نحب

Core meaning

The term one has committed oneself to reach: a commitment carried through to its fulfillment.

Uses

1. نَحْبَهُۥ → "their commitment" : what the believers true to the pact have concluded, while others are still waiting.

   • «فَمِنْهُم مَّن قَضَىٰ نَحْبَهُۥ» — "some of them have concluded their commitment" (33:23)

Evidence from the text

Sole use, 33:23. The preceding sentence speaks of men "truthful to the pact they had made with God"; this one divides them: "some of them have concluded their commitment, and some of them are waiting". The contrast between concluding and waiting fixes the sense: a commitment that has a term, which some have reached and others still await.

Distinctions

• وثق — the solemn engagement (مِيثَٰق), a bond tied firmly between two parties; نَحْب is the commitment carried through to its term

See also

عهد (the pact with God, which the commitment fulfils)