سرع

Core meaning

To go quickly toward what one aims at. Said of God: the swiftness of His reckoning and of His sanction; said of human beings: speed toward good or toward evil.

Uses

1. سَرِيع, أَسْرَعُ → "swift", "swifter" : God's swiftness in settling the account or in sanctioning.

   • «وَٱللَّهُ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ» — "God is swift in reckoning" (2:202)
   • «إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَسَرِيعُ ٱلْعِقَابِ» — "Your Guardian is surely swift in sanction" (7:167)
   • «قُلِ ٱللَّهُ أَسْرَعُ مَكْرًا» — "Say: "God is swifter in plotting."" (10:21)

2. سَارَعَ, يُسَٰرِعُونَ → "to speed" : to go quickly toward a goal; the complement says whether the goal is good or bad.

   • «إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يُسَٰرِعُونَ فِى ٱلْخَيْرَٰتِ» — "they used to speed toward good deeds" (21:90)

3. سِرَاعًا → "rapidly" : the course of those who come out of the earth on the Day.

   • «يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ ٱلْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًۭا» — "the Day they will emerge from the sepulchres rapidly" (70:43)

Evidence from the text

The same speed changes value according to its goal. The believers speed toward good deeds (3:114, 21:90, 23:61) and are called to speed "toward a forgiveness" from their Guardian (3:133); others speed into disowning (3:176, 5:41) or into transgression (5:62). In 23:55-56, the text refutes those who think God speeds toward them through goods and sons: it is those who tremble who speed toward good (23:57-61).

Said of God, the adjective returns as a formula: "God is swift in reckoning" (2:202, 3:19, 3:199, 5:4, 13:41, 14:51, 24:39, 40:17), and "swift in sanction" (6:165, 7:167). The account does not delay, even when it seems far off.

Distinctions

• عجل — haste: wanting before the time, whereas سرع says speed toward a goal
• سبق — to outrun: to arrive before another, whereas سرع measures only speed

See also

حسب (the reckoning)