. N H R (نَهْر) and B H R (بَحْر)
“بَحْر” more directly expresses a wide expanse of water. “نَهْر” is a flow that extends through a channel.
The boundary between the two is not completely geometric and fixed in all Arabic usages, but in dominant Qur'anic usage, “بَحْر” is an expanse of water and “نَهْر” is a river-flow.
24.5. N H R (نَهْر) and S Y L (سَالَ)
“سَيْل” focuses on the flowing of abundant water, especially a flow caused by rain and floodwater. “نَهْر” usually expresses a more stable channel or flow of water.
A flood may be temporary and destructive, but these elements are not necessary in the meaning of “نَهْر”.
25. Not Mixing “أَنْهَار” with “اِنْهَارَ”
“أَنْهَار”, meaning rivers, is from the root “N H R”:
تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ
But “اِنْهَارَ”, meaning collapsed, is from the root “H W R”:
فَانْهَارَ بِهِ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ
The outward similarity of these two should not cause the roots to be mixed:
- “أَنْهَار”: rivers, plural of “نَهْر”;
- “اِنْهَارَ”: collapsed.
The initial hamzah, morphological pattern, and position of the word in the sentence distinguish the two from one another.
26. Care in Translation
26.1. Translating “نَهْر” and “أَنْهَار”
In most contexts, “river” and “rivers” are natural translations. Still, the word can bring to mind both the channel and the flowing water within it.
“تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ” can be translated as:
the rivers flow from beneath it.
Adding “beneath palaces,” “beneath trees,” or “underground” without an indication in the verse turns translation into interpretation.
26.2. Translating “نَهَار”
“نَهَار” is usually translated as “day,” but the explanation should make clear that what is primarily meant is the bright part of the day-night cycle in contrast to night.
In some contexts, “during the day” or “by day” is more precise.
26.3. Translating “تَنْهَرْ”
Depending on context, “تَنْهَرْ” can be translated as:
- do not drive away harshly;
- do not speak aggressively;
- do not rebuke sharply;
- do not push away with harshness.
“Do not shout” is narrower than the meaning of the word, because a person may humiliate another and drive him away without raising his voice.
“Do not refuse” is too broad, because the verse does not necessarily forbid every negative answer; it forbids harsh and humiliating driving away.
27. Conclusion
The root “N H R” in the Qur'an has three main fields: river, day, and sharp driving away.
“نَهْر” is a river, a water-channel, or an extended flow moving in a bed. In the Qur'an, rivers are part of the structure of the earth, a setting for life, a means of testing, part of the display of worldly power, and one of the prominent elements in the description of the gardens of the Hereafter. The flowing of the river, its path, and the substance flowing in it are understood from verbs, prepositions, and accompanying words, not from “نَهْر” alone.
“نَهَار” is the bright part of the day-night cycle in contrast to night. The Qur'an presents it as the time of seeing, movement, livelihood, and activity, and beside night it forms the alternating order of life. Day is not inherently an absolute symbol of good; its value becomes clear in its place within the balanced order of night and day.
“نَهَرَ” in human usage means to rebuke someone sharply, push them back, or drive them away. The Qur'an forbids this behavior toward father and mother and toward the asker. This prohibition is not only a prohibition of shouting; it also includes the harsh and humiliating manner of pushing the addressee away.
The three main forms of this family can be summarized as follows:
“نَهْر”: river, channel, or extended flow of water.
“نَهَار”: the bright period of the day-night cycle in contrast to night.
“نَهَرَهُ”: he rebuked him sharply, pushed him back, or drove him away.